blind and deff

hi there,
been a while since i last posted.
Oliver went for his vet apointment yesterday, and we got some sad news.
we knew he was mostly def, but we learnd he is also going blind.
i am so sad for him.
myself i have very very poor eyesight without my glasses, and i get lots of anxiety when im not wearing them. (and once had to take them off and put drops in my ears..so both sences were out for a bit ..made me very nervous)
i cant imagine what his life will be like in a short while.

the vet said he'll learn to adjust to life.

one of ollies phobias is being left alone.
if he thinks hes been left alone, he starts to cry..howl or sing. since he cant hear we cant just call him say 'we're here' we have to go into the room so he can see us.
its going to be interesting when he cant hear or see us.


anyone have any advice?

Sorry that you got that diagnosis! But I wouldn;t worry too much -- sight is a minor sense for dogs as is hearing -- they are mostly dependent on smell. He will know you are coming by scent long before he'd know from either hearing or seeing you anyway. Dogs also adjust very well to blindness. It will be important to be careful when walking him and also try not to rearrange furniture at home. Because he has always lived with you in the house, he probably already knows the house very well and you probably will not even notice he is getting blind (indeed, the fact that you hadn't noticed til now indicates he copes very well and it isn't really a big deal for him).

I know young blind dogs and cats that you wouldn't even notice are blind as they lead very rich normal lives -- they fly up and down stairs, go for walks, run around the back garden, play with friends... truly, this is a disability many animals simply take in their stride.

Here's some great websites with advice and information about owning a blind dog:

http://www.blinddogs.com/
http://www.blinddogs.net/
http://www.pepedog.com/

Hi Chelsea

No advice leave that to the experts ,only best wishes and a safe journey to you and Oliver.

I can only echo what karlin been saying. I have a blind dog and she copes very well even with a sense of Spatial awareness to sound which is crap and she will go running off in the other direction to your voice

Her sense of smell is not too great either but that doesn't stop her and taking her for a walk is no problem. We kind of learned together to guide her with tension on the lead.

Although you do tend to talk more with a blind dog, I find touch is just as important to them as well.

I am so sorry about that. It is heart breaking to see them lose their faculties. I think it hurts us far worse than it hurts them, though.
Just to echo some of the above posts, I'd not worry too much. Keep his surroundings constant and he should be fine. I had a blind dog (wolf, actually) I didn't realize he was blind until we moved when he was two years old. I thought he might be nearsighted, but he was so adept that I never suspected total blindness. When we moved, he was running into EVERYTHING until he got used to it. He also shadowed my other wolf around the house and yard. I took him to a doggie eye doctor (can't remember the proper term) who said that he was not capable of seeing at all. He'd been blind his whole life.
He did just fine. Oliver should do well, too with your help and guidance.