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Hi All,
Jascha is nearly blind as well as somewhat
deaf. We knew about his ears but didn't realize his eyes were as
bad as they are until this week. He went to the usual groomer who he
knows well (and who adores him) for a bath and trim but kept walking into the
walls. I took him tho the vet because this was so extreme and so
sudden. We all decided that he has cataracts and some retina damage,
but had managed to get around pretty well by memory until we got him disoriented
by going to a different place. He has been unable to get into my car
unassisted for over a year but I had thought that was simply arthritis (of which
he has a lot in this back and hips). Now it seems that he couldn't
see to jump in so he would let me pick up the front half, then the back half and
guide him in. We reconstructed the back steps this week end to make a more
gradual incline for his hips and he could not walk down the steps until the
combination of cheese on each step and a bladder about to burst gave him the
necessary gumption. I am sure I would not step off a secure deck
without a very good reason either! It was quite a sight to see him
following his nose to the cheese and discovering the location of each step as he
went. By now he has made the trip several times and it seems like he knows
it. The vet says many dogs get along just fine when blind as long as no
one moves the furniture. Does any one have any other suggestions to make
this as easy on the dog as possible?
Amy
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