So devastated...my daughter's dog appears to be going blind

[Isabella]

When I fed Georgie tonight, she didn't seem to see where I was holding the food, then she sat wagging, looking in the opposite direction, then she bumped into a chair on the way to my daughter's room. She is a Brittany spaniel, and is 7 yrs old. I looked it up and seems like Brittanies are one of the breeds most prone to Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration or SARDS. I haven't told my daughter yet, she was out with her boyfriend and came in just now and hasn't noticed, as Georgie is on her bed with her. I spent an hour or so crying already. I'm so sad for poor Georgie, and for my daughter. She is going to be devastated. Georgie's life is to sniff out and chase mice and rabbits, so it'll be so sad if she can't do that when she still has so much energy.

I guess we should take her to an ophthalmologist or something, but we can't afford to spend oodles of money, and it seems like the only vet specializing in it is on the other side of the country, 4000 km away. :-(

Just needed to get all that of my chest tonight...somehow it feels better to tell someone, so thanks for listening.

[umsami]

We had a cocker spaniel, and around 8 or so, he developed cataracts.  Do you see a clouding in the eyes? They would look milky.

 

Honestly, his life was about chasing squirrels, raccoons, and the like.  He still did it.  He knew his yard…he knew the trees…..I didn't notice as much of an issue as with his hip arthritis that plagued him later in life.

 

This says that it's not breed specific and "SARDS is not a painful condition, dogs adjust well to being blind, and are able to resume a normal quality of life."

 

So hopefully Georgie will adjust.  I'm sorry, though.

 

http://www.eyecareforanimals.com/animal-eye-conditions/canine/241-sudden-acquired-retinal-degeneration-syndrome.html

[Arctic Bunny]

Oh, I'm so sorry!! I wonder if youngish dogs adapt to something like that?

[Stacia]

:grouphug:  :grouphug:

[celticmom]

I suspect she will adapt, We have had older dogs that developed cataracts and it did not seem to impact their quality of life much. We had a seven year old dog that became a paraplegic and he could still outrun a slightly older much lazier dog. You might want to show the dog around if you move furniture or move to a new house.

[Pink and Green Mom]

our cocker developed something similar.  One morning she boxed herself into a corner and then fell down the steps.  It turned out to be glaucoma.  Your regular vet can diagnose - the pressure behind the eye can get really bad and cause the eye to "collapse" so please get the dog to your regular vet ASAP.

 

:grouphug:

[Pawz4me]

Most dogs adapt to vision loss with little difficulty.  They rely on vision much less than humans do.  As long as you don't move furniture around or leave your lawn mower parked in the middle of the yard or something like that, they usually do just fine. As hard as it is for us to imagine, losing sight doesn't really seem to impact their quality of life all that much.  :grouphug:

 

Ditto the need for her to be seen by a regular vet ASAP, though.  There are all sorts of conditions that can affect eyesight.  Some can be treated if caught early, and some (like glaucoma) are very painful.

[Catwoman]

Isabella, I'm so sorry about Georgie, and I definitely think you should take her to the vet, but if it turns out the blindness is permanent, you will be amazed at how quickly she adapts to it. Dogs are incredibly resilient.

 

Give her lots of extra hugs and attention and help her as best you can, and she will be OK. It's a huge shock to her (and you!) right now, but it's certainly not a death sentence, and she will be OK.

 

I know you're very sad and worried right now, though, and I have been through it so I know how difficult it is, but please don't lose hope. :grouphug:

[lmrich]

Our dog dog went blind; she lived to 18. She could chase the cat perfectly just on scent alone. She would bump into furniture etc. but never anything drastic.

[Caroline]

My dog growing up was blind. We just never moved the furniture. I mean, for real, for 10 years my parents never moved our furniture. Or bought new furniture.

 

Rascal was a happy dog, even when she couldn't see. My dad took her to the dog eye doctor ($$$$$), two states away. And he said, "Yes, she's blind. It wasn't anything you did or didn't do. She will be fine." Her eating habits changed--she ate carrots after she went blind, but never before. 

[EKS]

I've heard that blindness in dogs isn't as much of a disability as a human might think.  Dogs rely much more on their sense of smell and hearing than humans can imagine.

[elegantlion]

We had several blind animals when I worked for the vet. They do adjust fairly well. You do need to be aware and make sure they can acclimate if you do change furniture, change habits, etc. Try to use smell and hearing. We would speak to an animal before touching, so they knew someone was close. Dogs are so resilient. The other caution would be traffic is that's an issue.