What would you do if your dog went blind

[channys_mum]

I am sitting here looking at my dog laying on her cushion where she spends most of her time now.

Honey is 16 going on 17 and has been with me since she was 6 weeks old.

On Tuesday I took her for her booster parvo and her regular eye check. The vet said that her eyesight is now gone. She may see bright light but that is all. She is almost deaf also. Her general health is that of a healthy 10 year old even her teeth.

She still takes herself out to the toilet, comes for a pat, wags her tail and seems to be happy.

Last night I was talking to my son on the phone and he said "Mum what are you doing she lives in a silent dark world".

So now I wonder what am I doing. Is it for her, or is it for me that I have not contemplated her last journey to the vet.

What would you do.

[artfulcreations4all]

Animals adjust to loss of sight and hearing a lot better than people do. Because they don't sit and pine for what used to be--they just accept the way things are now. I would let her live for as long as she can. And that's something you'd be doing for her--not for you. At seventeen, every day she has left is precious to her.

As long as she's not suffering I don't see why she has to be put down.

[channys_mum]

Ya know pimpy, that is one of the options that had sprung to mind. Get a new dog for her to train up and it could "see" her around.

[nevillesdaughter]

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@channys_mum wrote:

I am sitting here looking at my dog laying on her cushion where she spends most of her time now.

Honey is 16 going on 17 and has been with me since she was 6 weeks old.

On Tuesday I took her for her booster parvo and her regular eye check. The vet said that her eyesight is now gone. She may see bright light but that is all. She is almost deaf also. Her general health is that of a healthy 10 year old even her teeth.

She still takes herself out to the toilet, comes for a pat, wags her tail and seems to be happy.

Last night I was talking to my son on the phone and he said "Mum what are you doing she lives in a silent dark world".

So now I wonder what am I doing. Is it for her, or is it for me that I have not contemplated her last journey to the vet.

What would you do.

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If she still comes for a pat and wags her tail, she still knows love and happiness. I've been through this sort of thing a couple of times, and in my experience, you (with guidance and advice from a trusted vet) are best placed to judge whether she is still enjoying her life. In my own case, there was always some little thing that made me realise that a beloved pet's life had become a little too hard, and when that occurs to you, the decision is no longer difficult.

Good luck,

Marina.

[siggie-reported-by-alarmists]

What would I do?....... keep loving her!..... if she is  in good health in every other way...... she's doing really well for her age.

Keep loving her......as a geriatric, she may require more help..... but so do all oldies......she is just in a different stage of life.

.

[boris1gary]

Channys, your dog sounds happy to me, my oldest dog died on the 11th of April this year, he died in his sleep, in his bed while i patted him. He was still eating and insisting on coming with me every morning while i did my chores in the aviaries. Yes i had to carry him up and down the stairs but that was my pleasure as he was a loyal friend and companion. Some people suggested he should have been put down because he was old, a little deaf and mostly blind..pffft...On the day he died i knew he was going to go because it was the first day he didn't come down the yard and he wasn't excited by his breaky. I would let her live what ever life she has left and just love her as she is.  he was 18, my boy.

[sandypas]

Our first dog was a golden lab and she went blind and fairly deaf.  We took her to the vet and asked his opinion.  He said while she seemed happy, to leave her.  He said you will know when it's time - and he was right.  When she started stumbling everywhere and drooling saliva constantly, we took her down.

We now have a 15yo who is fit in every way except he is nearly totally deaf and his eyes are glazed, even though he can see a little.  He still prances around and plays with our other dog at times.

They say a dog who has gone blind in a place he has always lived in can find their way around.  I would just go by instinct.  As our vet said, you will know when it is time.

[channys_mum]

Thank you all for your opinions. I am glad that I came here with this.

I was starting to doubt myself. She isn't ready to go yet. She still goes with me to feed the chickens, what would they do without her.

I take her in the car with me sometimes and she still likes to go. She is a little bit stiff when she gets up in the morning, but so am I lol. 

[bright.ton42]

Her general health is that of a healthy 10 year old even her teeth.

imo that's all that matters.  She will adapt very well.  Just love her and let her love you back , I'd give anything to do that with my

little one who passed recently. 

[tcmsecretuseid]

UM NOOO, you don't put her down just because she is deaf and blind. Sheesh. 

I had a 20 year old doxie. He was deaf, blind, and toothless. He was not in pain, and still loved to cuddle my older son. When he started to have seizures, it was time. 

If she shows signs of pain, or stops eating, and doing the things she is doing now, then you can decide if it is better for her to be put down. 

You love your dog, and she loves you. She isn't ready, and I certainly don't think you want to put her down. Tell your son that youth always wants new, fresh, and lively things. As we get older, other things are valuable to us. 

You can ask her. Pet her cute little head, and say, are you happy? If she wags her tail, she is saying, yep, I'm good... just a little old. If she screams in agony, it's time. 

[channys_mum]

I will tcm and I will tell him you said 

Oh and I answeredn your question about oi on the other thread