Loss of vision is a daunting prospect. Blindness in dogs may invoke extreme responses from pet owners from complete despair to over reactions of euthanising blind dogs. The truth is dogs can and do adjust to numerous instances of ill health and even blindness. As owners and caregivers, it is vital not to project your own feelings of helplessness onto your pet. Do not believe for a moment that your dog shares your sense of helplessness at their loss of vision. Dogs have a strong emotional capacity to deal with new situations.
Blindness in dogs, of any age, requires a commitment from their owner and family to care for and provide a safe environment and routine. Dogs with failing eye sight do not despair, because their other senses sharpen. Dogs are known for their heightened sense of smell. This helps them adjust to loss of vision quicker than you’d imagine.
Smell, sound and sight, that is the order of importance for your dogs senses. So while sight is important, it is not imperative.
Fostering a blind dog is all at once, the most challenging and rewarding dog care activity. Fostering is a calling, you don’t do it because you are bored, or in lock down and terrified of spending time with yourself, or worse, an over dose of family time!
Dogs come in all shapes and sizes, bred for a variety of purposes and reasons over hundreds of years their original ‘jobs’ may have disappeared but their structure for most breeds is consistent. The breeds modified often to the determent of their health, to cater to our aesthetic whims are the real sufferers.
Pugs especially with their ‘bulging eyes’ went through their darling phase with fad dog buyers and owners. Brachycephalic breeds suffer a multitude of health problems due to their squashed cranium. Their eyes are particularly vulnerable as they quite literally protrude out of their skulls. Pugs are especially prone to accidental eye injuries.
Blindness in dogs may be caused by a number of reasons. Sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome (SARDS) versus neurological disease (ND) blindness due to ageing maybe an easier condition for some pet owners to accept. (Find a list of conditions and breeds prone at the end of this article)
How to help your blind dog at home?
- Do not move furniture frequently, or not at all if you can help it.
- Help them get the “lay of the land” patiently let the dog explore and determine the location of their favourite spots
- If you have the space maybe put out one or two extra water bowls so they have easy access to water and do not need to navigate the entire house. Maintain a consistent spot for food. This makes the area easier to keep clean.
- If they have a favourite low sofa or even dog bed some dogs as they loose vision in old age may tumble off! Rails on the side along with a ramp (gradual incline) will help them climb onto the sofa and not fall off.
- Ask an expert or trainer to help you clicker train your blind dog. They respond well to voice commands and will be able to learn new commands. The first and most important commands will be one to stop the dog getting into a dangerous situation. A command that makes the dog stop almost instantly an action that may harm them like getting entangled in an electric wire.
- Use Scent to help your dog navigate the house. For example if you use lavender for the area near his/her bed. You may rose for the front door, that way the dog knows different areas of the home by its scent.
- Walk your dog/ foster dog around the house, help them to get the layout of the home. Even for a dog who has lived in the same home for a while, loss of vision becomes a challenge. As the dog now has to memorise the layout of furniture and which will cause the worst injury.
How to help your blind dog exercise
Blind dogs who live in a family with access to a private garden or back yard, are lucky. They will be able to adjust relatively quickly as long there is a set path for them to enter and exit the home.
If you have steps leading down to a lawn or garden you will need to modify them with a ramp. A ramp works for dogs like it works for people making it a gentle progression to navigate height. Blind dogs may hesitate when they have to negotiate stairs no matter the height or number. Ramps give them the confidence to navigate stairs independently.
If you have multiple pets in your home, take the time to help them adjust. Pay attention to the emotional needs of all your pets.
Fostering a blind dog, makes a tough job tougher. You are now responsible for the emotional and physical well being of a dog which may have been abandoned, or surrendered by an owner who did not have the capacity to care for a special needs dog.
DEVICES to help your blind dog
Halo – A curved device typically fitted on your dog with a harness which protects the face and eyes if your dog collides with an object.
Whiskers – these fantastic inventions help your dog with “fake whiskers” which act as buffers to stop them from bumping into objects.
Bells help your old or blind dog to find or follow you. Bells will help them identify a direction. Attach a bell to your dogs collar as they age as well as young pups can be a life saver. The bell warns snakes and other critters of an animal approaching which helps both to avoid an unnecessary conflict.
Pad or cover sharp corners and edges on furniture. This is dependent on the height and size of each individual dog and situation
Cover your swimming pool, if you have a swimming pool- a solid cover over the pool, or fence it
Stairs in the home or leading out to a garden should ideally be fitted with a ramp
Fostering a dog or cat is essentially temporary custody. Be mindful of the fact that the animal you foster today, becomes a member of a family tomorrow. Lock down fosters have provided relief and entertainment to numerous families, but amateur foster homes do more harm than good to a dogs future. Good foster homes know they are responsible to teach dogs to be productive, well mannered members of a family and society.
Tales in Dog Fostering by GKL
| Disease | Cause | Breeds Prone | Diagnosis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collie eye anomaly CEA | A mutation of the gene that affects development of the eye. | Collies Shetland sheepdogs Australian shepherds Border collies Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers |
Unfortunately often not until vision is affected. |
| Multifocal retinal dysplasia MRD | A malformation & displacement of the retina. Not a painful condition | Labradors, Cavaliers, Golden Retrievers, and Springer Spaniels. Other breeds affected include the Bedlington and Sealyham Terriers, Beagle, Cocker Spaniels both English and American, Yorkshire Terrier, Akita, Afghan Hound, Doberman Pinscher, Old English Sheepdog, and Rottweilers. | Clinical diagnosis is very hard, and is mostly caught after vision is compromised. |
| Total retinal dysplasia (TRD) | There are 3 forms of retinal dysplasia i) folding of 1 or more area(s) of the retina. This is the mildest form, and the significance to the dog’s vision is unknown. ii) geographic – areas of thinning, folding and disorganization of the retina. iii) detached – severe disorganization associated with separation (detachment) of the retina. The geographic and detached forms cause some degree of visual impairment, or blindness. https://cidd.discoveryspace.ca/disorder/retinal-dysplasia.html |
American Cocker Spaniel Golden Retriever Labrador Retriever Terriers Akita Beagles Poodles German Shepherd Bull Dog Great Danes Basenji |
The condition is present from birth. At 3 to 4 weeks of age, the breeder may notice that severely affected pups are less active and frequently bump into objects. A veterinarian will be best able to examine the pup’s eyes for this condition with an ophthalmoscope at 12 to 16 weeks of age, when the retina is mature. |
| Congenital hereditary cataract (CHC) | Congenital cataracts are present at birth, juvenile cataracts develop during puppyhood, and senile cataracts occur on senior dogs. The degree of the cloudiness of ?the lens also impacts the classification of the cataract. https://www.thesprucepets.com/puppy-cataracts- |
American Cocker Spaniel, Labrador Retriever, French Poodle, Boston Terrier and the Welsh Springer Spaniel | The way it can be diagnosed by inexperienced eye is the dogs’ eye will start looking cloudy and greyish. Your vet will verify it under further examination. |
| (PHPV) Persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous | Primary glaucoma is an inherited condition and is divided into two types: primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and primary angle closure/closed angle glaucoma (PCAG). In both types, glaucoma results from reduced drainage of the fluid that is made within the eye, resulting in a build-up of pressure inside the eye, leading to pain and blindness. |
Basset hound, Flatcoated retriever Dandie Dinmont terrier are the main ones out of about 40 breeds that may be affected by it. |
PCAG is associated with defective development of the drainage angle, which is termed Pectinate Ligament Abnormality (PLA), also known as goniodysgenesis (gonio = angle, dysgenesis = defective development). Clinical signs of acute PCAG include cloudiness at the front of the eye, a reddened eye, a dilated non-responsive pupil and vision loss. Your dog may be very depressed and show signs of eye pain, such as excessive blinking and may avoid bright light. |
| Disease | Cause | Breed Prone | Diagnosis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hereditary cataract |
In canines, cataracts are often familial; this type is known as Hereditary Cataracts. A mutation in the HSF4 gene causes this type of cataracts in several breeds of dogs. In this case, the dog is typically affected bilaterally, in that both eyes are affected by the cataracts. | Alaskan malamute American cocker spaniel Belgian shepherds Bichon frisé Boston terrier (two forms, one developing early in life, one late) Cavalier King Charles spaniel English cocker spaniel English springer spaniel Lapland dog (Swedish, Finnish) German shepherd Leonberger Newfoundland dog Norwegian buhund Retrievers Rottweiler Samoyed Schnauzers (miniature, standard and giant schnauzers) Siberian husky Standard poodle (and poodle) Welsh springer spaniel Tibetan terrier |
Your vet will examine your dog’s eyes thoroughly. By using a bright light and a magnifying lens, a vet can detect cataracts that are just forming or are immature and haven’t yet started affecting your dog’s sight. |
| Primary lens luxation |
Search Results Featured snippet from the web Image result for primary lens luxation dogs Primary Lens Luxation (PLL) is a disorder that is characterised by weakened zonular fibers which eventually lead to the dislocation of the lens in the eye. In the eye of a canine, the lens is located directly behind the iris and pupil. It is responsible for focusing light to the retina in the back of the eye. |
terrier breeds (Jack Russell, Bedlington, Fox, Manchester, Miniature Bull, Scottish, Sealyham, Welsh, West Highland White), Tibetan Terrier, Border Collie, Brittany Spaniel, German Shepherd and Welsh Corgi. | A complete ophthalmic exam is necessary for the diagnosis of lens luxations. The pressure inside the eye is also checked with a tonometer, as lens luxation can cause or result from glaucoma. A corneal stain will help to assess the health of the cornea. |
| Primary open angle glaucoma | Primary Open Angle Glaucoma (POAG) is a genetic mutation which causes pressure to build up in the eye. This results in discomfort and vision loss. The genetic defect prevents the normal release of fluids in a dog’s eyes. Interocular pressure increases, which then leads to retinal ganglia cell death. | Beagle, the Norwegian Elkhound and the Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen. | |
| Progressive retinal atrophy | Atrophy means the partial or complete wasting of a body part. Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), is a group of degenerative diseases that affect these photoreceptor cells. With this disease, the cells deteriorate over time, eventually leading to blindness in the affected dog. | Bedlington Terriers, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Labrador and Golden Retrievers, Rottweilers, American Cocker Spaniels, and English Springer Spaniels. Siberian Husky and the Samoyed it appears to be sex-linked and found mainly in male dogs. | Your veterinarian will usually advise a referral to a veterinary ophthalmologist for confirmation of the diagnosis by means of additional sophisticated testing such as an electroretinogram (ERG), and to rule out other causes of blindness. The ERG is sensitive enough to diagnose PRA in dogs even before they begin to show obvious symptoms. |
| Retinal pigment epithelial dystrophy | Central progressive retinal atrophy is a pigment epithelial dystrophy of dogs, apparently inherited as dominant with variable penetrance. … As the disease progresses, the lesion enlarges until the entire pigment epithelial cell layer is involved. | Labrador Retriever Golden Retriever Border Collie Collie Shetland Sheepdog English Cocker Spaniel English Springer Spaniel Chesapeake Bay Retriever |
Diagnosis is based on presenting clinical signs, histopathological evidence of lipofuschins in retinal samples and low blood ?-tocopherol levels in Cocker spaniel or Briard breeds. A differential diagnosis would include progressive retinal atrophy. |
SOURCES AND REFERENCES
Each one of these reference sites and sources have helped us compile this article.
https://www.animalgenetics.us/canine/Genetic_Disease/HC.asp
https://bit.ly/2FDjglw (The Spruce Pets)
https://www.animalgenetics.us/canine/Genetic_Disease/HC.asp
https://resources.bestfriends.org/article/cataracts-dogs-causes-diagnosis-and-treatment
https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/progressive-retinal-atrophy-in-dogs
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0014483576902074
https://animalvisioncare.com/eye-conditions/canine/lens-luxation/
http://vetbook.org/wiki/dog/index.php/Retinal_pigment_epithelial_dystrophy
