Some Advice Needed

[twodoggies2001]

I am agonising over what to do. Our family has two mini schnauzers, one 2.5 yr. old and one 12.5 yr. old. My older boy lost an eye due to chronic dry eye, which was not responding to specialist treatment and it was decided that because of the pain the eye was causing, it was best to remove it. His other eye is still being treated for the same problem, which we are controlling. The cause of my heartache is that he is losing sight in the remaining eye, and it seems that he can't see close up.

We are moving back to an old address in a couple of weeks, after rebuilding our dream home, but of course it will not be familiar to my boy. He manages negotiating his way around where we are at present, but I don't know how he is going to manage at the new place. I don't want him to be miserable, because besides having a slight heart murmer, he is not ill, has a good appetite and is still happy to go to the park, albeit on lead. I am so concerned about him losing his way around the house. Anyone out there been in the same predicament?

[puggy_puggy]

Blind dogs are pretty amazing. Give him a chance to get used to the new house and I am sure he will do just fine. Some mats or plastic runners might help him navigate through rooms but I think that he will pretty quickly map the house out. Make sure you make things safe for him ie. no sharp corners, no steps/landings that he can fall off and no spikey plants he can run into.

I have a totally blind pug, went blind last November, and he could fool alot of people into thinking he had some vision. Yes he bumps into things some times but he is happy and navigates his way around the house and yard on his own. He even uses the doggy step to get up on the couch and usually jumps down off the couch. He still loves going for walks and really is pretty fearless.

Edited April 17, 2010 by puggy_puggy

[Cockerlover]

I have 2 girls with only one eye ,bella who is 15 has lost the sight in her remaining eye ,but one would never know !!thier other sences take over & smell helps quide them .

[~Anne~]

I am agonising over what to do. Our family has two mini schnauzers, one 2.5 yr. old and one 12.5 yr. old. My older boy lost an eye due to chronic dry eye, which was not responding to specialist treatment and it was decided that because of the pain the eye was causing, it was best to remove it. His other eye is still being treated for the same problem, which we are controlling. The cause of my heartache is that he is losing sight in the remaining eye, and it seems that he can't see close up.

We are moving back to an old address in a couple of weeks, after rebuilding our dream home, but of course it will not be familiar to my boy. He manages negotiating his way around where we are at present, but I don't know how he is going to manage at the new place. I don't want him to be miserable, because besides having a slight heart murmer, he is not ill, has a good appetite and is still happy to go to the park, albeit on lead. I am so concerned about him losing his way around the house. Anyone out there been in the same predicament?

I have had several blind and almost blind rescue Pugs come through. Pugs are pretty easy going and generally not overly timid or sensitive so they do handle things quite well. The first totally blind Pug that came through was Ralphy. Ralphy still had most of his hearing so this helped a lot. He spent a few days working out the layout before he was totally comfortable and he gradually widened his area of investigation to include the entire downstairs of the house and the yard. Having other dogs for him to follow (through sound and smell) helped a great deal.

Navey was blind and almost totally deaf so he couldn't even hear the other dogs, but again, it didn't take him long before he worked out where everything was.

I tis important that you place things in one position and do not move them. If at the old house, you had mats at the doors then keep those mats at the door in the new one. Try to replicate the textures and itmes where you can. Mats are good to use as signals before steps. Scents are also good to use to signal danger, steps, water bowls and beds.

We used a combination of scents including eucalyptus, lavendar, citronella (danger areas) and vanilla. There are many that you can use though.

Personally, I'd be inlcined to restrict his movement areas for the first few days so he can firstly get used to smells and sounds of the new home. If he feels comfortable and confident on lead, put him on lead to walk him from inside to outside and other short walks he might take as part of his normal day. Block off open areas for the mean while until he build his knowledge in his mind of where very thing is.

[Skruffy n Flea]

:D

i have nothing useful to add ... i just wanted to wish you good luck and to say that i reckon dogs are just the best things ever

thank you to the posters in this thread for your amazing dog stories

[twodoggies2001]

Thank you for your replies. You have given me some hope. It will be difficult, I know, but that little boy means the world to our family, and we want to do as much as we can to have him comfortable.

It will be a problem to confine him to confine to an area because of the open plan design, but usually he is content to sleep on his bean bag or the couch and hopefully, he will continue to do so.