My Dog is Losing Her Sight and Here's How I'm Helping Her Adjust
We're going through cataracts together
Recently my ten-year-old dog was diagnosed with Diabetes. Before her diagnosis, I noticed the hazy color of her eyes and was concerned with cataracts. It’s unclear how much vision she’s lost, as pet owners we have to look for clues.
My dog and I have a psychic connection. I had a huge change in my eyesight at my last vision test in October. Normally my prescription changes so slightly, my eye doctor had to recheck to make sure this was correct. Think what you want, but it’s not a coincidence to me.
My dog and I are going through cataracts together.
I noticed her eyes teared more and she had eye boogers, and I would always clean her face. You can use a baby wipe for sensitive skin on your dog’s face to gently clean them. I also use a tissue to stroke her face and wipe her eyes regularly.
Since her diagnosis, we’ve been unable to get her diabetes under control, which leads to another underlying condition called Cushing’s Disease. This is an overproduction of steroids caused by a tumor on the pituitary gland. This in turn could be the reason she’s insulin resistant. It’s quite possible the Cusings caused the Diabetes but that’s just speculation from my research.
Cataract Surgery in Dogs
75% of dogs with diabetes experience blindness
That’s a tough statistic and there are many variables to consider when thinking about surgery. Of course, the cost is the biggest factor averaging about $3500 from my research.
Other things to consider are glaucoma, which is eye pressure and if left untreated causes headaches or more severe loss of the eye. I don’t want to put my dog through more than we have to.
Some changes we’re making for her
My new glasses gave me a 2020 Vision and we don’t realize what we’re missing as our vision changes. I can only think this is the same for dogs. My new prescription showed me how drastically my eyes had changed.
She slipped off a step after misjudging how close she was to the edge. I stand to the left of the steps now so she has to navigate between me and the door to return inside.
I’ve replaced visual signals with audible ones.
I snap my fingers so she can get her bearings. I’m starting this now so she can adjust. We’ve always had a running water fountain so she can hear the water to get a drink.
We Keep regular routines and don’t change up the furniture.
She has some difficulty in the dark now. She’ll need to be leashed to keep her safe when she goes outside eventually. Possibly inside as well. And we’ll add a Leash wrap indicating a blind dog when we go out in public.
I’ve looked at Muffin’s Halo to protect her head and her eyes. This is something to consider in the future if we need to.
Recently she sat staring at the pantry door, and I was unsure of what she was thinking. I’d never seen her do this before. This is the future of uncertainties watching my dog go blind.
Oddly enough, this doesn’t make me sad as you might think it would. I’m grateful that she’s alive. At the time of her diagnosis, I knew she was very sick, I didn’t know that she was in the final stage of diabetic ketosis and could have died.
She still looks into my eyes as I stroke her face and tell her I love her. I’m not going to let a day go without letting her know we’re doing this together.
Good girl Shi Shi