Bloodhound Dog Blinded by His 'Drooping' Skin Gets Facelift to 'Help Him See Again'

Luca the bloodhound's "quality of life has changed so much since his procedure," his owner says

Luca is taking in all the sights after regaining his full range of vision.

According to SWNS, the 6-year-old bloodhound recently started bumping into furniture and struggling to get around because of his drooping skin. Bloodhounds are known for their wrinkly look, but for Luca, his folds went too far and started covering his eyes.

"What caused the problem was the skin on the top of his head lost its elasticity, and due to the weight of his ears, it pulled the skin forward, and Luca couldn't see," the pooch's owner, Sheilah Needham, told the outlet.

After watching the dog run into objects and struggle to walk straight because of his obscured vision and knowing the issue would only get worse as Luca's skin continued to sag, Needham made the difficult decision to seek out surgery for her pet.

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"Luca needed something to help him see again," she says.

Needham and Luca ended up at the Veterinary Vision animal hospital in Sunderland, England, where doctors recommended a five-hour operation that included a rhytidectomy facelift.

"Luca's vision was progressively deteriorating due to the drooping of the facial skin and cataracts," Luca's veterinary surgeon, Lyndsay Moss, told SWNS. "It was a large operation for Luca to go through at his age and a difficult decision for his concerned owners to make to agree to surgery."

The surgery involved removing Luca's heavy excess skin and repositioning his facial fur to prevent future drooping.

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"Now that Luca has had the successful procedure, his vision has improved significantly," Moss says, adding that the dog is more "active" and "interested in his surroundings."

Needham agrees. She has noticed a remarkable difference in Luca's mobility and vision since his operation and recovery.

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"Luca's quality of life has changed so much since his procedure," the pet parent said. "He really looks like he is enjoying life.

"When he runs, it's much quicker, and his head is up rather than following his nose," she added. "He can even find his toys a lot more easily when playing in the house."

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