10 Mar 2020 661 0  

If you've been told your pet is losing their sight, or if you're thinking about adopting a blind pet, there are some simple things you can do to help them adjust.
1.Don’t make sudden changes to your home: Your pet will learn to find their way around furniture and through doorways gradually, so try to keep things the same in order not to confuse them.

2.Don’t change the place of their water and food bowls: Moving their food and water bowls somewhere new could confuse your pet. The same goes for litter trays. Help your pet avoid any accidents and stop them going hungry by keeping things consistent. If you need to move their things, then guide them to their new location a few times to help them adjust.

3.Pet Proof your home: Take another look at your home and work out if there any hazards for a blind pet. Think about removing any furniture with sharp edges and make sure electrical wires are out of the way of your pet's path.

4.Be Their eyes in your walks or in the garden: when you take your dog out for a walk, look out for anything that might be a danger for your pet, like thorns or un even surfaces.
Ring a bell: Also try wearing a rattle or anything that makes a sound so that your pet could know your place at all times.

5. Set sound, scent and touch cues: you can help your dog move around the house using the rest of his senses, like using scent markers, as Caroline Levin, the author of “Living with blind dogs” says. You can use different essential oils by his bed and by the door to the outside.

You can also use wind chimes by the exterior door to steer him towards thresholds. And you can use texture mats under food and water bowls and in front of litter boxes.

Simulating your pet senses is not only important   to guide him through the house and help him stay away from danger,but it is also important for his mental and physical health.

“Lots of dogs who go blind later, tend to just sit in one place” says Debbie Bauer, the author of “Through a dark silence: Loving and living with your blind pet”

6. Introduce strangers and other animals slowly: blind pets tend to feel vulnerable around the unfamiliar, like stranger, new places or other pets. It takes a while for them to understand that it’s not threatening.

7.Blind pets can easily be startled: So you should talk to them before you touch them. You can also wear a jingling bracelet or necklace so that they can always know where you are,as for other pets in the house, you can use a bell around their neck to alert your blind pet that they’re around.

8. Help your dog play: Blind dogs need to play just like normal ones,find a safe open area for him that he can be able to run around freely ,use dog toys with sound to play fetch with him.

 There’s no doubt that Caring for a blind pet takes some extra effort.However, you can both adjust to this new condition with love and patience.