Like people, dogs lose with age some faculties, their senses are affected. It happens, above all, with the ear and the sight. Regardless of whether your dog may go blind by age, illness or accident, in this article we will see how to detect it. If you are wondering how to know if my dog is going blind, keep an eye out for this post.
How to tell if my dog is going blind
Blindness, whether sudden or progressive, can be detected in different ways:
Changes in your dog's behavior
If your dog is going blind, you'll notice that his behavior suffers some variations from when he saw well. Inside the house, it's normal for you to bump into furniture, even if you haven't moved any room. Also, at a distance of approximately 3 meters you might not be able to recognize people's faces. He needs to pull his smell to find his food dishes, his bed and his toys and he no longer has as good night vision as before, so he may cancel out the night walks he took before or give them but be more clumsy.
On the street, you'll notice that, too. When you go for a walk, you will see that the nose does not peel off the ground to be able to orient yourself and that it walks more slowly, with caution and awkwardness. If you play the ball or drop it in the park, it may take longer to find yourself and you may have to call it several times to be guided by the ear.
Physical changes in your dog's eye
When a dog is going blind, it is also usually visible in its eyes. It may have too many legacies or even secretion, corneal opacity, mist (very associated with cataracts), spills, squinting eyes, and even internal or external injuries, such as ulcers.
What do I do if my dog is going blind?
If you notice any of these changes in your dog's eyes or behavior, you should go to the vet urgently. An eye check is needed to confirm blindness and, if so, determine the cause. It could be an ulcer, cataracts, other eye injuries, an accident or age-related blindness.
If you are aware that your dog has suffered some kind of damage, do not hesitate to tell the veterinarian, it will help in the diagnosis and treatment.
In case your dog ends up being completely blind, remember that this is no reason to leave it. A blind dog needs and deserves the same care as everyone else and it only takes a little adaptation on the part of everyone to lead a dignified, normal and happy life.