Living with a dog who is slowly losing her sight has its challenges.
Hubby and I have always suspected Delilah didn’t see well, but since being diagnosed with Endothelial Decompensation, we’ve noticed even more of a decrease in sight. We suspect it is the main reason she tends to take fingers along with treats.
It’s so sad to me when I see her staring blankly, but intently at the wrong spot. But even with my sadness, I can still find humor in certain situations.
I’ve said it many times, some of the funniest things my dogs do, happen when there is no camera around. Like one night last week.
Most of Delilah’s night walks are still in the dark. I do bring a strong light, but I find it easier for me to adjust eyes to the dark, and easier for Delilah when the light isn’t shining in her eyes. I use the light when a car is heading our way, or for when she stops to poop.
This particular night she decided to stop near a fence. It was what I believe is called a rail fence. There are wooden posts in the ground, and then two wooden posts about two to three feet apart, that insert into the posts forming a type of fence.
As I said, Delilah was very close to the fence, and I was just standing there with my light on, waiting for her to finish (she’s also a ‘kicker’ and she’s hit me with grass or dirt on more than one occasion, so it’s just best to wait until she’s done.) When she finished, she turned to her right, (instead of her left) and whacked her head on the fence, and then stepped in her own poop.
Like you’ve never misjudged distance!! Give me a break, Mama!
I related the story to Hubby and we got a good chuckle out of it, because really, what else can you do?
You make me laugh (or smile), the sweet, funny, loving things my dogs do that make me laugh or smile.
What did your pet do to make you smile or laugh this past week?
Just a note something I read – you were talking about Delilah “taking fingers along with treats”. I had a dog several years ago that was going blind due to cataracts and having the same problem. I learned to hold my palm flat with the treat in the middle – my Oreo could smell the treat and learned to zoom in on it with no problems and I kept my fingers. Now Oreo was a little YorkiPoo and Delilah is bigger so not sure this technique would work for you.
Now as for what my dogs did to make me smile this past week – well one of them, Miss Maizie, is a 17 month old rescue (she came to me on 5/1/17) and I think she is still going thru young puppyhood. I also wonder if her first family kept her crated more often than not. Even still, she spends so much time running when out in my fenced backyard – she is my 3rd Beagle and I don’t remember my first 2 running, jumping, chasing her tennis balls, frisbees and sticks the way she does. Basically I just have to watch her whatever she does I smile.
My other girl, Lady Shasta, is my senior at 11 years. I’ve got to admit, since Miss Maizie moved in – at times it seems like Lady Shasta is going thru her 2nd puppyhood sometimes and she has found her voice. I let both out in the backyard – off the deck they go and pretty soon I hear LS give a couple playful warning barks – she’s trying to potty and Miss Maizie wants to play chase. I smile a lot around these two. Sometimes they do zoomies in the house.
Mom Kim
Srveral yearsmago I had a dog that was loosing his sight and for months he was walking around like he was carefully memorizing his environment.
losing –when will I learn to proofread?
So sorry she is losing her sight. Mom was so happy Katie lost her hearing and not her sight. Gramma is losing her sight and that is super hard. It’s super hard to watch anyone, pet or human get old and losing abilities. At least with dogs, our sense of smell guides us so much it isn’t probably as bad as humans losing sight. Give her some extra hugs from us.
Aw, poor Delilah. I’m glad our pups have hard heads so they don’t seem phased by a whack like that! (Ducky whacked her head on the side of the entertainment center yesterday. Sam felt bad but couldn’t help laughing a little. Ducky just kept going.) Give your sweet girl a treat for me.
PS. My sweet little poodle, Kissy, was partially blind and deaf when I let her go in ’03. It is so sad when that happens to them. But their disabilities – and the way they try to adjust – just tend to expand our hearts and make us hold them even closer to us. I know Delilah’s in good, loving hands.
Roxy is in the same boat. I think her site is much worse at night though. And she is either going deaf, or getting obstinate. It’s hard to watch them get old.
Age is a tough thing to deal with but laughter does help us all cope!
Sad to say, but I can relate to Delialah on several counts! I was walking into a movie theater when they lowered the lights to start the preview. I turned left to get to the seats and instead walked into the wall. It was pretty hilarious and my daughter laughed and said: “you’re my favorite person!” Totally worth it to hear that from a teenager! (Also since it was dark, I wasn’t too embarrassed, thinking that not many people saw it happen.)
Yes, we have to laugh or we’d never survive their senior years! Poor Delilah. But Sue is right, dogs have such hard heads something like that rarely even phases them! Unlike us humans, they just forget about it and move on.
HA! Oh, D. I am happy to see you’re keeping it classy – clunking your head and squishing your poop. Classic…
Love and licks,
Cupcake
Poor girl. We joined you in the chuckle.
Face it, none of us is getting any younger 🙂
Gracie has me laughing (after I got over being annoyed) this weekend when she would lay on the couch groaning and moaning because I was writing instead of petting her. She can be pretty verbal when she feels neglected.
She always provides loads of smiles for you and us readers.
Hahahaha. I shouldn’t laugh … I see perfectly fine and I always do stupid stuff and trip over my own feet!
Awww! Sweet girl! When Em started to lose his eyesight (his hearing had gone first), there were a lot of moments like you describe where you just have to laugh to get through it. One incredible thing about dogs, though, is how well they can navigate their world through smell, and no matter how diminished his vision finally was, he never failed to show up for a treat, dinner, or a piece of cheese 🙂