How To Care For a Blind Dog
Caring for a disabled pet can seem like a daunting task, but sometimes a beloved pet may lose their sight during their life, or you may choose to adopt a blind dog into your family. This choice may come with a number of adjustments, but that's not necessarily a bad thing…
Let's take a look at some ways you can take care of your blind dog, and yourself, when this happens.
First Things First: Visit the Vet
The first thing you should do if you suspect your dog is going blind or if you have adopted a blind dog is to go to the vet.
Your dog may not be completely blind, and some forms of blindness can be treated with medication or surgery. Some conditions that cause blindness can be painful or uncomfortable. A vet may be able to prescribe pain medication to reduce this.[1]
Even if your dog has already lost their sight, some conditions, such as glaucoma, may need continuous monitoring by health professionals or require long-term medication. A vet can give you a proper treatment plan that works for your dog and lifestyle. They may have extra tips for your unique circumstances.
Life As a Blind Dog
While blindness can be scary, it's not something that dogs have an existential dread over. Dogs have other senses, such as a very sharp sense of smell, that can compensate for their loss of vision. Dogs also have a decent memory and can remember the location of many objects and areas.
If your dog has become depressed, it's more likely that they are frustrated over not being able to follow their usual schedule rather than mourning their sight. Continue to provide them with affection, exercise, and everything else a dog needs, and they will soon get used to the change.
Caring For a Blind Pet
Circumstances may change here and there, but there are a few things you can do to help your dog be more comfortable.
Pet Proof Your Home
The first thing you’re going to want to do is make sure that the environment you are bringing your dog into is safe, with minimal trip-and-bump hazards.
This means that you want to remove any clutter off the floor and keep it as open as possible. Try to leave enough room for your dog to move between furniture comfortably. You may also need to put bumpers on sharp corners of objects.
Keep your blind dog out of unsafe areas, such as staircases or fireplaces, by using things such as baby gates. If your dog has access to going outside, consider putting up a fence around any pools or ponds, and keep your lawn free from debris. Make sure to remove fallen branches or piles of lawn clippings.
If your dog is harassed or easily startled by other dogs or pets in the home, consider getting them a bell collar so that your blind dog can hear them coming and pinpoint their location.
Keep a ‘Safe Area’ for your blind pet
This is slightly different to pet-proofing. Basically, you want an area your blind dog can retreat to if they feel overwhelmed.
This can be a room with minimal furniture, in a more-quiet area, with a soft bed for them to lay down in. This is a place you, as the dog owner, know is safe to leave them unsupervised. For crate-trained dogs, this may mean just letting them retreat to the comfort of their crates.
Sparkpaws’ Fluffdreams Blanket Dog Hoodie
Create More Audible Cues
Pet owners with blind dogs need to get used to making more noise. Talking to your blind dog when you enter or leave the room lets them pinpoint your location and feel more secure. Senior dogs may also lose some of their hearing as they age, meaning they’re less likely to hear subtle sounds from you.
Of course, this won’t work on a blind and deaf dog.
To stop your blind pet from getting startled, try speaking as soon as you come home or before touching them or waking them from a nap. Though they may hear the jingling of keys and such, the sound of your voice may put them more at ease.
You can also use other sound effects such as whistling when you place their food down, giving commands at certain times, or placing sound making objects at certain locations. For example, placing wind chimes outside the door or leaving a radio or music on in a room.
Tactile Cues
Another strategy, one that can benefit a senior or otherwise deaf dog, can be to use textured objects for tactile clues.
For example, a dog will remember the feel of a particular carpet in a room or the feel of bark chips on a safe garden path. This can be as simple as laying down a strip of textured material, such as rubber or astroturf, at the entrance of certain rooms (secured down, of course).
Schedule and Consistency
One of the biggest ways you can help your blind pet is to be as consistent as possible.
As mentioned, dogs have a decent memory. Your dog can memorise the way to the kitchen and the normal location of their water and food bowls. You can help them with this by making sure their water and food is always placed in the same location. Likewise, their beds and toys should mostly be kept in the same place the majority of the time.
Walking along the same route, and visiting parks that your dog is acquainted with, will also prevent confusion and uncertainty. Your dog should get used to the smells and sounds along their preferred route and feel more comfortable.
Training
While training is good for all dogs, it can be especially important for a blind pet’s safety. It will keep them mentally stimulated for starters, and commands such as ‘sit’, ‘come here’ or ‘stay’ could potentially save their life if they cannot see in an emergency.
Commands could also let them know what’s going on around them - for example, being told to sit for their meal lets them know you are about to put their food in front of them.
You can keep training sessions light and fun, and it can be a good way to get them used to new safety precautions or changes that you have made.
Safety and Exercise
Unless they are seniors with special needs, a blind dog needs just as much exercise and stimulation as a sighted dog. This can be a challenge, as a lot of normal games may be more difficult, and owners may be worried about the risks of taking their blind dogs off-property.
Games
Games don’t need to change too much. Just consider switching to things such as tug of war or using a ball that has strong-scented treats or a bell inside. Catching may be difficult, but if you play in an open area, then your dog will probably enjoy the chase.[2]
You can also play scent games for mental stimulation, or consider swimming with your dog in a pool or letting them jog on a treadmill.
Do not let your blind dog in the pool if there is no one around who can swim. They may struggle to find the steps on their own.
Sparkpaws’ Comfort Control No-Pull Dog Harness Set
Walks
Blind dogs still need walks.
Your biggest danger is going to be cars since your dog can’t see them coming. You can fix this by keeping your dog on a short leash and continually talking to them or making noises.
You should also consider using a harness, as they are harder to escape from, and can give you more control to quickly pull your dog to safety. A brightly colored harness also makes your dog more visible to cars.
If you are interested in harnesses, consider Sparkpaws’ Comfort Control No Pull Dog Harness Collection.
Warn strangers or visitors that your dog is blind and they may need to approach them slowly and call out to them instead of touching them without warning or waking them from sleep.
New Areas
If you move to a new home or have to bring your dog somewhere, walk them around the place with you slowly until they adjust. It can help to confine them to a room for a short while with some objects that they’re familiar with, slowly opening up more of the house so that they can adjust.[3]
Conclusion
Taking care of a disabled pet is not an easy task, but your blind dog can still have a good quality of life with a little extra planning.
Take the time to pet proof your home, keeping things relatively clutter free. Help them feel safe by using textured mats, sounds, and bells on other pets' collars to help them get a sense of their environment. Keep them away from dangerous objects like cables or outdoor pools, or consider getting them a bumper hoop to avoid objects and corners.
Blind dogs can still play, so invest in a harness to get them walking. Walk the same routes, but keep things fresh and interesting with sound and scent-based toys, training, and other scent-based games.
Whatever you do, keep as consistent a schedule and home layout as possible, taking the time to speak to and reassure your pet. Your efforts will not go unrewarded, and, in time, your blind dog should slowly adjust to their new happy life with you.
Happy Walking!
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