7 Mo. Old Puppy with vision problems

Blind and deaf pets can live happy, healthy, quality lives. In fact, sometimes it's hard to tell them from sighted pets. They do, though, have their own special needs.
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lfinn612
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Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2016 9:15 am

7 Mo. Old Puppy with vision problems

Post by lfinn612 »

We adopted our 7 m/o beagle mix puppy named Ernie in October, he was found at 4 weeks old in the middle of the road in OK and we've had him since he was 5 weeks old, its possible malnutrition at his very early stages could have caused his eyesight problems. He is a wonderfully happy puppy but we noticed right away that something wasn't quite right. When we call him he doesn't look up at us but just straight forward in our direction. For the most part, he is fine and acts normal. The times he struggles are when we bring him somewhere new or unfamiliar, petsmart is out of the question and he hates the vet (like most dogs). Outside places seem to be less scary for him. We just purchased a home and yesterday was his first day at the new house. He was super hesitant to even walk up to the doorstep and he was very scared when he finally went into the house. When he gets scared he sort of crouches down and stays completely still (sometimes shakes a little) and it's very difficult to get him to move, I notice when I get on the floor to his level he'll walk towards me and I think it makes him feel more comfortable. We have all hardwood floors now and our last place had carpet, I'm wondering if the combination of the glossy hardwood floor and the light that bounces off of the walls/floor is what is throwing him off. He walks almost like he doesn't trust the ground and where he's putting his feet and he won't even go near certain corners of the room.

Has anyone ever had a dog this young with vision problems? Just wondering if anyone has any advice for how to help him through these transitions. He loves other dogs (we have an older dog) and he is social and likes most people, but I want to make sure he grows up confident because I know scared dogs can develop behavioral issues. We are going to take him to a specialist soon but can't afford it right now with the new house and all.
Thanks in advance!
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critters
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Re: 7 Mo. Old Puppy with vision problems

Post by critters »

lfinn612 wrote:We adopted our 7 m/o beagle mix puppy named Ernie in October, he was found at 4 weeks old in the middle of the road in OK and we've had him since he was 5 weeks old, its possible malnutrition at his very early stages could have caused his eyesight problems. He is a wonderfully happy puppy but we noticed right away that something wasn't quite right. When we call him he doesn't look up at us but just straight forward in our direction. For the most part, he is fine and acts normal. The times he struggles are when we bring him somewhere new or unfamiliar, petsmart is out of the question and he hates the vet (like most dogs). Outside places seem to be less scary for him. We just purchased a home and yesterday was his first day at the new house. He was super hesitant to even walk up to the doorstepHas he ever been around stairs before? and he was very scared when he finally went into the house. When he gets scared he sort of crouches down and stays completely still (sometimes shakes a little) and it's very difficult to get him to move, I notice when I get on the floor to his level he'll walk towards me and I think it makes him feel more comfortable. We have all hardwood floors now and our last place had carpet, I'm wondering if the combination of the glossy hardwood floor and the light that bounces off of the walls/floor is what is throwing him off.Could be. Spunk, my blind punk, can see shadows, and she used to get VERY freaked out at seeing me coming up the stairs. He walks almost like he doesn't trust the ground and where he's putting his feet and he won't even go near certain corners of the room. Maybe he just needs to "map" the new house into his brain.

Has anyone ever had a dog this young with vision problems? Just wondering if anyone has any advice for how to help him through these transitions. He loves other dogs (we have an older dog) and he is social and likes most people, but I want to make sure he grows up confident because I know scared dogs can develop behavioral issues. We are going to take him to a specialist soon but can't afford it right now with the new house and all. Honestly, I don't know that a specialist could or would help anyway.
Thanks in advance!
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lfinn612
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Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2016 9:15 am

Re: 7 Mo. Old Puppy with vision problems

Post by lfinn612 »

Thank you! He does have experience with stairs but carpeted stairs. We lived on the 3rd floor of an apt before purchasing our home and those stairs have carpet. I think you're right about mapping out the house. This morning he followed me and the other dog all the way up the staircase but wouldn't take the last stair to get to the 2nd floor, he turned around and slid all the way back down, poor puppy. He wouldn't walk back up but I also didn't have time to coax him up because I had to leave for work. He's getting braver, hopefully with enough time and patience he will learn. :)
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critters
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Re: 7 Mo. Old Puppy with vision problems

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Having other critters makes a difference too, because they learn from each other.
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