Caring for a Blind Dog: A Practical Owner's Guide

If your best friend has lost their sight, you already know that looking after a blind dog takes a bit more thought than caring for a dog that can see.

Animals can lose their sight for a wide range of reasons, and some cases can be reversed while others cannot. If your budget allows, you might decide to have your dog undergo surgery to restore their vision.

If surgery isn't a realistic choice, don't assume your pet can't be happy, safe and enjoy life. Dogs — and animals in general — adapt remarkably well, and with your help they can learn to navigate their everyday surroundings and live full, contented lives.

Much like a person who is blind, a blind animal will memorize the layout of their territory. With practice, they figure out how to travel from the kitchen to the living room without bumping into things.

But if you rearrange the furniture or leave something in their path, they'll walk right into it without knowing.

Keep in mind that familiarity with their surroundings is a key tool for visually impaired dogs. Changing that layout quickly or without warning can really disrupt how they get around.

Stairs with open gaps under the railing, or with no railing at all, should be modified so they're fully closed off — that way there's no risk of your blind dog falling.

Keep your home tidy and make sure toys and other objects stay off the floor and away from the routes your dog knows. Avoid moving furniture unless you truly have to.

A blind dog memorizes the layout of their surroundings, and without that familiar map they have no safe way to move around the house.

Don't Overlook the Yard

The yard is another area to keep in mind. Just as they do indoors, blind animals memorize their outdoor space too. It's easy to forget to put the mower back in the shed or to leave lawn chairs somewhere new, but even a small change like that can throw a blind dog off and put them in harm's way.

Also, families with in-ground pools who plan to adopt a blind animal should fence the pool off from the rest of the yard. A sighted dog can be taught to swim and to find the pool steps when tired, but a blind dog could easily fall in by accident and, unable to find a way out, become exhausted and drown.

A blind pet is every bit as loving as any other — they simply need a little more planning and upkeep. Leaving furniture where it is, keeping floors clear and fencing off in-ground pools are just a few simple steps that go a long way toward keeping them safe, happy and familiar with their home.

Caring for a blind animal may be more involved than caring for a sighted one, but the extra effort you put in is deeply rewarding — and your dog will love you all the more for keeping them safe.

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