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I read the whole article. Close to my heart. My dog, Chelsea lost her sight to diabetes in July of 2011. She adapted very well in just a few months. I use careful, slow, stop, turn as verbal signals and other way when she goes the wrong way. She is a stubborn Jack Russel and herd dog mix, insisted the day she came home from the vets on learning her way around the house and yard. She bumped into objects all the time, got disoriented, but was determined to do it herself. I walk her three miles in the morning and some through the wooded area of our dog park. For all purposes now, my dog is not blind, she sees with her nose and ears and rarely bumps into anything. She can go to new places and explore her way around and retrace her path back to where she began. She is a very happy dog, very smart and got smarter after she lost her sight.
I wanted to post the guide I made for a client whose dog became blind due to diabetes. This owner had another fully sighted dog, Boon, who I included in our training so that she could act as a seeing-eye-dog for Gracie.
Attach a jingle bell to Boon’s collar if there are times you want Gracie to be able to locate/follow her. (Hopefully the bell won’t scare Boon!)
Placing textured mats in key locations can help to orient Gracie. Put a mat by her food and water bowls and other places she associates with a specific activity. The mats serve as “landmarks” that help vision-impaired dogs to find their way around. If you want, you can even create paths through the house with runners or a chain of smaller mats.
For outside, you can apply the same principle using indoor/outdoor carpeting, cedar wood chips, pavers, etc. Wind chimes can help her find home if she wanders.
Use toys that rely on senses other than sight. A Buster Cube or a Kong will put Gracie’s nose to work. A ball that makes gurgling noises or that has a bell inside will appeal to her ears. Encourage and praise her when she plays!
Become more vocal with Gracie. Announce when you enter the house/room or when you are approaching her. Talk to her to let her know you’re close by.
You can make up a couple of new commands for Gracie to help her out. Watch her and when you notice she is about to bump into something, say “Watch out” before she runs into it. She will make the connection: when mom/dad says “watch out” I should slow down and sniff / be careful. Another command could be “Step” to let her know she is approaching stairs. With these commands, it will just take some repetition and Gracie will quickly learn to associate the words with their meaning – she’s a smart girl, she’ll catch on fast.
If Gracie struggles to find her water dish, consider using a fountain type water dispenser. The sound of the running water will help her to identify the location.
Treat Gracie as normal as possible. Remember that Gracie is highly attuned to you and can sense how you’re feeling. If you are always sad around her / feeling bad for her, she’ll mirror those emotions and become depressed herself. If, on the other hand, you keep your attitude positive and encouraging with her, she will respond with that same energy!
I wanted to post the guide I made for a client whose dog became blind due to diabetes. This owner had another fully sighted dog, Boon, who I included in our training so that she could act as a seeing-eye-dog for Gracie.
Attach a jingle bell to Boon’s collar if there are times you want Gracie to be able to locate/follow her. (Hopefully the bell won’t scare Boon!)
Placing textured mats in key locations can help to orient Gracie. Put a mat by her food and water bowls and other places she associates with a specific activity. The mats serve as “landmarks” that help vision-impaired dogs to find their way around. If you want, you can even create paths through the house with runners or a chain of smaller mats.
For outside, you can apply the same principle using indoor/outdoor carpeting, cedar wood chips, pavers, etc. Wind chimes can help her find home if she wanders.
Use toys that rely on senses other than sight. A Buster Cube or a Kong will put Gracie’s nose to work. A ball that makes gurgling noises or that has a bell inside will appeal to her ears. Encourage and praise her when she plays!
Become more vocal with Gracie. Announce when you enter the house/room or when you are approaching her. Talk to her to let her know you’re close by.
You can make up a couple of new commands for Gracie to help her out. Watch her and when you notice she is about to bump into something, say “Watch out” before she runs into it. She will make the connection: when mom/dad says “watch out” I should slow down and sniff / be careful. Another command could be “Step” to let her know she is approaching stairs. With these commands, it will just take some repetition and Gracie will quickly learn to associate the words with their meaning – she’s a smart girl, she’ll catch on fast.
If Gracie struggles to find her water dish, consider using a fountain type water dispenser. The sound of the running water will help her to identify the location.
Treat Gracie as normal as possible. Remember that Gracie is highly attuned to you and can sense how you’re feeling. If you are always sad around her / feeling bad for her, she’ll mirror those emotions and become depressed herself. If, on the other hand, you keep your attitude positive and encouraging with her, she will respond with that same energy!
My dog was 10 1/2 when she got diabetes and has lived here since she was 5 months old. She knows the 1/3 acre that surrounds our yard like we know the backs of our hands. First day she came home, within the hour, she headed for the dog door and down the steps to the yard. It took her over an hour, but she explored the entire yard. When ever she came too close to a bush or the small pool, we warned her, Now she lopes around as if she can see. At the dog park, she is amazing. It is about 3 to 4 acres of unfenced in meadow, I let her loose and she roams around from end to end with all the rest of the dogs, but she has been going there since she was a pup. I walk her on all the trails of the rest of the 70 acre park and she does very well. At home we have runner carpets down the halls and when we change any furniture, she is right there in the middle exploring the differences. Its like a game to her. When I test her blood sugar, I say "blood sugar? " she knows what it means and goes to the counter where her meter is. I ask her to lay down and she lays down, then rolls on her left side. I say, " do cute" and she puts her paws over her eyes and gives me the pad on her right elbow to test her bg. She gives me a kiss and waits for the beep. She then springs to all fours and eagerly waits for her reward. We have done this at least 2 times a day for a year and a half, some times when her bg is a bit low, she gets too eager and does the, sit, lay down and rolls over before I get the strip in the meter. She may be lucky to have me, but I feel very lucky to have a great dog like her. She takes her insulin twice a day like clock work and if I forget the shot after her meal, she sits as if I forgot something. Very important is exercise, she gets a good three mile walk every morning and her bg will be in a good level curve most of the day. Any fat can spike her bg, especially beef and she only gets WD dry, wet and treats and green beans, they are safe and she likes them.
Last edited by TheDragonslayer; 01-12-2013 at 02:23 PM..
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