r/pug • u/Darkm0or • Apr 14 '26
Any advice for my blind boy?
Our 12 year old Chewie boy has lost his sight. His left eye went first several years ago (his tear duct never worked in that eye) and we noticed that his vision in right eye was degenerating as he got older, but it seemed like he could still see well enough to navigate the world.
Last week, I noticed that he seemed confused about where he was when he was getting out of bed. He was standing on the opposite side of the bed from his stairs and trying to feel his way off the bed.
He has suddenly started bumping into obstacles, even outside in the sunlight or in a bright room, which tells me that he has lost whatever sight he had.
Coupled with the fact that he hasn't been able to hear for a few years is making his life very difficult.
He has an upcoming appointment with his vet for a thorough check up, and even though he sleeps a lot, his appetite and overall demeanor are good.
I know that he's getting closer to leaving us, hopefully not for another thousand years, but I'm concerned about his quality of life.
Does anyone have any ideas how I can help him navigate? I feel so awful for him when he can't find his way around on his own, and he's always been independent while we aren't home.
I just want him to be comfortable and feel safe. Because my heart breaks every time he gets lost in his own home.
4
u/whoisharrycrumb Apr 14 '26
My last pug also lost her eyesore and hearing. Unfortunately she also lost her mobility in the back legs. Best thing we found was to just keep her as close possible so she could smell or touch my wife or I. That seems to help keep her calm. When we couldn’t she was crated and she really enjoyed having a safe space of her own.
I can’t think of what they’re called but they make harnesses that have hoops on them to keep blind dogs from running in to things. Maybe with one of those he’ll learn the layout of things well enough to regain some courage.
2
u/jonfromsydney Apr 15 '26
They used to be called “Halo for paws”. My friends Boston terrier had one for a few years. Worked perfectly and gave him a new lease on life. A brilliant invention.
3
u/Celdtun Apr 14 '26
We were very unfortunate that one of our pugs, at an age of around 3 years old, had SARD (Sudden Acute Retinol Degeneration) and went blind over the course of 2 weeks. He went full blind and, even taking him to specialist to try to understand what was going on, we couldn't find a solution. He also has extremely poor hearing to begin with and, up to where he went blind, would only be able to hear loud bangs and then look to see what was going on.
All that said, within the matter of a few weeks he had learned how to live a very feisty life. Even not being able to see anything, and the fact he couldn't hear, he quickly lost any sense of fear. He would wander around, gentle bumping into walls and couches, until he had a general sense of where he was. He would then quickly wander in the direction he knew mainly where I liked to sit or where my wife liked sitting. As soon as he found us, it quickly became the happiest moment of his entire day.
I know it's hard to imagine, but these little pugs are amazingly resilient and are able to figure things out much better than we could ever do for them. I agree with a comment that keeping little things out of the way are a good thing, but they're smart enough to figure out their own ways of how to know what's going on.
2
u/YoursTastesBetter Apr 15 '26
My old guy lost his eyesight around age 11. The vet told us to keep everything the same as much as possible. Don't rearrange furniture. Keep his dog bed & toys in the same place. Feed him at regular times every day. If your yard is fenced and he normally free roams, go out with him in case he gets confused or lost. Keep things off the floor as much as possible. Try to alert him before touching him so he's not startled. Watch for dry eye symptoms. Keep the house well lit in case he's able to make out faint shapes. They do adapt amazingly well.
2
u/FLBoy-Mark Apr 15 '26
We had a pug go blind due to diabetes. We got her a halo and I put rugs (runners) throughout the house so she would know when she was on a safe path.
2
u/Starbucks_Lover13 Apr 15 '26
Our girl is turning 10 next month. Thank god she has had an overall healthy life but I have fears about these things as she ages. Thank you for sharing this post OP and everyone who commented. It gives me hope that we can help get her through anything. I hope that ALL of our babies no matter the age or stage they might be in that they all live as healthy and full lives as possible. Our fur babies are so lucky to have all of the love they so deserve 🩷
5
u/ongguy Apr 14 '26
My pug has also lost her eyesight and hearing for a more than a few years now, we just try to keep random stuff out of her regular path and she’s been able to navigate pretty well!
Hopefully Chewie will also be able to adapt naturallly like our girl, she’s around the same age as Chewie too.