Chris and Mariesa Hughes, the people behind The Mr. Mo Project, are dedicated to saving and rescuing dogs in need. The Mr. Mo Project was founded as their way of giving senior dogs in the shelter a chance to be loved.
The couple has observed that senior dogs are often surrendered by their previous owners because they cannot provide for the medical needs of their dogs. The Mr. Mo Project aims to rescue senior dogs in the shelter, find forever homes for them, and support the medical needs of these dogs.
Chris and Mariesa became viral on the Internet when they decided to build a bed big enough for them and their eight dogs. One of the dogs in the Hughes family is Gremlin.
Gremlin, a senior pit bull, was rescued at a dogfighting arena when she was four years old. Chris and Mariesa adopted her to give her a chance to be loved. However, for the seven years that Gremlin was under their care, she also battled a lot of medical issues. She had cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, and babesia, a kind of blood disease.
Gremlin is already blind in her right eye, but later on, Chris and Mariesa notice that her left eye is starting to develop a cataract. She is subjected to eye surgery to save her left eye, but unfortunately, she has developed an ulcer that greatly affected her vision. The veterinary ophthalmologist who is looking after Gremlin said that her left eye has severe nearsightedness. She can see people and things from afar, but she cannot see anything that is near her.
Gremlin started to become anxious and afraid due to her deteriorating vision. The 11-year-old pit bull started to withdraw from her family and easily get startled. Chris and Mariesa were not willing to lose hope for Gremlin. They still looked for options to help her regain her sight. They contacted veterinarians all across the United States to ask if they could prescribe dog eyeglasses for her.
Thankfully, Dr. Petra Lackner from Arkansas suggested getting Gremlin some contact lenses. Animals with vision problems had been using contact lenses for the past 10 years, but they are costly and mostly reserved to use for wild animals held in captivity. Instead of using veterinary-grade contact lenses, Dr. Lackner suggested using human-grade contact lenses instead.
Chris and Mariesa knew that putting contact lenses on Gremlin might be a challenge, but they are willing to give it a try. Chris calmed Gremlin and held his head while Mariesa put the contact lenses on him. As soon as the contact lenses were in place, Gremlin was surprised to see Chris and Mariesa near him. It was like he woke up from a daze!
The restoration of Gremlin’s vision has made her be herself again. She is once again a goofy yet sweet and loving member of the Hughes family. She loves staring at herself in the mirror. Indeed, the use of human contact lenses on animals is a great medical breakthrough that can lead to helping other dogs with vision problems to regain their sight again.
Enjoy life, Gremlin!
Video courtesy of Arin Greenwood via YouTube
