I went through this with my dachshund. She was 17 1/2 years old when she passed. Still miss that girl! She was a part of the family for a very long time. At the end she went blind and deaf. It was difficult for her to get around, but she could make it fine from her bed to the food/water and to the door to go outside until right at the end when I had to physically carry her out for potty. I guess she just made it by memory and I made sure not to change the location of her bed or food/water bowls. Bells would not have helped as Katie went deaf before her eyesight went.
I don't know of any advice except to be more vigilant and patient. Their sense of smell is their most acute and I always wondered if that was what Katie was using to find her way around. I am not sure how you could use that to help, but maybe having specific scents near things she needs would help? But then she should be able to smell you -- that doesn't sound right! But you know what I mean -- they can usually sniff out their owners, not that we "smell" but we do have personal scents that their super-noses can usually detect. So, I wonder if she is losing the sense of smell too if she is having trouble finding you? |