Living with a blind dog

[seeth07]

My Bernese mountain dog yesterday in a matter of hours went completely blind. I know losing eye sight isn't reversible so not much we can so. Scheduled a vet visit to get him checked out to make sure there isn't anything serious going on but it's likely the result of something like glaucoma.

Man what do we do now? How do we adjust? What things can we do? Just at a loss right now on how to proceed

 

[Brittany Chukarman]

Sorry to hear that. It's a bummer but he will adjust. My 15 year old Britt is blind and mostly deaf. He still has a good nose and that helps him get around pretty good. He has his routine around the yard and will take a little adventure out in the pasture now and then. Keep his paths open and be careful where you put stuff temporarily. He bumps into thing now and then. If he still hears good that will really help you to help him. It's really amazing how Ranger handles his adversity. A couple days ago he found me when I was going quail hunting. As long as he knows I'm with him he's ok but he doesn't like to lose scent of his familiar surroundings. As soon as he picks up that scent again he heads straight for the house. Ranger's blindness was gradual and progressively got worse. His eyes are pretty much glazed over but can still see at very close range.

 

[seeth07]

Sorry to hear that. It's a bummer but he will adjust. My 15 year old Britt is blind and mostly deaf. He still has a good nose and that helps him get around pretty good. He has his routine around the yard and will take a little adventure out in the pasture now and then. Keep his paths open and be careful where you put stuff temporarily. He bumps into thing now and then. If he still hears good that will really help you to help him. It's really amazing how Ranger handles his adversity. A couple days ago he found me when I was going quail hunting. As long as he knows I'm with him he's ok but he doesn't like to lose scent of his familiar surroundings. As soon as he picks up that scent again he heads straight for the house. Ranger's blindness was gradual and progressively got worse. His eyes are pretty much glazed over but can still see at very close range.

He can still hear great. He just turned 6 and the Normal life expectancy is 7 to 9 so it's by no means a shock that a major health issue is occurring. Good tip on keeping the house clean. My wife and I are generally organized but not 100 percent.

 

[Triggw]

We had a lab that went blind. It was a gradual process caused by something called progressive retinal atrophy. There's a good book, Living with Blind Dogs, that the doggie ophthalmologist recommended and you can find on Amazon. Because it was a gradual thing--and we learned about it soon enough--she was able to adapt pretty well and got along fine. The doc did say that dogs that go blind suddenly are sometimes very confused and have a harder time adapting.

One issue was that she stopped wanting to jump up into the back of the SUV, because she couldn't see up there. We had to get a ramp and train her to walk up and down the ramp to get in and out.

 

[seeth07]

We had a lab that went blind. It was a gradual process caused by something called progressive retinal atrophy. There's a good book, Living with Blind Dogs, that the doggie ophthalmologist recommended and you can find on Amazon. Because it was a gradual thing--and we learned about it soon enough--she was able to adapt pretty well and got along fine. The doc did say that dogs that go blind suddenly are sometimes very confused and have a harder time adapting.

One issue was that she stopped wanting to jump up into the back of the SUV, because she couldn't see up there. We had to get a ramp and train her to walk up and down the ramp to get in and out.

I just watched my dog jump up onto the couch, found the edge with his nose and jumped right up as if had no problem seeing. I'm going to take that as a good sign.

Thanks for the book recommendation

 

[seeth07]

So after researching non stop all afternoon, I may have discovered something. May be nothing but just 2 weeks ago we started giving him a supplement because we noticed he was having issues walking. Thinking it may be arthritis or something similar, we thought that giving him a joint supplement wouldn't hurt. The main ingredient is glucosamine which comes from shellfish. He may be having an allergic reaction to it and we didn't notice until now. We found tonight he has a bad fever and all of his lymph nodes are badly swollen. glucosamine is also not recommended to take if you have glaucoma.

Maybe it's just coincidence but I'm feeling horrible right now that I may have caused this.

 

[WoodMoose]

My Bernese mountain dog yesterday in a matter of hours went completely blind. I know losing eye sight isn't reversible so not much we can so. Scheduled a vet visit to get him checked out to make sure there isn't anything serious going on but it's likely the result of something like glaucoma.

Man what do we do now? How do we adjust? What things can we do? Just at a loss right now on how to proceed

my Wife's house dog (my dogs stay "outside" with me in the outbuildings) spent her last 8 years blind - the cause in this case was an inoperable tumor. Then she went pretty much deaf. I always joked with the vets that we were her "seeing eye persons".

it's a challenge, but one we loved

she died a few months ago - buried in the back pasture

miss that old girl

what do you? Help your dog the best you can - don't move furniture, etc - they remember well where things are, as long as you don't change it up a lot

how you you adjust? with compassion for your pet - they aren't happy to lose sight, and it helps to ease their fears

what things can you do? like earlier, don't move furniture etc. Keep feed and water bowls in the same place all the time as well as their bed, etc. Take on the role of "seeing eye person" when you walk your dog outside to take care of business, get exercise, etc.

shoot me a PM if you want to discuss - dealing with a blind dog isn't easy, but it is doable

 

[seeth07]

Nothing will break your heart more than watching your dog try to figure out how to get around without his eyesight anymore. Bumps into stuff, is whining as he stands still unsure of where to go, can't find his water, doesn't know where to go outside to pee, etc.

 

[Triggw]

Nothing will break your heart more than watching your dog try to figure out how to get around without his eyesight anymore. Bumps into stuff, is whining as he stands still unsure of where to go, can't find his water, doesn't know where to go outside to pee, etc.

Get him to the vet. Take one step at a time. If it's permanent, he'll likely adjust with time and do well in the long run.

 

[seeth07]

Get him to the vet. Take one step at a time. If it's permanent, he'll likely adjust with time and do well in the long run.

Well step one has been to manage what we can at home until we can get him to the vet. It's not exactly life threatening at the moment to rush him 2 hours away to closest vet hospital and pay a rediculous amount to have him looked it. We had an appt for Thursday made already last week before the vision loss (to check up on his joints/knees and see what the vet thought) but we are looking at trying to take him there tomorrow

 

[seeth07]

The vet is pretty sure he has lymphoma

 

[seeth07]

I got home today and he was still happy as ever to see me. As a test to see how he was truly feeling, I grabbed his leash. He couldn't see it obviously but the sound of the metal clip dangling got his attention and I put it in front of his face and he just lit up and started squeeling like a little pig like he always does when the leash comes out. He passed the test, he still is for now his same self.

Was brutal for me emotionally walking him but he was happy as ever. Guess I know what I'll be doing ever day for the foreseeable future.

 

[Birdbander]

I'll bet my shotgun your dog isn't focused on what he lost but rather what he has. As difficult as it is, it'll be helpful if you can focus on what he still has and continue enjoying & experiencing his new chapter with him. Some of the best memories you'll have of him are yet to be created!

 

[seeth07]

I'll bet my shotgun your dog isn't focused on what he lost but rather what he has. As difficult as it is, it'll be helpful if you can focus on what he still has and continue enjoying & experiencing his new chapter with him. Some of the best memories you'll have of him are yet to be created!

You are absolutely right. Read the quote in my signature from Ontario hunter. That statement couldn't be truer than a moment like now where as humans we are mad, upset, confused and sad yet the dog just shows sign of happiness and enjoyment. Maybe a bit lost and confused but for sure is just happy to be alive and with his humans

 

[Scott85]

The vet is pretty sure he has lymphoma

I’ll bet money it isn’t lymphoma.
Do you keep up with the flea and tick preventative with you dog? My guess is chronic monocytic ehrlichiosis transmitted from a tick bite. It will cause sudden blindness.

 

[Brittany Chukarman]

I know what you're feeling and your dog will have some challenges for a little while but he will adapt.
Ranger and I shared this day last Fall.

This is why you need a bird dog

This is Ranger. He's over 14 years old, has had discoid lupus that erodes his nose inside and out most of his life, is blind to the point of running into you and can only hear loud or sharp noises. In spite of all that he is pretty spry and has a lot of heart. In his day (and mine) he did a lot...

www.hunttalk.com

 

[Johnny Bravo]

They "are pretty sure" it's lymphoma...you either have it or you don't? Did you get him into the vet yet? Poor dog...

 

[seeth07]

They "are pretty sure" it's lymphoma...you either have it or you don't? Did you get him into the vet yet? Poor dog...

We get the lab results tomorrow. Did a needle biopsy of one of his lymph nodes today.

 

[seeth07]

I know what you're feeling and your dog will have some challenges for a little while but he will adapt.
Ranger and I shared this day last Fall.

This is why you need a bird dog

This is Ranger. He's over 14 years old, has had discoid lupus that erodes his nose inside and out most of his life, is blind to the point of running into you and can only hear loud or sharp noises. In spite of all that he is pretty spry and has a lot of heart. In his day (and mine) he did a lot...

www.hunttalk.com

Can't believe I missed that post last fall. What a day. Great story!

 

[seeth07]

Yup, it's lymphoma. Due to the loss of his eyesight and the fact that he is over 6 years old, there really isn't a hard decision here about what to do. We could do chemo treatments and that at best would extend his life by up to 1 to 2 years but it won't be an easy or pleasurable life necessarily. Without treatment, the vet told us to prepare for 2 weeks to 2 months more of him being comfortable and happy. He is unlikely to make it 4 more months.

Tough days ahead for us for sure. We don't have kids because we can't so our canines are our children.