Help Please, What To Do With A Blind Dog

[Deidre]

A friend of mine's siberian husky female is only 3 years old and has been diagnosed with glaucoma in one eye (right eye) and it is now totally blind in that eye but her left eye was as good as gold but unfortunately she has sustained an eye injury (suspected to have been kicked by a horse) recently. One minute she was fine and 10 mins later my friend saw that she had a cut at the side of her nose (a couple of days ago) so she disinfected the cut without suspecting any injury to the eye as it appeared fine but she has told me today that the eye has gone cloudy and the siberian is bumping into things so she apparently has lost sight in her good eye also and is now totally blind. I have advised her to take the dog to the vet so she will be taking it tomorrow morning. Anybody who has experienced this situation or has had to cope with a blind dog, please do you have any advice; my friend does not want to put her to sleep. I have asked her how the dog is behaving otherwise and she told me that she appears depressed but thinks that perhaps it's a case of the dog having to adjust to her blindness.

[merrow]

we have alot of ppl that come in with blind dogs and i ask how they are at home she said that the dog copes fine it just takes it time to adjust for the dog and owner and when the dog has adjusted furnicher shouldnt be moved because they learn and rember where things

we have this old cocker spaniel who has just lost his space the owner lets him off when she comes in the shop and he can manover him self round the dryers till he reaches the end kennel which he loves and willl sulk if there is another dog in it

i really wouldnt worry as long as u watch out for the dog as it will depend on it owner more than b4

[bernicesmama]

I have seen a blind dog who was great! When I asked the owner how she trained her dog, she said she went to a trainer who had dealt with blind/deaf dogs before. The dog was very well trained and was fairly independent. I would suggest to contact a trainer who has dealt with this type of thing to retrain the owner and dog.

good luck and tell your friend not to lose hope or give up. All things can be worked through with love and patience.

[Gingee]

Can you (or the owner) take the dog around the house on a leash quite a few times so it can get to know the layout?

[Ladida]

The one blind dog I know lost her sight slowly, but during this time they got another dog to help be her "guide". Its a common practice with horses too. I would look for a trainer too.

[dogadvicer]

The dog will cope up easily within couple of days provided it should get adequate care on these days until it get accoustomed accustomed to its situation.

If you consult a good vet, they will give you a nice solution for this problem.
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[Deidre]

I have passed on these posts to my friend and I am very grateful for your help, thank you so much. My friend is feeling very depressed at the moment as she had just come to terms with that fact that her husky had lost its sight in one eye due to glaucoma but the other eye was good and it's just tragic that this incident had to take place; I spoke to her this morning on the phone and asked how Kimberley is going and she said that she seems a little insecure but is able to find her way around with a little difficulty; I do so hope that in time she will learn to adjust with her condition.

[Deb's Tiny Dogs]

I read a tip in Dog Fancy magazine for newly blind dogs. It suggested spraying perfume on the bottom of the legs of the furniture so the dog gets to know what the smell means.

And, like someone already said, don't change the furniture around. This really confuses and upsets them.

[adoring_paws]

Well I don't know anything about blind dogs, but I would take everyone else's advice, and my prayers are with your friend and her doggy!

[Aria]

she's blind not dead =) blind dogs usually get around with ease, and some you would never know where blind to begin with. Make sure however, that the animals food and toys have a " pungent" smell to them so that they are easily found, and toys with smells, like penut butter or something like that is a great excersize for the animal as well... i belive that the dog will be fine, just b/c she's blind doesn't make her useless =)