Ask a Trainer8 Things I've Learned from My Dog-Training Clients

Dogster

losing eye sight

Share advice for keeping your aging dog happy and healthy

google Marc- Emery!

Barked: Fri Dec 2, '11 5:35pm PST


	We've noticed this week she's not responding to hand signals unless they're very big and obvious or right next to her face. She's going in for a check up next week idk. I'm not even sure what I should ask about. She's 10ish? She still eats well and plays. She still tries to work with me but I don't even know how I could communicate with a dog that can't see or hear well. I've heard conflicting age expectations. She's got hypothyroidism that's being treated but we haven't lost any more weight. She was at 60lbs when I got her and she's dropped 15 of that.

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Baby (Heaven- Bound- 9-26-06)

Eyes broke - nose is not!

Barked: Fri Dec 2, '11 5:52pm PST


	When I though Baby was going blind the vet told me to drop cotton balls infront of her... they don't smell or make a sound, sure enough she was blind overnight from SARDS (Sudden Aquired Retna Degeneration). Not a big deal. We got the swimmie foam tubes, cut them and put them on chair bottoms, table legs etc. She did amazingly well, she was blind for 2 years before cancer took her from us.

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google Marc- Emery!

Barked: Sat Dec 3, '11 6:37am PST


	That sounds pretty accurate to the symptoms we're seeing out of her. We'll try the cotton balls, we did it with a treat earlier and we're pretty sure she didn't see it at all the first 2 times we tossed it to her. It wasn't until it got close to her nose and then hit the ground that she sniffed it out. She's always been big on smelling things.

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♥- DarlaMae - ♥

I Am- Iron Nose- !

Barked: Wed Dec 21, '11 9:09pm PST


	That is a very interesting about the cotton balls & for the furniture tips,thank you. I know many dogs adjust mostly to the vision and hearing changes as usually they are gradual. Sudden change would take more time or be more jarring I am sure. It is Not easy on us humans though seeing our beloved family members aging.

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When the night- closes in I will- be there

Barked: Wed Dec 21, '11 9:51pm PST


	Years ago I retrained a field lab who was blinded in an accident. She was a bit traumitized to start with but she did adapt. If you suspect she can't see remember to block of stairs and such to prevent accidents. If you move the furniture remember to walk her through the new pattern.

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I'll miss you,- too, Mama.

Barked: Thu Dec 22, '11 7:12am PST


	Tessa went mostly deaf and mostly blind gradually, and she adapted really well. She used her nose a lot, cause there was nothing wrong with that. She knew where the door was to go out, and where the kitchen door was, to go get her dinner. The last few days, we brought her dinner to her, cause she couldn't get up easily.

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Baby (Heaven- Bound- 9-26-06)

Eyes broke - nose is not!

Barked: Thu Dec 22, '11 1:57pm PST


	Another tip is pillows. Every corner wall had pillows on it... we "softened" our house for her... Do no to move any furniture. One thing I remember most about Baby going blind was her nose was definately not broken. She could hear the fridge door open 50 feet outside! If you need help p-mail me for any suggestions... We took her to an k-9 opthomologist for testing to make sure there were no tumors or nerve damage. She was never in any pain from the blindness...

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1216055

Barked: Mon Jan 2, '12 7:35pm PST


	I also had a lab who went blind overnight, from SARDS. It was much more traumatic for me than him, although the vet said be careful; he might be a little jumpy for awhile. He wasn't. I noticed however that he was a little more clingy with me & the kids, & he got a little depressed about chasing his tennis ball. Wouldn't even try it. He was still able to run the fenceline with the neighbor's dog, though. Like everyone else, we didn't move the furniture. The kids - they were young at the time - would forget & leave stuff like shoes & books on the floor, but he would stumble, stop & go around the stuff. His nose still worked, & he eventually began to echolocate; he would perk his ears up & turn his head back & forth, all the while sniffing. Our floors were wood & vinyl; no carpet; so I wore flip flops all the time so that he could hear me wherever I was in the house.

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1216055

Barked: Mon Jan 2, '12 7:46pm PST


	Magee is 9 yrs old, diabetic, & blind from glaucoma. It was also pretty sudden. Bullmasiffs aren't super energetic to begin with, so we didn't see much change when she lost her eyesight. We don't move the furniture much, except for the fact that Bella eats couches & we have to drag the old one out & the new one in(that's a whole other story..). But we put the new one right where the old one was, & we blcok off the room so that Magee can't get in & get lost until the new couch is in place. Magee has a special chair that only she uses. She gets into her chair when it's time to get her blood sugar tested, & gets down when she hears the dog food hit the bowl; goes directly into the kitchen without bumping anything. Sometimes she walks into the furniture on the deck, but she's learned to keep her head down so she doesn't bump her nose or her eyes. The only other thing she walks into is the occasional dog. They're pretty forgiving; they just move for old Aunt Magee. Your dog will adjust; dogs can live very well without sight.

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