Dog Blindness Symptoms, Causes, Treatments

Canine blindness is a condition in which a dog suffers impairment of vision in both eyes. The onset of blindness in dogs could be gradual or all of a sudden and they may suffer from either partial or total loss of site.

Blindness usually occurs in both the eyes. The eyes have a structure that receive the reflection of images and process it. However, if any of these structures are disrupted, the process becomes impaired and the dog's eyes are not able to process images.

In the case of a dog going blind gradually, the structures deteriorate over a period of time. The dog may be quite old by the time vision loss occurs. The visual pathways get broken and the brain is therefore not able to process the image. However sudden dog blindness is also common. This is also often known as acute dog blindness. In this case, the dog loses vision in both its eyes suddenly and simultaneously, often leaving the dog confused.

Causes of Dog Blindness

• Severe or prolonged corneal diseases,
• Uveitis,
• Cataracts which cause the eye lens to become opaque,
• Inflammation of the retina due to any infection,
• Detachment of the retina due to an injury,
• Elevated pressure inside of the eye for a long period of time,
• Pressure on the optic nerve due to an injury or a disease,
• Impairment of the visual pathways,
• Diseased occipital cortex.

Dog Blindness symptoms

• Clumsiness and bumping into things. The dog may also appear to be disoriented.
• The dog is often unable to find its sleeping place, toys, food or water.
• The dog appears to be lazy and inattentive. It begins to sleep a lot more than usual.
• It gets easy to startle the dog. Even if the dog had a reputation of being ferocious, it starts to get scared easily.
• Little interest is show in any playful activity or outdoor exercise.

Dog Blindness Treatments

The doctor may ask for a complete physical examination. There is also an ophthalmic examination that is necessary to find an exact cause. A neurological examination of the dog is usually advised. Tests to rule out dog diabetes blindness can also be asked for. The treatment depends completely on the cause of the blindness. Blindness can be as emotionally challenging for your pet as it may be for you. It is important to give proper dog health care during this difficult time. A pet takes some time to get accustomed to this new condition and therefore till that time, keep the dog in a safe place, where it cannot bump into things or injure itself. Place your dog's food and water in a place which is known to your dog and where it's easy for the dog to access it.