The dog that wears sunglasses to stop her going blind
A dog with a rare medical condition has to wear sunglasses to stop her going blind.
Two-year-old Flossie, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel cannot produce tears and her delicate eyes need protection from sunlight.
The illness - keratoconjunctivitis sicca and ichthyosiform - also means she suffers from itchy skin and has to wear pink pyjamas to stop her scratching.
Most puppies born with the genetic disease are put to sleep, but dedicated owner Diana Stevens has found a flamboyant way to manage the condition, with special "doggles" - sunglasses for dogs.
She said: "If you're not 100 per cent dedicated and do not keep up the treatment, they go blind, but Flossie is fine, she's just a normal, happy, boisterous dog.
"She's quite happy with the doggles and her pyjamas help protect her delicate skin. Everyone stops and looks at her, they think she's so cool.
"Yesterday someone said she looked like she belonged to a footballer's wife. She loves all the attention and thinks she's a star."
Diana, from St Albans, Herts, who also has to give Flossie eye drops every hour to manage her condition, admits she feels a bit embarrassed about the shades sometimes but has no regrets about not putting her pup to sleep.
She added: "I love her too much and if you look after her the right way she's fine. I feel I have to justify to people why she's wearing sunglasses and I'm always trying to convince people I'm not a crazy person.
"I was advised to put her down because she would go blind within six months, but she's two-and-a-half now and she's fine. I don't regret it one bit."
"Kids love her and people always want to take her picture. She loves wearing her doggles and just sits there and poses for the cameras."
Flossie is also popular with veterinary experts. Staff at the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket, Suffolk. are studying Flossie and researching a cure for the disease.
Diana said she was delighted to be able to help the team's research:
"The work they do is amazing and I'm only too happy to help.
"They're interested in Flossie because they've never had an example of day to day care on a dog with this condition before."
