Update - My dog's suddenly gone blind

[Pupsnpullets]

Thanks, Elise.

My vet of choice is gone for a week and I'm waiting to hear back from another couple. I've chosen not to do the 'emergency' route as the dog is comfortable - it's only me that's in shock!

As for it being congenital it could quite possibly be as I have no idea whether he's the product of merle to merle breeding. I don't have papers for him and he may not be purebred, though he certainly looks as though he is. He looks to have as much white as the dog on the left of your avatar, or perhaps not quite as much.

His eyes are contracting, but slowly, and he is getting around quite well which which is partly because is a laid back kinda fella, not a hyper type at all, and takes his time to feel his way. We do have stairs but only 2 and he's figured out to negotiate those with caution.

The pool is another issue as Fuzzy has been mistreated by kids in the past who felt it would be funny to throw him in on occasion. He's now terrified of it and panics if he goes in.

 

[glowworm]

The merle on my avatar is Luke. Luke has close to the maximum amount of white allowed for normal merle. The white has to stop at the withers, and cannot be anywhere on the body. They also have to have color around the ears and eyes. Once and awhile a normal merle will have white were it is not allowed, and they cannot be bred. However, they do not have the health problems that double merles have.

here is a side body shot of luke http://www.marabilaussies.com/images/luke_17mos_052508.jpg


here is a link to some pics of double (lethal) merles. Notice they have splashes of white on their body. http://www.myaussies.com/faqpage.htmlIt sounds like Fuzzy is a normal merle from what you've said. Hopefully he will learn where the pool is quickly since he dislikes it so much. People will full sets of stairs and have their dog fall completely down and get seriously hurt.

-Elise

 

[Coco]

Take him to the Vet right away. I had this happen to my border Collie, she was a completely healthy 4 year old at the time w/no history of any health problems. She went blind with in a short period of time w/o any explanations...it was such a scary time for us. They said it was either a brain tumor or a eye disease that is somewhat common amongst the border collie breed. They ran many tests on her and she had to go to a specialist to find out for certain. Waiting was torture on me. And we spent a lot of money...but she's worth every last penny. Turns out she had the eye disease...the good news is it only affected her eye sight and nothing else.

She is now 7 years old and has learned how to adapt. She's an indoor/outdoor dog...our little lab mix is her constant buddy and he takes excellent care of her. He is her "eyes" as he walks her around the fenced yard and leads her to where ever she needs to go. He is very patient with her and will always wait for her to catch up and is very watchful over her. She's still playful and very happy however she's definately changed. Life isnt necessarily over for your dog but please take him in to the Vet right away...I hope your situation turns out as good as mine did! Good luck!!!

 

[Pupsnpullets]

6/23
Well, I've found out that poor Fuzzy has cataracts! Ice blue eyes and hot desert sun are a bad combination. Thank God it's not a tumour, cancer, congenital defect or any other (worse!!) nasties. I've another appointment for a retina check but it's now likely that the only problem is cataracts. I'm not saying that lightly however, as cataract surgery is around $6-7,000!!! If he were only partially blind or elderly I wouldn't consider it. At this point 'considering' it is all I can do - the actual surgery is beyond my means.

Thanks for all your help and information

 

[ZooMummzy]

I am so sorry

The only good news I can give you is dogs actually do quite well blind. I have a blind Cocker Spaniel and as long as we don't move things around, even outside, he knows where everything is. He was blind when he came to live with us so I figure that's pretty good!

I will keep all of you in my thoughts.

 

[texasreb]

I'm sorry for you and your dog. I have a little experience with blind dogs and a lot of experience with blind children as I am a teacher of the visually impaired.

My MIL's poodle has infantile cataracts and he started going blind when he was a few months old. She opted against surgery due to her limited income. Her dog does very well. He has light perception and can see shadows. He uses a "beep ball" to play fetch, his favorite game. She also stores his toys and stuff in a place where he can easily find them.

Your dog has a "visual memory" of where things are in your house and yard. He may have to learn the exact number of steps he can take before he plunks into the pool, but trial and error will get him there. He should get it fairly quickly, but until he does, maybe buy him a doggie life jacket to wear when he's in the pool area. Never leave him unattended.

If you don't move things around, he'll quickly realize that everything is in the same place that it always was.

If you absolutely must re-arrange things, do it one thing at a time so that he have time to become accustomed to each change individually.

Also, start working on a command to instantly stop him in his tracks. This will keep him safe if he does stray into dangerous territory. Make the training a fun game with a high value reward. I use the word, "pause" with my students and I say it very calmly so they don't startle. A dog is different and appreciates a high energy lesson.

I think he'll adjust just fine. Is surgery an option for just one eye? There are organizations that are willing to help with emergencies if you qualify.

 

[robinaggie]

If there is a vet school in your vicinity, they may do the surgery for a reduced cost. It's worth checking into if you're worried, but it sounds like he's adjusting and will do fine as a blind dog. My dog is deaf and it only seems to bother me, and that's because she can't hear me tell her to "shut up!"

 

[Robin'sBrood]

pupsnpullets, I feel for you. My 6 year old dog has just gone blind too. Completely out of the blue and not cataracts. He'll be fine, but I'm so sad for him because his once spunky personality is gone.

 

[glowworm]

I'm glad you found out what it was- and that no other problems are connected to it from what it sounds like. texasreb has some good advice about working with a blind dog.

 

[warcard]

If you can ever get the surgery, you might look into a pair of doggles for afterwards to help prevent a relapse. They are sunglasses for dogs.