My dog is blind

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Warnen

Warnen

Don't pass gaas, it is your Destiny!
Just got back from the vet my poor Tuna has SARDS (Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration Syndrome). We noticed about a week ago she wasn't able to quickly grab treats that we tossed to her, and she stopped chasing and playing with our little Chihuahua Gizmo. She is almost 9 years old and that seems to be when this usually happens. Thankfully other then that she is in great health. No one seems to know what causes it.


Anyone else have a blind dog? Any tips? From what we have read looks like most dogs take to it well and its harder on us then the dog.


I think her biggest regret is that she will never be able to watch a another Star Wars movie...

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Some friends had a blind dog in its late years. It was very kid and would just sniff you out and come lie down next to you. I was told the only time it is really hard on the dog is when things have been moved and cleaned. It would result in bumps.
 
My last dog went blind for about the last three or four years of his life. Nothing to worry about. They memorise the layout of your house and the rest of their senses are heightened. Could hardly even tell he was blind, unless something had moved.
 
I had a blind dog. Unfortunately had to be put down last year, but he was a great dog. He just had to get accustomed to the house and he needed help getting down stairs but he was good for the most part despite bumping into things every now and again. Walks outside were no problem either really.

He couldn't play fetch for shit though.
 
Zaventem said:
Get another dog to accompany her? Read a story a whe ago about a non blind dog belping out a blind one.
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We have 3 other dogs so she good there, they already heard her in the right direction when she's outside.
 
My grandma's dog is blind and she does pretty well. She doesn't walk around much for obvious reasons but she likes to lay close to my grandma when they're in the same room. Give her extra cuddling time.
 
She will be fine, dogs are amazing at remember there surroundings as long as you don't move a bunch a stuff around. I have a blind and deaf chihuahua and he gets around the house still very well.

Its a shame I want to move to another house, because I no idea how i'm teach him the layout.
 
Like others have said, your dog should be fine. Vision is pretty poor for dogs anyway, and she'll learn to make her way around. Just show her lots of love :) It's nice that she has a friend, even if it is a chihuahua :P
 
Ugh sucks to hear that. Reading stories like this sometimes makes me regret getting a dog. You get so damn attached to the little fuckers :/
 
Sorry to hear that.

The expression on that dog is priceless though, it looks like she will still have a very happy life regardless. Besides dogs have shit vision to begin with.
 
My dog became blind near the end of her life. We were devasted when we realized but the veterinarian told us she would adjust and do pretty well. She said dogs rely more on their nose and ears instead of their eyes like humans do.

Your dog will bump into stuff a lot at first then it'll bump into things less. If you want it to follow you just keep making noises so the dog knows where you are. If you want to pet it, say its name or make a noise first so you don't startle it. My dog could go up and down stairs after a day or two of being blind. She remembered where the food and water bowls were and didn't have a problem finding them. It was really incredible how quickly she adapted. We had to put her down in 2011 though, but she had a pretty good life.
 
Don't worry about it; I guarantee you are more upset about your dog's eyesight than she is. We have two pugs with very poor vision and they get along fine.
 
She's very beautiful OP :)

I don't have any experience other than my family's dog who is very old (14 or 15) and is mostly blind - she's still wonderful but you kind of have to feed treats to her or let her use her nose. She is also bad at recognising us from a distance. :P
 
A friend had a blind puppy. Cutest corgi ever. Their other dog was getting old and didn't always like the antics of a young pup that was glued at the hip. They adjusted just fine and didn't have much trouble even when they moved.
 
Thanks all, yeah she doesn't seem to care much, bumps into a wall ever once and a while but thats about it so far.

She used to like sitting in her bed on the floor, now she seems to like to cuddle up more. Guess she feels safer that way. Thankfully our other dogs are treating her well too.


We are going to move some of the furniture out of her way and give her time to adjust, glad she still her happy self.
 
Fancy Clown said:
I had a blind dog. Unfortunately had to be put down last year, but he was a great dog. He just had to get accustomed to the house and he needed help getting down stairs but he was good for the most part despite bumping into things every now and again. Walks outside were no problem either really.

He couldn't play fetch for shit though.
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I'm sorry but this part made me laugh. :(
 
My sister got a Boston Terrier puppy several years ago (I think she's six now) that developed cataracts (apparently really common in Bostons) somewhere around 1 - 2 years of age. Just a couple of months ago she developed glaucoma.

Honestly, she is living a pretty full and happy life (she still is mostly as active as any other dog my family has owned), but you can tell she is blind. She does have issues on walks because she isn't always sure of where to place her feet and she can walk into things.

My advice is be prepared to take things slow when you go on walks and be very observant of the surroundings - make sure she doesn't walk off the curb or into things (be careful of things like branches or anything pointed like branches or cabinets in your house). I think my sisters dog can see directly below her or something because she can navigate steps (albeit slowly), but be careful anyway.

The one thing about her though - is she gets very startled by unexpected noises, she does not like kids or other dogs. I think it's a safety thing as she doesn't like anyone or anything coming up on her so suddenly.

I will say this: I think her hearing and sense of smell is better than any dog I've ever seen (perhaps to compensate for the lose of sight? It's probably also why she doesn't like kids - too noisy). She is the only one out of my sisters two dogs, my parents dog, and my brother's dog that can track down the location of all the treat containers in the house - even if you move them.
 
Can your dog hear? Because the Star Wars movies have such great audio, you almost don't need to see what's happening on screen.
 
Dogs cope well with being blind. They quickly memorize where they live even if you move. Just try to not leave too much stuff around or leave the door open.
 
poor girl. blind dogs will get nippy with unfamiliar situations, sounds, smells, and people. they'll probably be ok around you and the family, but outsiders or if you surprise her, she might be defensive. She's going to be relying on her nose and other senses a lot more now.

I never had a blind dog but my babysitter's mom had an old half blind dog that was definitely a bit bitey.
 
My dog is blind, he's doing fine. But as another poster said, at an old age they rely on memory and an estimation of where they are in a room, so don't move furniture around.
 
My girlfriend's parent's dog went blind late in his life but other than him bumping into things from time to time, it didn't seem like it was too big of a deal.
 
My dog went blind about 6 months ago. He can't (won't) go down stairs, but he'll cautiously ascend. At first he was very reluctant to take walks, but after a few months he is basically 90% of where he was before. A little slower and I need to make sure he doesn't bump into things, but mostly the same. His QOL seems fine. He appears to be as happy now as he was with sight.
 
Dog went blind due to complications from diabetes. Broke my heart watching him bump into things but a couple of weeks later he was getting around fine.

A few months later, if it wasn't for the cataracts you wouldn't know he was blind tbh. They adapt extremely well. But as mentioned above, try not to move furniture around too often :P
 
My Dog has been diagnosed with Anemia, and I am worried, it might be due to cancer.

Im having chest xrays done on Saturday. Im so worried. I can't be without her, and she is only 10.
 
Yeah think we aren't going to move furniture around any more, used to put xmas tree where she likes to sleep but we will put in another room she doesn't go into from now on.

Stairs haven't fazed her at all, bumps into the 1st one but she climbs and comes down easy. Our steps have a ridge on them so think she can feel them easy coming down so it doesn't scare her.


We saw that bumper thing, if she needs it we will get her one. Only downside I see is her water, it's a fountain style (good so she hears the water), that might not work to well with the bumper.
 
I have a blind cat. To be honest, he is pretty much a normal cat. Walks a bit wonky, turns his head a lot, but thats it. He can get around as well as our other cats, and even goes up and down stairs. It sucks, but I think your dog will eventually grow used to it.
 
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