LIVING WITH A HAPPY BLIND
DOG
We all know that when a person looses their eyesight they are registered as disabled, not quite so with a dog. Late onset PRA is about the best way for an animal to go blind if they must, as there is no pain and the loss is gradual.
There are many ways to help all the family and dog adjust to blindness and still maintain a happy pet.
When the sight starts to fade the other senses become more tuned, hearing and smell will be paramount.
Keep furniture in the same place, put chairs back under the table, have the floor clear of obstacles, having a blind dog encourages tidiness! Your dog has a map of his home territory in his head and the best way to help him keep his confidence is to avoid stress for him and the family.
Always have the water bowl and bed in the same places, when he is disorientated it helps to lead him back to his bed, so that he can get his bearings. Talk to him a great deal so that he knows when you are approaching and roughly where you are, positive reinforcement is important for keeping a blind dog confident. Have a set of words for different scenarios some of these are warning words and others for safe situations. A dog that will drop down for the whistle or spoken command will be a real help.
Using essential oils (citrus or eucalyptus) a spot every few weeks on corners at nose level will help your dog to avoid collisions and gauge where the corners/gateways are. You will flinch when you hear him knock himself and it will usually be his face, especially the sides of his eyes which seemed most vulnerable. Vaseline is really helpful to put on sore areas around eyes and by the following day be much improved.
Other dogs in the house can have a bell on their collars so that he will hear them approach, gone are the days when they will run loose together. Though, out on walks he will pick up their scent, loose if it is safe and there are no hazards. Mostly his exercise will be on a flexi extending lead, this extension of you will give him confidence in unfamiliar areas. Speak to him continually when you are out.
The stairs are always going to be a worry, teach him to wait now at the top and walk down together, say 'down 'for each step and 'good boy' at the bottom with a pat on his body. No worries. Other obvious hazards are traffic, open pools, anywhere with a sheer drop, stinging nettles (if they don’t see them they receive stings around the eyes), brambles and plants with spines.
I’d never had overweight dogs and must admit keeping Wilbur’s figure was challenging, food was very important on his agenda. Also I decided to have him castrated once he lost his sight, a sexy blind dog would be too much for any owner to live with. I supplemented his diet with fruit and fresh vegetables and as much exercise as we could.
Stick retrieval swimming was always very popular with my dogs, so we had to have the stick on a string. At the river or lake he stood up to his chest on the edge waiting and I threw the stick in the direction he was facing… mostly he heard it splash, swam towards and then past it. If I could guide the stick to his vicinity I did and then had to shout 'good boy, good boy'and he bit at the water all around him till he found the stick. His success rate was 1 in 5 but it was worth all the trouble to watch him swim and see how pleased with life he was when he bought the stick back. Four out of five times I pulled the stick in and began again.
With other male dogs in particular he was targeted and was attacked a couple of times, my advice is to stay away from unknown dogs, they sense the disability and take advantage. It is very sad to see a blind dog’s reaction to such an attack, they just fall to the ground crying and don’t retaliate to protect themselves. That certainly is a big confidence looser and best avoided.
Personal hazards for people are impact collisions, usually the knee area. Most of the time you will be watching him when out on a walk, but occasionally something else will catch your attention for a minute and wallop. Gordon Setters are of course big dogs and still move with purpose.
Having a dog this large with no sight is a huge responsibility I would liken it to having a 2 year old child playing on a cliff edge.
We all know that when a person looses their eyesight they are registered as disabled, not quite so with a dog. Late onset PRA is about the best way for an animal to go blind if they must, as there is no pain and the loss is gradual.
There are many ways to help all the family and dog adjust to blindness and still maintain a happy pet.
When the sight starts to fade the other senses become more tuned, hearing and smell will be paramount.
Keep furniture in the same place, put chairs back under the table, have the floor clear of obstacles, having a blind dog encourages tidiness! Your dog has a map of his home territory in his head and the best way to help him keep his confidence is to avoid stress for him and the family.
Always have the water bowl and bed in the same places, when he is disorientated it helps to lead him back to his bed, so that he can get his bearings. Talk to him a great deal so that he knows when you are approaching and roughly where you are, positive reinforcement is important for keeping a blind dog confident. Have a set of words for different scenarios some of these are warning words and others for safe situations. A dog that will drop down for the whistle or spoken command will be a real help.
Using essential oils (citrus or eucalyptus) a spot every few weeks on corners at nose level will help your dog to avoid collisions and gauge where the corners/gateways are. You will flinch when you hear him knock himself and it will usually be his face, especially the sides of his eyes which seemed most vulnerable. Vaseline is really helpful to put on sore areas around eyes and by the following day be much improved.
Other dogs in the house can have a bell on their collars so that he will hear them approach, gone are the days when they will run loose together. Though, out on walks he will pick up their scent, loose if it is safe and there are no hazards. Mostly his exercise will be on a flexi extending lead, this extension of you will give him confidence in unfamiliar areas. Speak to him continually when you are out.
The stairs are always going to be a worry, teach him to wait now at the top and walk down together, say 'down 'for each step and 'good boy' at the bottom with a pat on his body. No worries. Other obvious hazards are traffic, open pools, anywhere with a sheer drop, stinging nettles (if they don’t see them they receive stings around the eyes), brambles and plants with spines.
I’d never had overweight dogs and must admit keeping Wilbur’s figure was challenging, food was very important on his agenda. Also I decided to have him castrated once he lost his sight, a sexy blind dog would be too much for any owner to live with. I supplemented his diet with fruit and fresh vegetables and as much exercise as we could.
Stick retrieval swimming was always very popular with my dogs, so we had to have the stick on a string. At the river or lake he stood up to his chest on the edge waiting and I threw the stick in the direction he was facing… mostly he heard it splash, swam towards and then past it. If I could guide the stick to his vicinity I did and then had to shout 'good boy, good boy'and he bit at the water all around him till he found the stick. His success rate was 1 in 5 but it was worth all the trouble to watch him swim and see how pleased with life he was when he bought the stick back. Four out of five times I pulled the stick in and began again.
With other male dogs in particular he was targeted and was attacked a couple of times, my advice is to stay away from unknown dogs, they sense the disability and take advantage. It is very sad to see a blind dog’s reaction to such an attack, they just fall to the ground crying and don’t retaliate to protect themselves. That certainly is a big confidence looser and best avoided.
Personal hazards for people are impact collisions, usually the knee area. Most of the time you will be watching him when out on a walk, but occasionally something else will catch your attention for a minute and wallop. Gordon Setters are of course big dogs and still move with purpose.
Having a dog this large with no sight is a huge responsibility I would liken it to having a 2 year old child playing on a cliff edge.