Blind Dogs See With Their Hearts

My basset hound, Bentley, went blind due to glaucoma and had his eye removed a little over a week ago. He was out exploring the backyard yesterday, so I snapped a few pictures. The stitches come out this weekend. He really has proven that dogs are amazing! Comments and suggestions always appreciated

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I hope Bentley is doing better now.

OMG what a cutie!

I have a (just turned) 13 yo Boxer named Emily who had the exact same thing recently. We didn't know she was in pain, and with her age, and the fact that she is riddled with cancer, we didn't think much of it. Well, after having her eye removed, I can't tell you how much happier shes been. The vet told us that Glaucoma can be extremely painful for dogs - we never knew!

Anyways, she has been a different dog since it healed.

Here is a shot of our "One-Eyed" Wonder:

Our Jack Russell Terrier (Lucy) suddenly went blind from Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration Syndrome in 2004. Lucy's had her own blind dogs support website since 2005 at www.blinddogs.net with lots of great blind dog success stories and helpful info!

Always love to include more stories if interested!

Here is a picture of our blind Lucy.. and her seeing-eye sidekick, Rat Terrier Holly -- taken at Halloween this year (Canon S3) still waiting for my (newly ordered) Canon 500d coming next week!

Poor Bently. Bassett Hounds are such sweet dogs. I'm sure his nose will help him get around.

Todd Lambert wrote in post #9048644
OMG what a cutie!

I have a (just turned) 13 yo Boxer named Emily who had the exact same thing recently. We didn't know she was in pain, and with her age, and the fact that she is riddled with cancer, we didn't think much of it. Well, after having her eye removed, I can't tell you how much happier shes been. The vet told us that Glaucoma can be extremely painful for dogs - we never knew!

Anyways, she has been a different dog since it healed.

Here is a shot of our "One-Eyed" Wonder:

Glad to hear your pupper is feeling better. What a cutie!

Karen G wrote in post #9049091
Our Jack Russell Terrier (Lucy) suddenly went blind from Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration Syndrome in 2004. Lucy's had her own blind dogs support website since 2005 at www.blinddogs.net with lots of great blind dog success stories and helpful info!

Always love to include more stories if interested!

Here is a picture of our blind Lucy.. and her seeing-eye sidekick, Rat Terrier Holly -- taken at Halloween this year (Canon S3) still waiting for my (newly ordered) Canon 500d coming next week!

Ohh they are adorable---Ok so I know now that there are a lot more blind furkids on this board---so let's turn this into the blind dog thread. Post your beautiful blind dogs/pets and let's let the world know just how special they all really are!

Awwwwww Bently is adorable I hope he is doing well

I'm glad Emily is doing fine too it's great to see how they recover so quick

You are both fabulous pet owners

Todd.having had three boxers, that damned cancer is just the norm it seems now. Wishing both pups the best of recovery and life.

Thanks Flo! Yes, it's so prevalent in Boxers, that we just accept that all of our dogs will have cancer. Most of the time they are just fatty tumors though. But they seem to pop up out of nowhere.

We were told that Emily had cancer when she was 8. We hoped to have her make it to 10. Well, she just turned 13 two weeks ago. She has a brain tumor, I believe, because she has been having seizures. Nothing too serious, she recoups usually within a few hours. However she recently had what I believe was a full stroke about a week ago. Thought this was it, but after a day of not even being able to stand (no motor skills) she is now back to normal. Walking, eating, etc... and she's even "frisky" in the mornings when it's cold.

Dogs are so resilient!

Todd Lambert wrote in post #9069632
Thanks Flo! Yes, it's so prevalent in Boxers, that we just accept that all of our dogs will have cancer. Most of the time they are just fatty tumors though. But they seem to pop up out of nowhere.

We were told that Emily had cancer when she was 8. We hoped to have her make it to 10. Well, she just turned 13 two weeks ago. She has a brain tumor, I believe, because she has been having seizures. Nothing too serious, she recoups usually within a few hours. However she recently had what I believe was a full stroke about a week ago. Thought this was it, but after a day of not even being able to stand (no motor skills) she is now back to normal. Walking, eating, etc... and she's even "frisky" in the mornings when it's cold.

Dogs are so resilient!

We had Cody until she was 12, her veins collapsed.then Dodger until he was 10, he also had brain cancer, the siezures finally caught up with him.then Cruz, he was only 6 when cancer got him.

Now I have mutts, and nothing so far on my Visa

The timming of this thread is unbelievable.

My Champie (cocker spaniel) just passed yesterday of old age. He was a little over 15 years old. The last 8 years blind from glaucoma. First 1 eye and then 8 months later the other. I won't go into details here but if you have a dog with Glaucoma and maybe I can help, PM me.

There is a really great book called

Living with Blind Dogs

that I would reccomend to everyone with a blind dog.

We would scent our house with vanilla extract as instructed in the book. You can do the good spots or bad spots. We choose the bad spots eg. door jam, table legs, anything they can bump into. Once a month or so and the dog figures out their way around (it also helps if they were sighted before going blind). People would come into the house and tell me that this dog isn't blind, look at him getting around.

Another idea - keep a mat or rug at the bottom of stairs - this was the dog knows when they get to the last step (floor).

If you have another animal (eg. dog) have them wear a little cat bell so your blind dog can hear them when they are around.

Keep dog beds in all the rooms where your blind dog spends time - keep these beds in the same spot - this will be their safe spot in that room.

Get some toys that will challenge them - toys where they have to work to get the treats out.

There are really good website devoted to blind dogs on the net.

All the time I've spent surfing POTN with my Champie on my lap - and now this thread, I guess it's Champie way of giving back.

RIP Champie - see you at the Rainbow Bridge

Oh,I am so orry for your recent loss.......

You went beyond the call of Love with Champie...and he gave you all those years of love and companionship. What a great deal

Sorry For your recent loss'

Dogs are amazing, they ask for love only