Blind Dog

Our Petey is about 80 to 85% blind at this point. It happened slowly so he was able to adjust. I've had a dog that went blind a lot faster and I've fostered a dog that was completely blind after a horrific injury. It seems so much worse when they lose their sight quickly but dogs are quite resilient and they will adjust with our help.

You have received some good advice on this thread, the harness would be a must have with all those steps to negotiate. I will just encourage you to take things slow which may mean you have to slow way down yourself, and speak gently with an encouraging tone. perhaps it will help if you place your hand in front of the dog's nose so they smell you (to follow) and it just might slow it down a little in the process when you slow your motion.

I have faith you will get a routine and things will begin to "fall into place" for you and your beloved companion. Will it take some work? You bet! You seem up for it, good for you. :)

Please update us on your progress when you can!

One of our dogs went blind, but she was under 10# so we could just carry her up and down steps. She could see light/dark shadows at first, so could avoid large objects in her way. She walked on a leash , but we walked her in an area she knew. Before total blindness, she used her nose to find the edge of a step to know where to start going down. After awhile she could no longer see to judge distance to jump, so we would lift her on and off the sofa also. She always found a way to communicate what she wanted and we just helped. She died at age 16 a couple of years ago and we still miss her even though it was a lot of work.

One bit of advice: I got one of those inexpensive "assist" harnesses for my Aussie who was getting wobbly in his old age, but still insisted on sleeping upstairs with us. The harness was just a "girth" band with handles - worked fine going up the stairs; but going down, it could slip back around his hips if he fell forward. Which still gives you control, but they sort of don't like that....

I always meant to sew a strap that would have gone across his chest, so the harness couldn't slip backwards. But 90% of the time, he could bunny-hop down the steps on his own - the harness was just there so I could catch him if necessary. And he LIKED it (must have given him a sense of security?) - would not use the stairs until I put his harness on.

In my experience, it's much harder for dogs to adjust to blindness when it happens quickly rather than a slow gradual process. Stairs do add an extra wrinkle, but most do adapt.

If you are still noticing increased water consumption, you may not have the control of glucose levels you need. Talk to your vet, this isn't always an easy process. You may need to switch doses or types of insulin. Also, checking glucose levels at home can be useful in achieving control.

Doug, DVM

There is a Yahoo group called Blind Dogs. Lots of people who have tons of knowledge about living with blind dogs. One of the most helpful tips I read there is to scent the tops and bottoms of your stairs with something. Apparently flavoring works well. So you could put a dab of vanilla flavoring at the top of the stairs, a dab of lemon at the bottom. You can also use a different flavoring to mark the door outside or any other important points.

I convinced my lot to use a box, and I think it might be done. This would be the right time of year to try it...

What is her favorite surface to pee on? And how big is she?

We had a harness with a handle we used to help hold up our handicapped puppy. Try a search for Ruff Wear. Good luck.

Thanks for the ideas. I thought about a potty spot on the deck but she would never go potty on the deck. I'll look for the harness this weekend. Also thanks for the encouragement I want to do everything I can to make her life the best it can be for as long as I can.

Ditto on the harness... I have never seen one made for blind dogs, but either that or just a regular harness should be a big help. For a regular harness you might want to buy a "traffic loop" which is a very short leash, just a loop, to leave on and use on the stairs.

Also, if you have an upstairs patio, this might be a good time to consider if there is any way to fix her up a potty spot there.

I had a Retriever\Chow who was diabetic and blind for his 7 final years (he made it to almost 15 years old).

My experience was that he did very well once his BG stabilized.
He navigated well and went up and down stairs and thru two pet doors to go outside by himself.

If you just let your dawg find her way on her own (under your watch) I'm sure you'll be quite surprised how well a dawg adapts.

Good luck there...things will right themselves try not to worry too much.