poor Buddy, now he is blind.
 

Well Christmas eve we discovered that Buddy our 11 year old Airedale is now blind. He is diabetic and gets insulin 2X a day. the vet says this is common in diabetic dogs especially old ones. We had noticed he was having trouble getting around outside and would stumble sometimes. We just figured he was old and unsure on his feet these days. He was fine in the house until on Christmas eve we moved the packages from around the tree to another spot. The poor guy came walking into the room and walked then fell into all the packages. He just didn't see them. We started doing tests like moving a cookie around in front of his face out of reach, nothing just a blank stare. Other than that he acts just fine. His spirits are good and he was outside with me today while I ran the tractor plowing. He was good as long as he could follow the sounds. He follows me but you have to talk to him all the time so he follows your voice. I'm think it's not his time yet and we can live with this. Anybody here ever have a blind dog? How did he do? How did you do?

We now call him " Buddy Ray".

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first..that is a fine looking friend...
if you can handle it, so can Buddy...
Like any blind being ..
you don't move stuff all the time...
played ball with a GS one afternoon..
he could fetch & do it well..
made a comment about his neat eyes..
oh he's blind..
just be careful around the usual stuff..

Rika

My downstairs neighbor had a dog that went blind, she lived happily that way for over two years...

there was something on dogs 101 on animal planet about a blind dog having a buddy dog help him get around. might be better if the 2nd dog was around before, you found out, so they would know how to get along first.

sorry to hear about the bad news. he still looks happy though.

if you had a beagle the cookie treat wouldnt have worked. when ours went blind, his nose was his guide. after 16yrs his nose was finally being used to get OUT of trouble.

My brother had a blind dog. She got along fine. Yeah she bopped her nose every once in awhile but she did ok. I think dogs adapt better than us humans.
And yes a handsome pup he is.

Just don't change the furniture around!!

This is all good news. He does have another dog, but Jack is a puppy and I don't think he gets it that his brother is blind yet. he just wants to play as usual and Buddy will have no part of his antics.

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Jack


As long as he is happy i'm happy. he has been my pal for almost 12 years now and we just lost his older brother a year ago. It's good to hear that others have had blind dogs that get along fine. he is beside me as I type this.

Buddy should be fine, given some time to adjust.

As above, don't move things around the house or yard without "showing him" where you have put them. Leading him over to the moved thing and tapping it while telling him you've moved it works.

As he gets use to things, he will be able to fool most people on his home turf. If he liked chasing a ball. get one with a bell inside.

Colby, the six year old Husky cross lying at my feet, has been blind since birth, we think. When the SPCA seized a number of animals from a puppy mill, it was a few weeks before they realized the extent of his visual impairment. We took him because we have lots of room, and we figured no one else would.

At the time our 'alpha male', Casey took him in hand, showed him the perimeters (and the electric fence) and taught him how to be a dog. Most folks, until recently, couldn't pick him out of our lot as 'the blind guy'. Recently, he has had both eyes removed because of progressing tissue degeneration, but is making a fine recovery and is free of the discomfort he had a few weeks ago.

Buddy will learn to rely more upon his senses of smell and hearing. He may also learn to read echos if he is running around buildings. He will memorize his terrain. If you take him on walks, use the same path so he can learn the route. He will enjoy it.

Take care
Les

Thanks Les, that is all good to hear. He's doing alright for now. I too think this is something he has been dealing with for a while. He has been biting my hand when I give him a cookie, and even though he has always been "enthusiastic" when it comes to treats, he would never nip my hand. Now I understand better. he is doing good. It's me that needs to be trained I think.

Come what may, Dave, Buddy has you and your lovely wife as owners...not a bad spot.

Buddy is lucky.

Jack sends his best.

It hurts to watch a much loved pet go downhill. It hurts more when they are gone. Love 'em while you can, guys...love 'em while you can.

Hey Paul, hope ya'll had a great Christmas. Tell Jack I said Hello. Well you know Buddy, he just goes with the flow. He will overcome this too. We just feel really sorry for the old guy. But you also know Mj and I well and know we will do whatever we can to keep him happy.

I feel for you, and the dog. I have an Airedale as well. Great dogs, very loyal.

Amen to that. But when you buy a puppy you sign up for these days.

I'm biased too, but I have had 4 now and I do think they are the best. How old is yours?

Boy that's to bad. A really good looking dog. Love and patience will help him and you. I'll bet the puppy will figure things our pretty quick and as fast as they grow he and Buddy Ray may end up being really good friends.

Karl
88 Targa

They are really tight now, they have been together a year now. Thick as thieves. It's just heart breaking watching run into trees in the woods. I know he will work it out, it's just hard to watch the learning process.

It will be harder on you than the animal. Because their cognitive functioning/memory is lower than humans, in short order he will not remember what it was like to have vision. Blindness will be his "normal" state. Obviously he will have to adjust and will have some initial frustrations but they are short lived and he can still have a healthy, happy life. Especially for a pet in a loving home as yours. You see the same thing with dogs who have lost limbs,etc.

Pet owners, including myself;), assign human emotions to animals that don't exist.

That last sentence Jim, I do as well.

Karl
88 Targa

Buddy doesn't realize it. His vision would have gone gradually over a period of time and he adjusted. He thinks it's normal and it won't bother him.

My sister had a blind dog (Cocker) for almost 10 years. Was a very happy dog.

He'll be fine.

Animals will adapt. They don't know any better. 3 legs no problem. I have seen a few blind dogs too, just happy to be alive.:)