Please think kind thoughts about our Aussie, Patches. She's 8 yo and appears to have gone blind overnite. She's had no exposure to chemicals or welding. We don't see that her eyes are cloudy or give any indication of cataracts. It's like she wasn't blind on Friday and was Saturday nite. I have an appt to take her in to the vet.

I can attest that the Internet can be your worst enemy. I was Googling to get some info last nite and went to bed in tears from all I read.

I know blind dogs can adjust but a very active and outside Aussie on a farm is so different. But I know she'll make a great inside dog. (all our dogs live inside during extreme heat or cold).

Those of you familar with Aussies can attest that they are some of the sweetest natured dogs around and our Patches is no different. She's a blue merle, with lots of blue-gray, white and a very little brown, hence the name Patches.

Thanks for listening!

So sorry to hear that Okie... Please share what your vet says.

I love Aussies! I'm a sucker for blue eyes...

So sorry to hear...

::sending good vibes::

Okie, my border collie mix is blind or nearly so, from what I can tell...I also live on a small farm with livestock. So far...she gets along fine...she seems to hear very well, although she's always had probs with ear infections...but now, she barks at people she's close to like she can't really see them...I believe she has cataracts tho...her eyes used to glow red and now they don't.

You mentioned you noticed this is at night...is it possible it is night blindness rather than all the time?

Prayers for Patches.

I had a cat who went blind as his kidney disease progressed. He had always been an inside cat and adjusted well.

Thinking about you and your precious Patches...

Okie, if it is just eyesight, your dog will be nearly normal within 6 weeks. You won't notice that big a difference. Most dogs don't rely on eyesight anyway, with the exception of sight hounds. Their main sense is smell, and hearing is secondary. I've known blind AND deaf dogs who get around just fine.

There is a blind pit bull in our rescue, and the only way you would know she's blind (without seeing that she has no eyes thanks to abuse) is that sometimes when she comes up to be petted, she puts her nose in inappropriate places!

Okie, do you have other dogs? I've heard stories about other pets in the home acting as "guides" to blind dogs. The bond between them can grow to amazing depths when one relies on the other.

It's not just at nite. It's all the time. You can see her cocking her head trying to locate you even in the house.

I hope the bull mastiff adopts her. We have four other dogs (an old crotchedy Jack Russell, 2 yo bull mastiff and a mother/daughter Rott team). The Jack and Mastiff are inside dogs so I'm hoping the mastiff and Aussie do bond once the Aussie moves inside.

Thanks everyone for visting with me. I appreciate it. You are making me feel better now.

Oh Okie - I'm so sorry. Prayers coming for patches. Maybe your vet can figure something out for her. Our old sheltie, Gabe, is almost blind now due to cataracts, but he gets around well - although easily startled these days.

Please keep us posted on Patches.

Okie, Patches is in my prayers.

I remember reading somewhere that you can tie a little bell or something that makes noise to the other pets in the home until the blind dog can adjust. The bells will help him or her recognize when other animals are near (good for when asleep so it's not startled) by sound until it knows everyone by smell. Humans can wear the bells too around their ankle or wrist to help the transition.

I am sure your vet can also provide lots of resources if needed. We all hope for the best for you and your pup!

oh my. prayers for you and patches. hopefully her blindness is not "serious" and she (and you) will adjust to her new self. we had a whippet mix who we didn't realize was blind for the last 2 years of her life. she was so used to the layout of the house (or could sense each time i moved the furniture around) that she never got hurt navigating through the house.

Okie, I am so sorry to hear this. Dogs do amazingly well with loss of sight but I know it is heartbreaking. Prayers of course!!

Prayers for Patches and your family!

I'm so sorry to hear about your furry baby Prayers from TN!!

Hopeful prognosis for Patches! Would you believe that it might be a tick bite causing the blindness?

We took Patches to our vet on Saturday morning. He didn't have a clue what was going on because of how quick the blindness came on (matter of days). Said they have fancy new glaucoma machine and a whiz running it but he would feel better if we took her to a specialist. He said they could mess around with her for a day to determine whether or not it was glaucoma but he felt time was of the essesence. We called right then and there and was able to get her an appt this morning to see the specialist in the City.

The specialist finds no evidence of cataracts or glaucoma but plenty of blood. Patches can't see because she's looking thru a thick veil of blood. She put her on steriod pills and steriod drops and an antibiotic and wants to see her in a week to see if the meds are working. No milk products with the steriods. And that she'd eat and drink tons while on the steriods. My MIL will be coming up throughout the day to let her out while we are at work.

All of our dogs are on flea/tick meds. It's on our calendar for monthly application. I would guess that a tick can always happen and much harder to see/find in the thick coat of an Aussie.

Kudos to our local vet for admitting we needed more help that he could give and sending us to the specialist. It appears that we got her in quick enough that there is a more than excellent chance of her getting her eyesite back. We are blessed to have our animals being taken care of by someone like him.

The specialist also recommended two TBL spoons a day of canned pumpkin for Patches' constipation. We think it's because Patches has hardly moved for the last week. She's just too afraid. I thought others might be interested in this "home" remedy for future pet problems.

Thank you so much, everyone, for your support and for listening to me. It's just really wonderful to have support and caring of the BOL community.

Great news and Patches is luck to have you

Continued prayers for Patches...poor baby!!

Thats great news Okie!

Hoping for the best for Patches!!

That's wonderful news - and thanks for letting us know. Please keep us posted on Patches' progress.

You have a GREAT vet! It takes a good vet/doctor/any professional to know when to say they need someone else to help out because they aren't sure. Tick Disease can be very tough to diagnose, so you're very lucky you caught it.

PS: Canned pumpkin is good for this, but you can substitute fresh pumpkin or butternut squash if you want, even sweet potatoes with the skin on them! (I split them with my dogs frequently)

Sounds like good news all around! One of mine managed to get a tick-borne disease while on a preventative. I was surprised, too, to find out that it happens.

Good news! The vet told me that the flea and tick stuff won't prevent the tick from biting therefore they can still get the tick diseases.