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Little blind girl

BIZA

Well-known member
Have just got a new foster, a 9wk old tri girl.She is blind probabley due to ulcers which although treated have left scar tissue that has left her blind.The vet hopes that given time the scaring will fade and she may have a small amount of vision later even if only light and dark. If anyone can give me any hints about making it easier for this little girl please say.She is very bold and at the moment is in the middle of the cavalier cuddle.She doesnt seem to realise she is different following eveyone usually hanging off the tail
 
I have no advice either...sorry! I wish I could help. But how wonderful of you to take this little one in...bless you both. :flwr:
 
Sweet baby girl...and good for you in taking her in. I've heard that it's much easier when they haven't suddenly gone blind....but are able to adapt quite quickly. I'm sure someone will pop in here some advice for you. Just wanted to tip my hat to you!!
 
oh I can finally be of some help!! My aunt's sister worked at a grooming shop and she had a client that just had puppies.. she was going to put one down (poodle) because she couldn't see. My aunt heard the story and couldnt' bear to let this happen so she and my uncle adopted her.. her name was "Pup Pup."

Pup Pup was a wonderful dog. She even played with my uncle all the time. She had no idea she was blind and the only time you could really tell was when you moved the furnature around in the house. It would take a few days to get used to and then she would be fine again.

I think the best advice I can give you is just not to treat her like she's different or "less." I've found that when one sense is lacking, the others really do a good job of compensating for that sense. Pup Pup seriously would play tug with my uncle and she would even fetch the ball (now go figure that one out.) The only way I could make sense of that was by thinking that she could feel where the ball bounced and maybe it had some kind of particular smell to it.

Anyways good luck to you!! Just take care of her and keep her by your side when you're out etc.. she'll be fine!! :dogwlk:
 
Also I should add -

Clicker training seems to really work well with blind dogs. I was watching a special on the APL the other day about a lady that had a blind dog in an obedience class. Get this - it was the best behaved one of the bunch!! I think because instead of investigating what neighbor a or b is doing she was really focusing on her owner the whole time. It was the quickest "sitter" and "downer" of the bunch.. what an amazing story to watch :luv:

At the end of the show they took her to a field and did some recall whistle training with her (off leash) and she came every single time!! It's absolutely incredible what these dogs are capable of. ;)

I'm glad you're taking her in!! She will not disappoint you I am sure! :) Good luck to you guys!! :rah:
 
Blind dogs see with their hearts. It's amazing because they don't know they have a problem. Our Katie is blind in one eye and has partial sight in the other. Doesn't slow her down at all. The only concession we have had to make is that she heels on the right side instead of the left (she's blind in the R eye). She loves clicker training and does really well with it.

Here's some websites that may be helpful. There are lots of others with really good info.


http://www.blinddogs.com/

http://www.blinddogs.net/

http://www.eyevet.info/blind.html
 
They do amazingly well -- dogs do not have great sight anyway and hearing and smell can quickly compensate to a great degree. Wherever you are putting her, keep all the furniture and any items all in the same place so she learns her way around -- she will need a very stable home as well where people will not change things around.

I know people who live with both blind dogs and blind cats and in most cases people do not realise the dog is blind.

Obviously this will be a dog that needs to be carefully secured on a lead at all times outside unless in a secure enclosed area.

Some good links:

http://www.blinddogs.com/
http://www.homewardboundpugs.com/blind.html
http://www.pepedog.com/
http://www.petcarebooks.com/books/living_blind.htm
 
try and get some eyebrigth or Bilberry, both from the herbal shop. Bilberrry was used in the second world world for pilots to see in the dark. i have a dog going blind and have used both with some success.
 
No advice here but your new little girl will certainly benefit from your warm heart. I do like the clicker training idea...seems very logical to benefit from other senses. :flwr: -Natalie
 
I can probably not give any better information over what others have, but I do know that a blind dog can live a full & happy life. My daughter in law's dog went bind in old age and with some thought they managed to overcome most obstacles. She bought a book about blind dogs, so you may be able to find something at Amazon. Some of the things I remember her doing was (like with humans) never rearrange the furniture, always put things back in the same place. She put different surfaces in doorways, e.g. mats with different textures so the dog could tell by the texture where he was. She also left a radio on softly in one part of the house so the dog could orient himself. Water & food bowls were always placed in the exact same location, and ramps were installed where there were stairs.

I am sure those web sites other have given you will probably have covered this.

Poor little sweetie. So sad for this to happen to such a young dog, but thank the gods for people like you, who will give them love & the support they need.
 
Thank you all for the good advice the most important thing for a cav is she can find a crumb of food in a room!! .Having had her over night i now realise that she also has very limited if no hearing as well. She even managed to sleep through my mob singing fot their breakfasts but she seems so happy in her own world and is happy to play with you and the other dogs when she finds them
 
She may not be deaf, as puppies, like human babies, can sometimes sleep through anything.

As you are in Wales, you could contact Sylvia, at Many Tears Rescue, as she has rehomed several blind and deaf-blind dogs. She may be able to put you in contact with one of the owners, who's sure to be able to help.
 
But don't contact other rescues if you are already fostering on behalf of a rescue (I think you are?). All contact between rescues should go through the rescue responsible for the dog first. (y) The rescue you are working withmight well appreciate some homing help though so I'd let the coordinator know about Mny Tears if they are not aware of them. :) Maybe they will have some ideas that would help.
 
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