Help blind dog: How To Help Your Blind Dog Adapt

How To Help Your Blind Dog Adapt

Helping your newly blind or visually impaired dog adjust to their new way of life can be challenging. Watching your dog struggle as they try to move in what was once familiar territory is hard. As a pet owner, you feel lost watching your dog adjust, not understanding what’s happening to them. But there are simple actions that you can take to make sure that your blind dog thrives. How can you help your blind dog to adapt and feel safe?

Here are some helpful tips on how you can make the adjustment a smooth one for your best friend:

1. Speak Calmly

Your voice can have a calming effect on your dog. A change in a pet’s eyesight can be disorienting. Blind pets startle easily; avoid making sudden movements or loud noises. Alert your pet that you’re nearby.

When your senior dog becomes confused or disoriented, speak soothingly to your dog. Let them know you are near and able to help them if they need it. Use your voice to guide them. If they’re asleep, gently blow in their face or lightly touch them to wake them.

2. Stick to Your Routine

As your dog adjusts to their new blindness, stick to its daily routine. If you always start your day with a walk around the neighborhood, keep doing it! These activities are familiar to your dog and help give them a sense of normalcy. A pet dealing with recent vision loss will have difficulty adjusting to any significant change in its routine. A regular schedule lets them know what time of day it is and what to expect next.

It’s important to remember that visually impaired and blind pets are relying solely on their other senses; they are going to be very reactive to the sounds around them. When you go for a walk, always keep your dog on a leash and safely by your side if they react to loud noise.

3. Use a Blind Dog Halo

Getting around is going to be difficult for a blind dog. Not only can losing their eyesight be confusing and scary for your dog, but it will take them time to adjust to their new life.

Ease the adjustment with the Blind Dog Halo, designed to help your dog gain confidence as they move around. Instead of bumping into the wall and tripping into furniture, the halo will provide a barrier between your dog and the object, helping to guide them away from hitting obstacles head-on safely.

4. Don’t Move Familiar Objects

Your pet has a great memory; keeping their food bowl in the same place will make it easier for them to find it when they’re hungry. Keep their favorite toys where they are. And try not to move your furniture! Rearranging your furniture can lead to your blind dog or cat bumping their head and may lead to injury.

To help blind pet adjust to their surroundings, walk your dog around the house. A guided tour helps them to navigate the house safely and helps blind pets to mentally “map” their surroundings. Slowly let them explore and refamiliarize themselves with their home one room at a time.

If you have a smaller dog, try not to pick them up too much. This can be very disorienting when you carry your dog around and place them in a new part of the house. Let them discover their surroundings slowly on their own and keep their favorite objects in familiar places.

5. Safety First

While your dog adjusts, keep them in a part of the house they find comforting; an area free of hazards is best. Use a pet gate to section off stairways or other parts of the house until your dog can master the entire house. Slowly open them to new parts of the house as they increase their confidence. When you’re not at home, consider crating your dog to give them a sense of security.

There are many ways that you can help your best friend adjust to their new circumstances, but the most important is to be patient. With a little time and effort your dog can live a full and happy life.

Did we answer all your questions on “blind dog”?

Training tips to help a blind dog

If you have a blind dog, or your dog is starting to lose its vision, there are many things you can do to help them and you to adjust to their life in the dark.

Dogs can go blind for many reasons. From cataracts in old age to glaucoma, Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA), accidents or other diseases that may see them progressively lose vision.

The list of possible causes is long, but many causes may be treatable if a dog is taken to see a Veterinary Opthamologist as soon as any irregularities are noticed. One of the key things to look out for is if your dog increasingly starts bumping into things, or they start to lose their orientation, especially at night time in the early stages of vision impairment.

Whatever the circumstances, living with a blind dog doesn’t have to be as daunting as it sounds…for either of you.

In fact, a blind dog can actually adjust quite quickly to life in the dark. Especially, if you tap into their most dominant sense –  smell, followed closely by hearing; and begin the training as soon as they begin to lose or have lost their vision.

By following the tips below, a blind dog can be fully adjusted in up to 3 months, particularly if you do start early before they have lost it completely.

1. SAFETY

Get down to their level & dog proof your yard

• Get down on all fours and crawl around your home looking for hazards.
• Put corner protectors on sharp furniture and baby gates at the tops of stairs until your dog can safely manoeuvre them.
• Check for any low branches or other obstacles in the back yard, placing bark a foot around trees, bushes or large objects to help signal an obstacle.
• Fence off the pool or any hazardous areas.

Stairs & slippery floors

• If you have slippery areas, cover with rugs and if any stairs are slippery (see Tip 3)
• Use strips on the stair treads as they learn to navigate.
• As your dog makes progress, you may want to use treats to help guide him or her to navigate the stairs.
• Place a treat on each stair and stand in front of your dog, do not pull them, allowing the treat to be the incentive to find their way as they make their way up and down.

Keep floors clear

• Keep the floor clean of toys, shoes, clothes etc. as they become tripping hazards, particularly the areas they most frequent.
• It’s important to keep toys and shoes off the ground with any dogs and especially those that love to chew.  Find out more about why dogs chew and tips to help here.

Make a safe zone

• Have a comfortable, safe spot for your pet to be.
• A large soft-padded bed is helpful to keep them comfortable.  Tips on how to choose the right bed for our dog can be found here.

2. USE THEIR SENSE OF SMELL

Use Essentials Oils to mark locations

• Use different dog safe pure essential oils in different rooms to help guide them, but not too many that overwhelms them, ie: 2-3 drops of pure Vanilla in the kitchen, Lavender in the bedroom, Jasmine in the lounge room etc.  Make sure you know what essential oils may be harmful to dogs, cats or any other pets in your home before selecting.
• Scent the spot in these rooms that will help them distinguish important areas and items they will need to find such as their dog bed or sleeping area, next to the door that leads to the backyard, the water bowl etc.
• Reapply every couple of weeks.

Scented pot plants & directional smells

• Use scented flower-pots in the backyard, placed in strategic locations ie: near patio, doggy door, or back door. Again, make sure you know what plants are toxic to different pets.
• Make sure you go back to basic toilet training to help direct them to where you want them to go if you have had to change it for any reason due to hazards getting in the way.

3. MAPPING / GUIDING

• Use textured rugs / Location Cues to map out the house
• Use a carpet runner on well-travelled parts of the home. They can feel the floor and use it to correct their course if they got lost.
• Place rugs or floor mats of different textures near the outside doors and at the top and bottom of the steps. This will help your dog learn these locations.

Walk Him Through The House

• Leashing the dog and walking him around will help him familiarise and navigate through the house.
• Use a body harness and tight lead and keep him next to you so you can control and direct his movements.

Don’t Change The Floor Plan

• Once you have arranged the furniture in a way so your dog can easily pass through a room, try not to move it around again.
• Keeping everything in place will help prevent disorientation and injury.
• Push chairs back in after getting up.

Food and water bowls

• Always keep food and water bowls in the same spot or try a drinking fountain-style dog bowl that constantly circulates water and bubbles so they can hear it.

4. SOUND

Locating the back door

• Placing a wind chime or bell near the entrance to the back door of the house will help your dog with orientation.

Talk to Your Dog

• As dogs normally watch our every move, talk to your dog more than ever and ensure you have his attention before touching him so you don’t scare or startle him.

Introduce New Commands

• Teach your dog important safety words like “step up (use high pitch),” “step down (low pitch),” “left,” “right,” “danger” or “stop” to help him safely navigate the inside and outside world.
• Notify your dog as he or she heads towards a wall, using words like “watch, stop, careful.”

Use Bells

• You can attach small bells to your shoes, around your wrist or other pets that can act as a guide to help your dog and so they can hear you moving about the house, at least until he is more familiar with listening to the sounds of footsteps and vibrations from movement.

When leaving your dog alone

• When leaving your dog unattended, a limited space may initially work best.
• Keeping ambient noise like a TV or radio on while you’re gone not only orients your dog to different rooms of the house, but also reduces feelings of loneliness.

5. PLAY

Toys with noise and scent

• It’s important to still engage in active play with your dog. Again use smell and sound to help them.
• Rub a dog treat or put a small drop of essential oil on a dog toy before throwing it to help your pooch find it and choose an open, safe area for him to play in.
• Toys that give treats, squeak, talk or make noise are especially rewarding to blind dogs. They can still work the food out of them.  Get the right size for your dog.

6. OUT WALKING

Keep a Routine

• Having a daily routine is very helpful.
• Go to the same parks and on the same walking routes.

Let Others Know

• Get a shirt, bandana or vest for your dog that reads “I’m blind” and tell people about your dog’s condition so they approach slowly and let the dog sniff them first.
• Also, get a tag for your dog’s collar that says “I’m blind” in case she ever gets lost.

7. OTHER TIPS

• Signal to your dog when other people or dogs are approaching with a verbal cue, “dog coming” or “person coming” calm and relaxed tone and keep practising and repeating it so they can learn.
• They should be highly supervised around children so they aren’t startled or feel threatened and bite.
• The key to all dog training is to be clear, consistent and concise which is even more important than ever when helping a blind dog adjust.
• If you aren’t sure how to do this it is important to engage an experienced dog trainer.

About the Author: Lara Shannon is a certified dog behaviourist and trainer, pet food nutrition specialist, Executive Producer and Host of Pooches at Play on Channel 10 and editor of Poochesatplay.com. Lara also runs her own dog training business in Melbourne’s Bayside area and is the Author of World of Dogs and Eat, Play, Love Your Dog

Blindness in dogs

Olga Yurievna Fedotova, a veterinarian and ophthalmologist at the Biocontrol Clinic, told about the causes of blindness in dogs, about modern possibilities of veterinary ophthalmology and how to make life easier for a blind pet.

– What are the causes of blindness in dogs?

– Causes of blindness in dogs include untreated eye injuries, severe eye burns, retinal detachment, congenital degenerative changes in the retina, cataracts and glaucoma.

— Probably the most common injury?

Yes. Being in large groups, walking unattended, in games with other dogs or cats, in fights, dogs can get serious eye injuries. Often these wounds are penetrating. Without treatment, severe wounds with bleeding and displacement of eye structures lead to blindness.

Another cause of blindness in animals is cataracts. Cataract is a disease of the lens, which is expressed in clouding of its fibers, an increase in rigidity, which results in blindness. All types of mammals and birds that have a formed organ of vision with a lens are susceptible to cataracts. In some cases, cataracts appear in young animals up to three years old. In such cases, it is possible to assume a traumatic or hereditary nature of the disease.

— What is a degenerative retinal disease?

– This is a whole group of pathologies that manifest themselves at different ages and in different breeds of dogs. These include: progressive retinal atrophy, stationary night blindness, rod and cone dystrophy. Unfortunately, when establishing such a diagnosis, one must understand that the outcome of such diseases is a significant decrease in vision or complete blindness.

– What is glaucoma?

— Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve, often accompanied by an increase in intraocular pressure.

— What happens to the organ of vision in glaucoma?

— Glaucoma is an eye disease characterized by increased intraocular pressure. The disease can occur with severe pain, an increase in the size of the eyeball. It is important to remember that heredity is an important factor in development. There are breeds of dogs that are susceptible to the disease due to deformation of the filtration iriocorneal angle. These breeds include Cocker Spaniel, Beagle, Dachshund, Boston Terrier, Dalmatian, Miniature Poodle, Norwegian Elkhund and Chow Chow.

Glaucoma is the destruction and death of ganglion cells in the retina and optic nerve, which play an important role in the functioning of the eye. In this case, the balance of intraocular fluid production and its outflow is often disturbed. The outflow of excess intraocular fluid through the iridocorneal angle is blocked, the pressure of the contents of the eyeball on the outer membranes of the eye increases, and the normal blood supply to the retinal tissue decreases. Prolonged compression leads to necrosis of the layers of the retina and optic nerve. Therefore, it is very important to control intraocular pressure in glaucoma. This can significantly preserve the function of vision in a patient with such a diagnosis.

— What are the signs that a dog is losing sight?

— If, when leaving the entrance, a usually social and active dog feels insecure, goes toe-to-toe with the owner, stops actively playing with toys and does not see where the thrown fetch falls, when the dog is let off the leash and the owner is removed a short distance looks confused and does not know where to go, or is heading in a completely opposite direction from the owner, then it is likely that vision is low or lost.

In some cases, blind animals may not recognize the owner. At home, you can notice caution in moving around the rooms, bumping into obstacles and the inability to jump on your favorite sofa. A dog with deteriorating or lost vision cannot catch a piece of treat, cannot see where the bowl is.

— What can be done in case of a rapid decline in visual function or blindness?

— When it comes to eye injuries, immediate medical attention can save the eye and restore visual function. The doctor examines the eye, evaluates the integrity of all its membranes, the condition of the eyelids and the mucous membrane of the conjunctiva. Assigns additional diagnostic studies, if necessary. Then medical or surgical treatment is applied.

If we see an already accomplished result of an injury at the reception: the eye is blind and does not hurt, then it is necessarily examined tactilely through the eyelid and intraocular pressure is measured using an instrumental method. In the absence of signs of inflammation, a blind eye can be left in the orbit. Otherwise, the eyeball is removed and an artificial eyeball prosthesis is placed.

— What can a veterinary ophthalmologist offer to a cataract patient?

— If the blindness is due to cataracts, there is always the question of surgery. To date, the problem can be solved with the help of a surgical operation: phacoemulsification and implantation of an artificial lens. In such cases, with timely treatment, visual function can be restored. It is important to note that this operation is done under general anesthesia. It is not uncommon for a pet to undergo a complete examination prior to surgery.

— And if with glaucoma?

— If there is no complete loss of vision, then drug therapy is prescribed. If it does not give a stable positive result, they resort to surgical treatment. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for patients with glaucoma to turn blind already. In this case, blindness is irreversible. The doctor does everything possible to alleviate the patient’s condition.

— Is it possible to help a dog with congenital retinal pathologies?

— In congenital pathologies of the retina, the timing of diagnosis plays an important role. The diagnosis is made comprehensively, based on a full-time examination by an ophthalmologist, behavioral and genetic tests, a study of the pedigree of the animal and its compatriots, as well as using the method of electroretinography. In the early stages, treatment with stimulants, antioxidants, and lutein supplements can be done.

— How can you deal with visual impairment in dogs?

— Owner’s attention is an important factor in early detection of visual impairment. It is necessary to avoid injuries, which often lead to walks without a leash. A well-socialized animal is neutral towards its relatives and will not get into a fight. In the case of aggression of animals on a walk to each other, you should not “let your dog make friends” with another dog or get to know a cat sitting on the street, this can lead to disastrous results.

When it comes to hereditary diseases that occur in pedigree animals that lead to blindness, genetic testing, pedigree analysis and breeding of individuals with a proven congenital problem can significantly reduce the incidence of pathologies of this kind in the future.

If there are any changes in the appearance of the eye, an increase or decrease in its size, an unusual reaction of the pupil to light, clouding, severe tearing, you should consult a specialist.

— Is it possible to prevent diseases that lead to vision loss?

– Dogs older than ten years, if the problem has not manifested itself earlier, it is recommended to show an ophthalmologist once a year.

When purchasing a purebred animal, it is important to find out in advance whether it has a tendency to hereditary eye diseases. For example, Labradors, Retrievers, Dachshunds and Poodles are prone to progressive retinal atrophy. Poodles, Yorkshire Terriers, Spaniels, and English Bulldogs are prone to developing dry eye syndrome.

— How serious of a problem is vision loss for a dog?

— Blindness is not a catastrophe, much less a reason to put a dog to sleep. A blind dog may well live a full life, especially if there is an attentive and loving owner nearby. In fact, most dogs, even with normal vision, do not see very well. They rely more on hearing and smell. With a decrease in vision, these feelings are exacerbated. This allows visually impaired dogs to easily navigate areas they know.

– What should the owner of a dog that has lost its sight know?

– The rules are very simple. Do not let a blind dog off the leash in unfamiliar places to avoid injury. At home, try not to rearrange the furniture without special need, as the dog has a “map” in its memory, according to which it will orient itself in the future.

A blind dog should not be taken to a place to eat and play, let it learn to find everything on its own. When playing with a blind dog, try to stimulate the senses. Come up with games that involve the nose, let the dog learn to follow the trail.

It is very important, while the dog is in good health, to train him to perform basic commands such as “stop” and “come”. If suddenly the dog loses its sight, the unquestioning execution of these commands can save her life.

How do blind dogs navigate? – Mi Dog Guide

Blind pets like this cat rely more on their other senses. You can help a blind pet navigate its environment using other senses. Levine recommends using scent markers, such as lightly applied vanilla essential oil at the outside door and lavender oil at pet beds.

Veterinary ophthalmologists are often asked if a blind dog or cat can lead a happy life. The answer is unequivocal: “YES!” … A blind dog or cat will behave remarkably normal in their own home. It seems that animals that lose their sight gradually adapt better than those that lose their sight quickly.

And just like any other dog, they will become your best friend! It is also very beneficial for blind dogs to live with other dogs who can see. They use their partner as a guide to orient themselves, and strong bonds develop between them. MYTH: Blind pets are no longer home keepers.

Blind dogs can see after a new treatment for sudden onset blindness. Summary: If two dogs are the indication, veterinary researchers may have found a cure for a previously incurable disease that causes dogs to suddenly go blind.

Cloudy eyes. White spots on the eyes. Bumping into things. Uncertainty when moving over obstacles, such as stairs, or in new places.

Sudden acquired retinal degeneration (SARD), immune-mediated retinal detachment syndrome, and mature cataract due to diabetes mellitus are common causes of blindness in dogs.

Here are 18 tips to help your blind friend navigate life at home and in nature.

The signs that your dog is losing sight can be fairly obvious. He may bump into walls or furniture and have trouble finding food or toys. He may stop making eye contact with you. The signs may also be more subtle, such as reluctance to jump off or off the couch, a new level of anxiety, or attachment.

The Blind Dog Rescue Alliance recommends wearing bells so your dog can know where you are besides the smell. Bluebells also go well with other animals in the house. #4 – Give him a halo. The new product, called the Halo Vest, puts the bumper between the dog and any obstacles.

Your pet’s sudden loss of vision is an emergency and should be seen by a veterinarian immediately. With timely treatment, some blindness may be reversible. In some cases, a referral to an ophthalmologist is necessary for further diagnosis and treatment.

You need lots and lots of praise (touch) and treats to form that connection. Blind and deaf dogs rely mostly on touch, so be sure to pet your dog from ear to toe.