Texas A&M's collie mascot undergoes enucleation following glaucoma diagnosis

Texas A&M University’s mascot, Miss Reveille X — a 5-year-old American rough coat collie — has undergone eye removal, according to a statement by Mark A. Welsh III, president of Texas A&M, earlier this week.¹ The decision was made after Reveille X, also known as the “First Lady of Aggieland,” was diagnosed with glaucoma.

According to the statement, Reveille X had been experiencing progressing discomfort and cloudiness in her right eye and was diagnosed with the ocular disease during a recent veterinary check-up. Veterinarians at Texas A&M’s Medical Teaching Hospital recommended the rough collie undergo surgery to relieve discomfort.

Miss Reveille X. (Image courtesy of Jesse Everett/Texas A&M Marketing & Communications)

The veterinary team discovered signs of abnormal tissue during the procedure and proceeded with removing her eye out of an “abundance of caution.” Following standard procedure, the team then submitted a tissue sample to an ocular pathologist for analysis.¹

Clinical signs of glaucoma include squinting, corneal edema, tearing, loss of sight, a bright red, bulging eye (bupthalmos), dilated or slow-moving pupil(s), lethargy, loss of appetite, and pain. If glaucoma is suspected, eye pressure should be measured with a tonometer. Normal eye pressures in dogs do not typically exceed 20-28 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) in each eye.²

Eye pressures above 40-50 mm need emergency treatment.² Latanoprost, travoprost, bimatoprost, or other prostaglandin analogue eye drops can help quickly lower eye pressures to normal measurements.² Medications such as carbonic anhydrase inhibitors and beta blockers can also be administered.²

According to Texas A&M, Reveille X’s surgery was successful. She has since been discharged and is now in recovery.

“Our priority is her health and well-being, and we are blessed to have access to the remarkably talented and caring Texas A&M veterinary team who will continue to monitor Miss Rev on her road to recovery,” Welsh said in the announcement.¹ “She will take a brief hiatus from engagements as she fully recovers.”

Reveille X’s veterinary team anticipates the rough collie will be back to her usual activities this fall, which include riding on the Rev Force One, attending classes, and cheering on Texas A&M students.

Reveille has been Texas A&M’s official mascot since 1931, after cadets at Texas A&M adopted a mixed-breed dog and hid her in their dorm room.3 The dog later became Reveille I, a name she earned by barking wildly when a bugler played “Reveille” to wake the cadets that were hiding her.³

In 2021, Reveille X moved from Topeka, Kansas, to College Station, Texas, and became Texas A&M’s 10th mascot after she was donated to the university by the award-winning kennel Juell Collies. Born on September 5, 2019, the First Lady of Aggieland is the highest-ranking member of the Corps of Cadets.³

References

1. Welsh III MA. A statement on Miss Reveille X. News release. Texas A&M University. July 23, 2025. Accessed July 25, 2025. https://president.tamu.edu/messages/reveille-x-statement.html
2. Glaucoma. Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine. Accessed July 25, 2025. https://www.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/riney-canine-health-center/canine-health-information/glaucoma
3. About the official mascot of Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University. Accessed July 25, 2025. https://reveille.tamu.edu/