Sudden Blindness

[4Maddie44]

My dog is 6 years old and has gone blind very quickly with progressive retinal atrophy.  Has anyone coped well with a blind dog?

[Nwiest]

What ended up being the cause of it. My 10 month old just went blind overnight

[Dawn2828]

I adopted a 12 + year old maltese, I knew she had some health issues but when she started drinking and eating like a pony I took her to the vets and she was diagnosed with cushings,.  She was put on vetoyl and it worked great for about 3 months then she started loosing her hair again and her eyes were getting a milky color to them.  The vet said they would have to start her on lysodren and her vision was changing.  Within two weeks of that visit she went totally blind.  She went to bed on wed. still able to see and woke up the next morning blind.  My vet said that it could happen with cushing, that they don't know all the effects cushings does to a dog.  

I asked about surgery and the vet pretty much told me once a dog is blind there is little chance it will come back.  Unless its cataracts.  But to give her a chance that within a couple of weeks I won't even know she is blind and she can live a normal happy life.  I am going to give this little dog every chance.  I have only had her for 6 months and I love her dearly.  

Good luck with your dog I hope everything works out well.

[Jaybay]

That's a great report Maddie!  I think it won't be long before he's racing up and down those back stairs with no trouble at all.  And major kudos to you for letting him figure things out on his own.  High 5!  :-)

[lindapalm]

Good Luck Maddie44, Toby is a lucky dog to have such a good owner, he'll do fine with your help.

[4Maddie44]

Thank you so much for your kind comments.  I am doing as you say.  Chasha our dogs have same problem.  I do still take Toby out on his leash and take him on same walk so he knows all the ups and downs and turns, and he has a good sniff along the way.  He is doing well.  My back garden has steps and he sometimes has a problem with them.  I don't wrap him in cotton wool, but let him cope on his own.  He often bumps into things, but soon shakes his head, and goes on his way.  Like you say, not so distressing for a dog to lose their sight.  He has had six years of sight, and may live another six blind.  He is eating well, and seems very fit.  I won't stop Toby going out, as he enjoys the outdoors.  Yes, we love out little companions so much, and would do anything for them.  Toby and I will carry on our lives together, I just have to keep a special eye on him.

[chasha33]

I have a 10 year old Pekingese "Snow" She went blind within 24 hrs.We knew that there was something going on with her,But we didnt think that it was her vision.I took her to a specialist and he told me that she had Retinal degenration and that she was almost blind.She always liked being outside and it was really hard at first making her stay inside.She gained 7lbs and it was really hard on her at first.We thought that when she went blind  that she might have had SARDs or IMR.The Dr said that she might have one of those as well,But with the Retina problems that trying to treat the IMR wouldnt stop her from going blind.It has been 4 mths now and she is doing better.It has been hard for me seeing her having trouble getting around.But i work with her everyday and try to help her learn were everything is.I take her outside all the time and that makes her happy.I am also trying to help her lose weight and she has lost 2-3lbs.Which is good for her.She has always been such a good girl and i love her so much.We have been through alot together and she has always been there for me,So now its my turn to give to her and she deserves the best.Your baby will be fine it just takes a little time for him to learn how to get around.But if he knows were everything is before he loses all of his vision it shouldnt be that hard for him.If you ever need to talk we are here.Take care and God Bless

[lindapalm]

I haven't had to deal with a blind dog, but I agree with Jaybay 100% about not letting your dog see you stressed out over him, he'll definately pick up on that, and it won't help his situation.  Try to act natural around him and take things slowly and calmly, you both will have a lot of different learning in the next months, but together I'm sure you'll handle it well

[Jaybay]

I haven't directly dealt with a blind dog, but our neighbors did.  Their old cocker developed glaucoma and within a month both eyes were blind.

The same rules apply for a blind dog as to a blind human.  Keep your home clear of obstacles and don't do a lot of furniture rearranging.  Your dog's nose is his most powerful sense, and he will do just fine as he adjusts to life without sight.

If you have a fenced back yard, keep things like gardening tools or other sharp objects picked up.  You'll likely find that your dog will learn to follow his nose along the same pathways over time.

Just because he's blind doesn't mean he won't still enjoy walks on the leash.  DO keep up with that.  His nose tells him all he needs to know about his environment, and he'll enjoy sniffing all the new scents around the neighborhood.

Above all, don't feel sorry for him and "baby" him.  Let him explore the world on his own 4 paws rather than carrying him everywhere.  Yes, he'll probably run into things for a while as he figures out the layout of home and yard, but he'll adjust faster if you let him do it himself.  

Your dog doesn't react to blindness with the emotion that a human would.  It simply IS.  He won't feel sorry for himself; he'll merely adjust to it.  If you act like something is wrong and like it's something to be sad about, your own emotion will cause him distress.  Take it in stride and so will he.  :-)

[skydnsr]

Fortunately, I have not had to deal with this myself.  But as an Australian Shepherd owner, I have always read what information I could find on PRA.  

For what it's worth, people seem to say blind dogs cope surprisingly well, as long as they can stay in a familiar environment.  Evidently, vision is not a dog's main sense.  

I guess if you were to take your dog out on a leash, you would have to remember that he can't see obstacles, and he can't see things like curbs.  You would have to be his seeing-eye dog, so to speak.

Maybe somebody will come along who knows more.  Does it seem to upset your dog that he can't see anymore?