Ocuglo for Dogs with PRA

[Jessie_Pup]

Hi   Sorry to hear the news about Poppy.   I have posted on the forum before about Dylan he has cataracts in both eyes. You might be able to find my previous posts.   Dylan leads a normal dog life and you have to remember this first.  Their noses are far better and Dylan uses his to full advantage.

It is a great idea to look at some books about blind dogs.  I did not do this with Dylan, but we learned together how to manage walks etc .  Remember you know your own dog better. I found a ball called a Boingo Ball by Happy pet, you can buy them at PAH.  It has a rubber outer ring a red ball inside and smaller balls inside of that, I can roll it along and he can retrieve it by listening to the sound.

You are very welcome to  PM me if I can be of any help.

Erica.

[waggytails]

Sorry here about Poppy, the only advice I can offer as already been mentioned and that's the whistle, when we still had Millie and her sight and hearing were going we tried the whistle with great success.  I used to do in the garden at first, every time she was moving towards me I whistled and give her a treat when she got to me.  As you know with cockers and food it does not take long before they learn.

[ali2010]

Hi I am so sorry to hear about Poppy. We found out that our Albert has PRA a few weeks ago, its very upsetting. On a more positive note I have read so much about how well dogs cope withblindness. I would be very interested to hear how Poppy gets on with the supplements, I might order some myself

[dal55]

So sorry about Poppies eyesight, but you are obviously such a caring "mum" that she will adapt  and be happy with her life

[PennyB]

I am so sorry to read about Poppy - our first Cocker developed PRA and eventually lost all but the blurriest of vision (could just about tell light from dark). I am afraid I cannot comment on Ocuglo but   the advice above, about not moving furniture or putting obstacles down is really good, as is 'neck' steering - it only takes the gentlest of touches and they soon learn.

Actually I don't adhere to that with Roobs and the only thing that does remain the same in the house is the dog water bowl - she doesn't get stressed with obstacles being in places they weren't yesterday at all

The other piece of advice that I was given by my vet is to remember that the blink reflex is often slowed or even lost, depending on the level of vision - so if you are walking anywhere where there are low-lying brambles/flicky pieces of branch etc and/or if Poppy is behind you as you are walking through undergrowth, do be careful to ensure that she is not inadvertently swiped across the face with bits of vegetation.

this is interesting, as when Roobs had her eyes removed she still retained her blink reflex, which the vet said was good but I forgot to ask why

[Countrygirl]

I am so sorry to hear about Poppy.  I used to look after a deaf and blind cocker who lived next door.  She was amazing at how she could map out an area out very quickly.  As others have said, as long as you don't move furniture they find their way around.  I was worried about our garden as it has a lot of steps but once I had guided her up and down them a few times she was fine.

Poppy is so lucky to have such a caring mum, I am sure with your help she will cope fine.

[waggytails]

Amanda hope you don't mind me asking, but what did you notice was wrong with poppy that made you go to the vets.

[aliceandlouis]

I am so sorry to read about Poppy - our first Cocker developed PRA and eventually lost all but the blurriest of vision (could just about tell light from dark). I am afraid I cannot comment on Ocuglo but   the advice above, about not moving furniture or putting obstacles down is really good, as is 'neck' steering - it only takes the gentlest of touches and they soon learn.

Actually I don't adhere to that with Roobs and the only thing that does remain the same in the house is the dog water bowl - she doesn't get stressed with obstacles being in places they weren't yesterday at all

The other piece of advice that I was given by my vet is to remember that the blink reflex is often slowed or even lost, depending on the level of vision - so if you are walking anywhere where there are low-lying brambles/flicky pieces of branch etc and/or if Poppy is behind you as you are walking through undergrowth, do be careful to ensure that she is not inadvertently swiped across the face with bits of vegetation.

this is interesting, as when Roobs had her eyes removed she still retained her blink reflex, which the vet said was good but I forgot to ask why

Obviously huge variation in our pupsters    Harvey used to regularly stumble over things left in the hall by my DD's on his normal route between food in the kitchen and his comfy sofa  .  As for the blink reflex - who knows?  I guess it is possible that the blink remains if e.g. things touch the muzzle/nose 'en route' to the eye - the clues would be there as before - whereas if the obstacle was heading straight for the eye it would not be 'seen'  .  I totally agree with Countrygirl about how they learn their way around - Harvey had the most amazing mental map of the house we used to visit for summer holidays every year - it was as if once he 'recognised' it he knew his way around.

[amanda9586]

Amanda hope you don't mind me asking, but what did you notice was wrong with poppy that made you go to the vets.

It was her night time vision that made us think there was something wrong - she just did not seem that confident when it was dark and sometimes (although I had convinced myself it was becuase she was half asleep) she would misjudge the stairs or something else when it was dark.  You can see her pupils are very wide sometimes but we only noticed this more after we knew something was wrong.

[Liz F]

So sorry to hear about Poppy, I have no advise on PRA, can only say stay positive  

[amanda9586]

Thank you for some of the stories of how the little furry ones cope    That makes me feel so much better - I read some of the stories of Dylan when we were waiting to see the eye specialist and it made me determined that we would just carry on as normal and still do everything we do now.  

I've been most upset thinking that she would have to stay on the lead all the time as she loves her off lead walks but I think as long as she knows I'm close by and she is not in any danger of cliffs or deep water or roads I should just carry on as normal?  Do people agree with that?  She stays quite close now (only charging off to say hello to another dog which I'm not sure will still happen when she cant see them) and she comes back quite well.  I've got the whistle today so I'm on the case training her to listen out for that and I may try the bell as well sooner rather than later so she associates it now.

I'm trying not to get my hopes up but some of the case studies on the OCUGLO say that 3 years after PRA diagnosis they still have some sight - I'm hoping for something like this whether its the Supplements or just sheer good luck and positive thinking. 

[bluegirl]

I firmly agree that you need to let them stay independent for as long as you can. In doing so they will come to enhance their other senses and you'll be surprised at how well and for how long they manage. Bonnie my old cocker went almost blind with cataracts over a long period of time and even with our poodle it was over as a few years so they had time to readjust and we continued to take them out and walk off lead whenever we could. If I felt the area was safe then they were off lead and whilst we walked and they started to return to me (as dogs do) I would always talk to them so they could locate me easily. I was always careful with other dogs when their eyesight became really bad but it didn't mean I was dashing to pick them up or reaching for my lead just felt a meeting always went better if the visually impaired dog wasn't too startled by the visitor.

I have a book about caring for a blind / visually impaired dog if you want to borrow it?  If you do just pm me.

[*Jay*]

I'm trying not to get my hopes up but some of the case studies on the OCUGLO say that 3 years after PRA diagnosis they still have some sight - I'm hoping for something like this whether its the Supplements or just sheer good luck and positive thinking. 

Dallas was diagnosed at about 15 months old and he still has some vision at 9 years old. Because he was showing symptoms at such a young age, we all thought that he would lose his sight quite quickly but it's been a very gradual decline for him. I really hope it will be the same for Poppy 

[amanda9586]

Dallas was diagnosed at about 15 months old and he still has some vision at 9 years old. Because he was showing symptoms at such a young age, we all thought that he would lose his sight quite quickly but it's been a very gradual decline for him. I really hope it will be the same for Poppy 

Jay - thank you so much for this information - I know perhpas I'm being nieve and clinging to hope but its so good to hear that other dogs had much longer with thier eyesight..... that fills me with so much hope although I'm prepared either way I'd like to remain positive and hope 

[KellyT]

We have had a bit of bad news about Poppy which has been quite upsetting to say the least.
She has been diagnosed with PRA which basically means that she is going blind.  :-((( We have been to see an eye specialist who said it’s a genetic disorder but at 4 ½ she is quite young to get it.  He also said it is unusual for him to see dogs before they go totally blind as its only then usually that the owners notice that they are bumping into the odd thing.  So the diagnosis is that she has about a year before she goes blind…….

I'm sorry that Poppy has been diagnosed with PRA.  Millie was diagnosed with PRA about 3 years ago and I remember posting a similar post to yours here!  
We were also told by the specialist she'd probably be blind in a year. She told us that Millie's eyesight would just slowly diminish and that her sense of smell and hearing would begin to compensate.  It was also useful that we had Jennie as she would become a dog guide-dog  She never recommended any kind of supplement.

She isn't blind yet!  Her sight is definitely diminished. Her eyes are misty and her pupils don't work properly (they are jagged and 'broken' not dilating correctly)
She struggles to see you across the field, seems to struggle to recognise us, so we try to stop her wandering too far, else she has a habit of running to the wrong people  Her peripheral vision seems to be worst.
Her sight is also worse in 'half light' such as dusk / dawn scenarios, or a partially lit room which can lead to her acting a little shy / scared if you approach her suddenly or seem to 'appear' - this was initially what led us to believe there was something wrong greeting her in the morning, or evening when we came home and it was half light she would yelp and be scared, leaping away as you lowered your hand to stroke her (she's never been smacked!)

Anyway, as I say she isn't blind yet, diagnosed at the age of 7, she'll be 10 this year and she is coping very well with her disability.

You, and Poppy, will adjust   x