YorkieTalk.com Forums - Yorkshire Terrier Community


Welcome to the YorkieTalk.com Forums Community - the community for Yorkshire Terriers.

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. You will be able to chat with over 35,000 YorkieTalk members, read over 2,000,000 posted discussions, and view more than 15,000 Yorkie photos in the YorkieTalk Photo Gallery after you register. We would love to have you as a member!

Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!

If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please click here to contact us.

Go Back   YorkieTalk.com Forums - Yorkshire Terrier Community > YorkieTalk > General Training Questions
Register Blogs FAQ Calendar JavaChat Mark Forums Read

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 05-12-2009, 12:27 PM   #1
Yorkie Yakker
 
tritsy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: st paul, mn
Posts: 35
Default Newly Blind Yorkie!!

Sammy suddenly lost the remaining vision in the eye that had some sight left. (cataracts) we will go to the vet next week to determine if he is a candidate for eye surgery (veterinarian eye specialist). meanwhile.. my poor baby is soo scared! He runs into walls, so he has decided that standing still is the safest thing. If I set him down near his litter box, he will usually use it, but he can no longer get off the couch safely by himself (he misses he steps by a foot). I'm wondering if any of you have any ideas? I'm talking to him as much as possible so he can follow my voice. I say "oops" when he is going to walk into something, and I have removed everything but basic furniture. I have an area rug in one room, floor grates he can feetl with his paws (he can tell when to turn to go into his area). I did get him to follow my voice once today, (he is still a fairly recent puppy mill escapee, so no obedience training yet), and he will walk around upstairs fairly well, as he has not run into anything major up there, so he's not afraid... yet.

HELP! My baby is scared (and I am grieving, but trying not to, 'cuz the dog whisperer says it makes things worse).
tritsy is offline   Reply With Quote
Welcome Guest!
Not Registered?

Join today and remove this ad!

Old 05-12-2009, 12:38 PM   #2
TLC
Slave to My Rug-Rats
Donating Member
 
TLC's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Long Island
Posts: 7,247
Love

Quote:
Originally Posted by tritsy View Post
Sammy suddenly lost the remaining vision in the eye that had some sight left. (cataracts) we will go to the vet next week to determine if he is a candidate for eye surgery (veterinarian eye specialist). meanwhile.. my poor baby is soo scared! He runs into walls, so he has decided that standing still is the safest thing. If I set him down near his litter box, he will usually use it, but he can no longer get off the couch safely by himself (he misses he steps by a foot). I'm wondering if any of you have any ideas? I'm talking to him as much as possible so he can follow my voice. I say "oops" when he is going to walk into something, and I have removed everything but basic furniture. I have an area rug in one room, floor grates he can feetl with his paws (he can tell when to turn to go into his area). I did get him to follow my voice once today, (he is still a fairly recent puppy mill escapee, so no obedience training yet), and he will walk around upstairs fairly well, as he has not run into anything major up there, so he's not afraid... yet.

HELP! My baby is scared (and I am grieving, but trying not to, 'cuz the dog whisperer says it makes things worse).
Ahhhh...honey, it will be ok...You are a good Momma and it sounds like you are doing everything right
__________________
Adopt Donate Foster
www.yorkie911rescue.com
TLC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2009, 12:50 PM   #3
No Longer A Member
 
ARCHIE's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: NEW YORK
Posts: 16,218
Love

He needs time to adjust to this new condition from what I've read
on blind dogs. They actually do very well when they adjust but it's
important not to change things around once they find their way
around.
You sound like a wonderful mommy for this little one.
I'll keep him in my prayer's in hopes the eye specialist can
help his problem and restore some sight back into his eyes.
Hugs to both of you,
ARCHIE is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2009, 01:20 PM   #4
Yorkie Yakker
 
tritsy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: st paul, mn
Posts: 35
Default

thank you so much... i'm trying really hard not to cry right now. i set sammy down in his area, near his food (he doesn't eat easily), and let him be. he wandered out, banged into a wall, and started to growl and yelp at it... I tried not to interfere, but he ran over and hit my exercise machine (which i have covered with a soft blanket), then freaked out and hit the wall next to it before i could pick him up... he was totally hysterical....
tritsy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2009, 01:23 PM   #5
TLC
Slave to My Rug-Rats
Donating Member
 
TLC's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Long Island
Posts: 7,247
Smile

Quote:
Originally Posted by tritsy View Post
thank you so much... i'm trying really hard not to cry right now. i set sammy down in his area, near his food (he doesn't eat easily), and let him be. he wandered out, banged into a wall, and started to growl and yelp at it... I tried not to interfere, but he ran over and hit my exercise machine (which i have covered with a soft blanket), then freaked out and hit the wall next to it before i could pick him up... he was totally hysterical....
I know how emotional this must be for you and him too. But you are loving him and taking care of him, so I know he will adjust, it will just take a little time for him to become familiar with all of this. Prayers coming your way
__________________
Adopt Donate Foster
www.yorkie911rescue.com
TLC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2009, 01:43 PM   #6
Donating YT 1000 Club Member
 
4doggiemama's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: KS
Posts: 3,289
Default

I am very interested in what you are going through. My little Rosie is losing her eye sight. It's not drastic yet, but it's coming. I am very impressed with what you already know. Thank you for that. It must hurt so much to watch him. I'm sad when I watch Rosie and she still sees. Hugs.
__________________
Joanne Eli ChipperEva Snowboy
Rosie(R.I.P. 1996-July 29, 2013) Cocoa(R.I.P 1998-April 26, 2012):
4doggiemama is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2009, 08:16 PM   #7
YT 1000 Club Member
 
YorkieMother's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: North
Posts: 1,324
Default

HI
I have a 6 year old that is blind also with catarcts.

How to help.. google halo for blind dog.

Bell yourself so he knows where you are.
Scent mark things.... ei orange for danger.
Rose for door jams.

Vanilla for beds.. etc
Spokane has a good eye vet and you need to make sure who you see is board certified.

Cost is in canada.... 5000. IN US in spokane 1200 per eye if done one at a time.
One last thing it may not work and the dog will not see normal or like they did before catarts.

I know just how devastated this is for you having just gone through it and still trying to deside if I do the surgry.

Wish you best of luck.

JL
__________________
"The truth about an animal is far more beautiful than all the myths woven about it." Konrad Loranz
YorkieMother is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2009, 08:27 PM   #8
Donating YT 2000 Club Member
 
Ladymom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 8,317
Default

Blind dogs do very well once they adjust. Most diabetic dogs like my Lady go blind (she was one of the very few that didn't) and their owners always describe how frightening it was in the beginning, but how well they learn to cope later on. I still remember one woman's joy at being able to jog with her Lab again. Once her dog regained his confidence, she tied his leash to her waist so they could run together again.

This website has been very helpful to owners of newly blind dogs:

Home Page
Ladymom is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2009, 09:04 PM   #9
Donating YT 1000 Club Member
 
AbbysMom08's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Illinois
Posts: 2,267
Default

Oh my. I know exactly what you are going through.
About 2 years before I lost my last little yorkie, Kayla, (last July) she developed a large cataract very quickly. My vet referred me to an eye Dr.
She had surgery and it was not successful. I guess one thing was her lens was so much smaller then she expected. So, Kayla had sight in one eye for a short time. Then she slowly developed a cataract in her other eye. She could see very little. So, I had a discussion with her eye Dr. and we could have gone through with another surgery and hope for the best. I decided not to put her through that again. She was 12 years old at that point.
She adapted to her surroundings quite well. It took a little time. We never moved the furniture or put anything new in as she knew her way around. She knew right where her food and water bowls were. She new where the sofa and chair was as she came to one of them when she wanted to get up on it. We did have to watch her like a hawk so she didn't walk off of the sofa or chair. She always slept with me and after she walked off of the bed, I decided to buy her a bed. So she could no longer sleep with me.
I referred to her as my special needs baby. I was of course heart broken to learn she would no longer be able to see. I was in tears. The bond between us became so much stronger (if that is even poss.). She was now totally dependant . She could no longer get on the sofa,or climb up the stairs by herself. All in all though, she did very well.
She was the light of my life and to this day I miss her so very much.
I'm sorry for the length of this post. I didn't mean to ramble.
Please let me know if I can be of any help
AbbysMom08 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2009, 08:16 AM   #10
My Three Hearts
Donating Member
 
AprilLove's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Wrapped around their paws :-)
Posts: 7,190
Default

BIG HUGS!!

I know what you are going through. My Bichon went blind, it started gradual like not seeing well in the dark then he lost sight completely. (He was diabetic)

The most important thing to remember is that it is soooo much harder on us than it is them. I so remember crying and thinking what kind of life can he have if he can't see? Well he did have a good life with out his sight, it just took me longer than it took him to accept that, lol

Your baby will adapt, but don't move things around in your house. keep his food and keep the water bowl, potty place etc, in the same area you have it now. It will be easier for him. When they lose their site, their extreme ability with the nose takes over. Just be there with him to help guide him as he gets used to using his other senses to get around. Before you know it, you will be amazed at how well he has adapted.

When people came to my house that didn't know my Bailey, they were amazed when they found out he was blind.

Big hugs
__________________
MaryKay
AprilLove Wubs Moosie
R.I.P. Bailey & BitsyRoo
AprilLove is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2009, 08:21 AM   #11
My Three Hearts
Donating Member
 
AprilLove's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Wrapped around their paws :-)
Posts: 7,190
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by tritsy View Post
thank you so much... i'm trying really hard not to cry right now. i set sammy down in his area, near his food (he doesn't eat easily), and let him be. he wandered out, banged into a wall, and started to growl and yelp at it... I tried not to interfere, but he ran over and hit my exercise machine (which i have covered with a soft blanket), then freaked out and hit the wall next to it before i could pick him up... he was totally hysterical....

I know this is hard for you, but instead of not interfering at first when this happens you might want to go over to him and guide him in the right direction using only your voice, and let him walk his way around while following you.
__________________
MaryKay
AprilLove Wubs Moosie
R.I.P. Bailey & BitsyRoo
AprilLove is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2009, 03:32 PM   #12
Yorkie Yakker
 
tritsy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: st paul, mn
Posts: 35
Default

thank you all so much for your unconditional support and love for our dogs. sammy fell down the stairs today... he is fine (THANK GOD), but now i know i can't leave him for a second upstairs. i placed a strip of rug on the hardwood floor in front of the stairs, so hopefully he will learn that means the stairs are nearby. the scent training might work very well with him-he uses his nose all the time. (though he missed his litterbox a few times-i moved it and he's fine now). I'm giving him small doses of independence with success-setting him down on his litterbox, then moving away and talking to him. i say "oops" when he is going to bump into something, and already i notice he is doing better, though very, very tentative. so by the time we go to the eye vet, i should have a better idea of how well he will deal with things if he doesn't recover his sight. and even if he doesn't, he will still be loved! and we did take a shoping trip to target (in his new kwigy-bo bag), and he really enjoyed it, i think. (ok, so he slept the whole time lol)

i will be visiting the websites and the herbalist for scents. i hope you guys know how much this is helping us, cuz i would be at a loss emotionally and knowledge-wise without you.
tritsy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2009, 04:33 PM   #13
YT Addict
 
drabinowitz43's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: New York
Posts: 490
Default

There was an excellent Dog Whisperer show on recently about a blind Yorkie. He adapted very well. His owner felt so sorry for him (of course that's only natural) and Cesar said that makes it worse for the dog. Maybe you could find the episode on line. It would be really helpful. You sound like an excellent mommy and your Yorkie is in good hands. Sending warm wishes and thoughts your way.
__________________
Donna, Sadie, Joey and Nicky (and Buddy the cockatiel)
drabinowitz43 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2009, 05:03 PM   #14
Donating YT Addict
 
Toby'sMama's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: California
Posts: 329
Default

I wish I had some of this info when I went through this with my first yorkie. She lost her sight for the last 2 or 3 years of her life. As she went with me pretty much everywhere, I tried to keep her life pretty normal. She did fine as long as I let her know when there were obstacles. When we came to a curb or a step... I said wait, and then said jump up, or jump down. Occasionally she'd run into something, but I just said "you're okay" and we'd continue on. Of course, she got carried around quite a bit -- but not any more then I did when she had her sight. I wanted her to keep her independance for as long as possible. At home, I did the same until she knew her way around. I'd tell her wait to let her know something was there, and then she'd find her way from there.

Just stay as calm as you can with your baby, and work through it with him. Before long, he'll be getting around as good as he did before. Just don't move things on him without working him through the changes! Lots of love and tummy rubs are in order!
Toby'sMama is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-14-2009, 12:42 AM   #15
www.yorkierescue.com
Donating Member
 
capt_noonie's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Las Vegas & Orange County
Posts: 17,408
Default

Your story brings tears to my eyes. I know your yorkie baby will thrive under your care! Put a bell on him and on yourslef and talk to him constantly so he knows where you are and where walls are. People and animals alike will develop thier other senses to make up for what they are missing. Caesar Milan is right, if you sound nervous the doggy will pick up on it (just like human kids). Talk to him like everyitng is ok, don't treat him like anything is wrong, and he will eventually think "NOTHING IS WRONG WITH ME! : ) This is a part of life and I am AWESOME!"
__________________
The T.U.B. Pack! Toto, Uni, & Bindi
RIP Lord Scrappington Montgomery McLimpybottom aka El Lenguo the Handicapped Ninja 10-12-12
capt_noonie is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks



Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are Off




Google
 

SHOP NOW: Amazon :: eBay :: Buy.com :: Newegg :: PetStore :: Petco :: PetSmart


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 06:00 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright ©2003 - 2018 YorkieTalk.com
Privacy Policy - Terms of Use

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443 444 445 446 447 448 449 450 451 452 453 454 455 456 457 458 459 460 461 462 463 464 465 466 467 468 469 470 471 472 473 474 475 476 477 478 479 480 481 482 483 484 485 486 487 488 489 490 491 492 493 494 495 496 497 498 499 500 501 502 503 504 505 506 507 508 509 510 511 512 513 514 515 516 517 518 519 520 521 522 523 524 525 526 527 528 529 530 531 532 533 534 535 536 537 538 539 540 541 542 543 544 545 546 547 548 549 550 551 552 553 554 555 556 557 558 559 560 561 562 563 564 565 566 567 568 569 570 571 572 573 574 575 576 577 578 579 580 581 582 583 584 585 586 587 588 589 590 591 592 593 594 595 596 597 598 599 600 601 602 603 604 605 606 607 608 609 610 611 612 613 614 615 616 617 618 619 620 621 622 623 624 625 626 627 628 629 630 631 632 633 634 635 636 637 638 639 640 641 642 643 644 645 646 647 648 649 650 651 652 653 654 655 656 657 658 659 660 661 662 663 664 665 666 667 668 669 670 671 672 673 674 675 676 677 678 679 680 681 682 683 684 685 686 687 688 689 690 691 692 693 694 695 696 697 698 699 700 701 702 703 704 705 706 707 708 709 710 711 712 713 714 715 716 717 718 719 720 721 722 723 724 725 726 727 728 729 730 731 732 733 734 735 736 737 738 739 740 741 742 743 744 745 746 747 748 749 750 751 752 753 754 755 756 757 758 759 760 761 762 763 764 765 766 767 768 769 770 771 772 773 774 775 776 777 778 779 780 781 782 783 784 785 786 787 788 789 790 791 792 793 794 795 796 797 798 799 800 801 802 803 804 805 806 807 808 809 810 811 812 813 814 815 816 817 818 819 820 821 822 823 824 825 826 827 828 829 830 831 832 833 834 835 836 837 838 839 840 841 842 843 844 845 846 847 848 849 850 851 852 853 854 855 856 857 858 859 860 861 862 863 864 865 866 867 868 869 870 871 872 873 874 875 876 877 878 879 880 881 882 883 884 885 886 887 888 889 890 891 892 893 894 895 896 897 898 899 900 901 902 903 904 905 906 907 908 909 910 911 912 913 914 915 916 917 918 919 920 921 922 923 924 925 926 927 928 929 930 931 932 933 934 935 936 937 938 939 940 941 942 943 944 945 946 947 948 949 950 951 952 953 954 955 956 957 958 959 960 961 962 963 964 965 966 967 968 969 970 971 972 973 974 975 976 977 978 979 980 981 982 983 984 985 986 987 988 989 990 991 992 993 994 995 996 997 998 999 1000 1001 1002 1003 1004 1005 1006 1007 1008 1009 1010 1011 1012 1013 1014 1015 1016 1017 1018 1019 1020 1021 1022 1023 1024 1025 1026 1027 1028 1029 1030 1031 1032 1033 1034 1035 1036 1037 1038 1039 1040 1041 1042 1043 1044 1045 1046 1047 1048 1049 1050 1051 1052 1053 1054 1055 1056 1057 1058 1059 1060 1061 1062 1063 1064 1065 1066 1067 1068 1069 1070 1071 1072 1073 1074 1075 1076 1077 1078 1079 1080 1081 1082 1083 1084 1085 1086 1087 1088 1089 1090 1091 1092 1093 1094 1095 1096 1097 1098 1099 1100 1101 1102 1103 1104 1105 1106 1107 1108 1109 1110 1111 1112 1113 1114 1115 1116 1117 1118 1119 1120 1121 1122 1123 1124 1125 1126 1127 1128 1129 1130 1131 1132 1133 1134 1135 1136 1137 1138 1139 1140 1141 1142 1143 1144 1145 1146 1147 1148 1149 1150 1151 1152 1153 1154 1155 1156 1157 1158 1159 1160 1161 1162 1163 1164 1165 1166 1167