Transition from Sighted to Blind in Your Diabetic Dog
Today’s topic is one that we all wish that there wasn’t a need for. In a prior post, we talked about Cataracts in the blog title, “Will My Diabetic Dog Get Cataracts” that covers the steps that we can take to try to keep cataracts away. Let’s face it, blindness can be a fact of life with our pups so we should embrace it and prepare for it as best we can before it happens. If we are prepared, and it never happens, then yay, if it does happen, then our work will have paid off.
First, I will say that finding a veterinary ophthalmologist as soon as you can to get a baseline for your pup the better. I’m not going to lie and say that it’s not expensive, it is, but the first visit is the most expensive. You will get ahead of the game by having your pup seen and perhaps getting some preventive drops to help with overall eye health. The follow ups after this initial visit are much more reasonable. Even if the cataract surgery is not a possibility for you, it is worth seeing the specialist so that if there is an issue down the road, you will already be a patient and not have an issue getting an appointment.
So you notice that your pup isn’t seeing the treat right in front of his/her face or not immediately finding his/her food dish or the favorite toy that is right in front of them. A little test that you can do is to grab some cotton balls, sit in front of your pup and drop the cotton balls one at a time to see if your pup will follow the cotton ball to the floor as you drop it. You can move the cotton ball around your pup’s field of vision. Many pups lose their center field of vision first while keeping their peripheral vision for a longer period of time. So move the cotton ball drop farther over to each side to see if their peripheral vision is still present.
The most important thing in this process is to not become sad and depressed around your dog as they will take their cues from you. For us humans, losing our vision would be traumatic, but for dogs, their other senses (smell and hearing) are more acute than their vision and will allow them to navigate just fine after a bit of an adjustment period. Our first concern is keeping them safe so if you have stairs in your home, you’ll need some baby gates to block those stairs so that they don’t fall down them. You will also need to look around your property for things that didn’t pose a threat before, but will now. Is there anything at your pup’s eye level that could cause harm if your pup runs into it? If so, remove it or find a way to mark it so your pup will stay away from it.
While your dog is transitioning, you may want to have a small space set up for them so that they can feel safe and secure. You can also put a harness on them so that they feel a little safer even when they are in the house. As they acclimate, you can expand their area until they become accustomed to their surroundings. You will need to be very diligent with keeping drawers, cupboard doors, etc. closed so that your pup doesn’t walk into them and lose the confidence that they’ve gained.
Texture changes can be very helpful to your pup to know where they are. I have a friend that put a small area rug at the top of the stairs on the deck so that her little man knows where he is and is prepared to go down the stairs.
Some people wear a little bell on their ankle so that their pup knows where they are. You can also talk to your pup throughout the day so that they know where you are at all times until they are more confident and secure.
The most important thing that you can do whether your pup is blind or not is to work on commands now so that if they do eventually go blind, they already know the commands. No better time to practice than when you don’t need the skills! Commands like, step up, step down, go around, left, right, whatever you think will serve the two of you. If you have other pups, they may help ease the transition, but you will need to work with your pup and prepare.
Before you or anyone else touches your pup, devise some kind of “warning” that they are about to be touched, especially in the beginning so that you don’t startle them.
Most importantly…. Celebrate every victory no matter how small. Building confidence and lifting moral is your number 1 priority after keeping them safe. There are many sensory toys on the market that will help your pup acclimate. Some smell like beef, taste like beef, make noise; just do an online search for sensory interactive dog toys.
Just like diabetes, there are nuances to having a blind dog and finding support is a really good idea. Search Facebook for Blind Dogs groups. Here is one that I have belonged to for some time now.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/63550472590/
Notice that for most of the products or groups that I mention, the text is linked to a website that you can purchase that item or a link to join the group mentioned. Just click on the colored text (red or blue, depending what device you are on) and it should take you right to the item or group. If you have any thoughts or ideas for topics that you’d like to see covered here, please feel free to comment below or send me an email at NancyForPetTest@PharmaSupply.com. As always, please “like” this blog post or any of the others that have helped you or just refreshed your memory. Look for new posts every Monday, Wednesday and Friday!
Until next time…