Anyone else have a totally blind dog?

Anarchist

My youngest and smallest yorkie is an 8 year old female called Pheobe and she has had a tough life although she is the only survivor of her litter.
At 4 she was discovered to have lesions on the brain and so had to take steroids twice a day and because she is so small (little over a kilogram) we can't trick her into eating them so have to manually force them down her twice a day, few years later she was then found to have epilepsy......
Didn't think it could get any worse but in the last few months she has become completely blind with glucomia
Now b4 any of yas say I should get her put down to be kind etc after a few weeks she was running round the place like almost normal, I had read much online about dogs developing their "sixth sense".....
I thought that had to be it but it appears their was pressure on her eyeballs causing her to suffer headaches and it was also dangerous so today we are waiting for her to come back from the vets after having her eyes removed.....
Out of all the things that my gf and I have being thru the thing that broke my heart was when the nurse said after I phoned up to see what time to collect her at, was "God bless the little mitt, the operation was fine but she is a bit panicky because she can't open her eyes" Then it dawned on me they had sewn her eyelids or whatever closed........I mean I knew it was drastic but put into the context of her trying to open her eyes I just....well

Anyhow anyone else with a dog who had to have their eyes removed?

oisin

I had a cocker spaniel for 14 years, about 4 years before he died he went blind. He developed a "track" around our and our immediate neighbours gardens that he could navigate flawlessly without bumping in to anything. It was the same in the house, he could find his way around the house fine. Knew where his bed and food were. Visitors never realised he was blind. He had a sixth sense for sure.

BTW the neighbours didn't mind him in their gardens as I grew up with their kids and he was just one of the "lads" as he was always with us.

I've had the same problem trying to get my dogs to take pills, what I find works is to stick the pill into a piece of cheese or butter and it normally goes down without any grief.

Your yorkie seems to have had more than his share of illness - good luck with his care. I'm sure he'll repay your love many times over.

Anarchist

Well just got her back, vet said it was touch and go as she lost a bit of blood and because she is so small it was life threatning, but she is a figher and she is now on my lap, sedated and groggy still, crying an odd time so I just speak to her.
With the tablets I generally use Jam or Butter but she stil hates it etc.

She had her own track around our sitting room but now that she can't even open her eyes I am worried wether this will be a mental issue with her or like a bridge to far.

That will def be the last operation I put her through anyway.

Scoops

Thats terrible, I hope she perks up!:o

Anarchist

Aye it is, I feel terrible......she is so small and cute





This will give u the size of her, this was taking about 4 years ago b4 she had to take steroids, she increased in weight because of them, not too much though

EGAR

I haven't got a blind dog but I have taken in and re-homed two spaniels (Springer and Cocker, one from the pound and one who was found as a stray) over the last few years and they have a happy and fulfilled life with their new families!

Sarah

FranknFurter

Sorry to hear about your doggie. Hopefully in time, she will forget about the eyes and use her ears and nose as "eyes", it amazing how adaptable they can be.

As for getting pills into her, what has always worked for me are calvita cheese tri-angles, cut one (or half of one depending on pill size) into 3 small cube, (dont want her getting fat).
stick the pill inside and she will take it.

It may take a day or two, the important thing to do is give her three,

one (without pill) first,

then give her the pill one, while having a third (without pill) beside her
Make *sure* that she *knows* its another one,
(make sure she knows its another one not the same one,....

as shes reliant on her nose, i would say let her sniff both on either side of her head, give her the non pill one immediately after the pill one,..... dont let her get it before the pill one). Generally they will gobble down the second to get the third

after about a week of doing this, suddenly stop for a day and go back to your old method, then, after a day or two, just put the pill into ONE small cube of it and hopefully she will be so overjoyed to get the treat that she will take it first time.

I know it all sounds a bit complicated, its not really, besides, its a lot less stressful for her than forcing it down her neck, specially now she is blind.

Hope all works out for her and you.

b

Anarchist

Ta for all tips/replies
I will buy some cheese tommorow.....she likes Pork chops funnily enough, problem is she is so small and fussy with her food.
She is still fairly quiet but that would be the size of the operation she had and the discomfort she is going thru with the healing process.

mike65

Its worth remembering that dogs sense of smell and thier hearing is greater than thier vision.

Mike.