When my dog loses his sight or hearing
Your dog bumps into things at dusk, no longer answers when you call? With age, he often sees or hears less well, and he adapts very well as long as nothing moves around at home. Spot the signs and let your vet look for the cause. And avoid shifting your furniture, the bowls and his bed: he knows his home by heart and finds his way around it.
Spotting the first signs
These tests help you spot what is off. They do not give a diagnosis: your vet is the one who will confirm the cause.
Watch him in low light
At dusk he hesitates, bumps into things or hunts for his bearings, while he sees fine in broad daylight: night vision is often the first to go.
The falling cotton wool test
Drop a cotton wool ball within his field of vision, with no sound and no draught. A dog who sees it follows it with his eyes; a dog who does not react may be seeing less.
Test his hearing out of his sight
While he is looking away and cannot feel vibrations through the floor, make a clear sound (keys, a clap, a whistle). If he no longer turns his head to sounds he used to catch, he is probably hearing less.
Note what changes, and since when
An eye that clouds over, a dog who startles when you touch him, a dog who "no longer obeys": these observations are worth their weight in gold to your vet, who will look for the cause.
Adapting the home
If he sees less
- Stop moving the furniture, the bowls and his bed: he knows his home by heart and finds his way around it.
- Announce yourself with your voice before you touch him, so you never take him by surprise.
- Keep the walkways clear and add scent or texture markers (a rug) at the spots that matter.
- Somewhere he does not know, keep him on a long line: he moves more carefully away from home.
If he hears less
- Switch to hand signals: he already reads your body a great deal.
- Outdoors, always put him on the long line: he no longer hears the cars, nor your voice.
Securing the real dangers
- Fit a gate at the top and at the bottom of the stairs.
- Put a fence or a rigid cover over the pool and the pond: a dog who sees poorly can fall in.
Changing your signals
Your dog learns all his life: you are simply replacing the sense that is fading.
Pick a clear new signal
Pick one hand gesture per cue if he hears less, or a word or a touch that is always the same if he sees less.
Keep a marker, visible or spoken
Instead of the spoken "yes!", a thumbs up or a hand sign that is always the same tells a deaf dog "that's it"; for a blind dog, you keep the spoken "yes!". You mark the right behaviour, then you reward.
Pair the old with the new
For a few days, make the gesture right after the word he already knew: he quickly understands that the new signal means the same thing.
Work short sessions, close to him
Do sessions of a few minutes, with plenty of wins, never with a tired dog.
If it fades little by little, no need to panic. But some signs will not wait until tomorrow.
Worth getting checked
- He hesitates in low light, bumps into things, hunts for his bearings
- He no longer answers to sounds or words he used to catch
- He startles when you touch him without having seen you coming
See a vet quickly
- An eye turning white or clouding over fast, especially on both sides
- He sees or hears less well, and on top of that he drinks and urinates a lot
- He suddenly gets lost in places he knows by heart
Emergency
- A red, hard, very painful eye, or a closed eye that keeps watering
- Vision collapsing abruptly, within a few hours
- A very dilated, fixed pupil, or an eyeball that looks swollen
- Ophthalmic emergencies in dogs, Merck Veterinary Manual
Going further
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my dog is deaf?
Make a clear sound (keys, a clap) when he cannot see you and cannot feel vibrations through the floor: if he no longer reacts to familiar sounds, he is probably hearing less. If he "no longer obeys", it may quite simply be that he no longer hears you, so there is no point telling him off. Your vet confirms the cause.
How do I know if my dog is losing his sight?
Watch him at dusk: if he hesitates, bumps into things or hunts for his bearings in low light while he sees fine in broad daylight, that is a first sign. The falling cotton wool test (dropped silently within his field of vision) helps too. For the cause, take him to your vet.
What is it like living with a blind dog?
Keep his world stable: furniture and bowls in the same place, walkways clear, scent and texture markers. Announce yourself with your voice before you touch him, make the stairs and the pool safe, and keep him on a long line outdoors. Most dogs adapt very well.
Can a blind dog be happy?
Yes. Your dog relies above all on smell and hearing, not on sight; with stable landmarks and a little care, he goes on playing, sniffing and enjoying himself. You adapt the home, you do not wrap your dog in cotton wool.
How do I communicate with a deaf dog?
Switch to hand signals, which he already reads very well, and keep a visible marker (a thumbs up instead of "yes!") to say "that's it" before you reward. Let him know you are coming through the vibrations of the floor before you approach. No need for a box that clicks: a simple hand gesture is enough.
My old dog sees or hears less well, is it serious?
A gradual decline with age is common, and you can help him a lot by adapting the home. What will not wait: a red, hard, painful eye, or sight that collapses within a few hours. And an eye that turns white fast on both sides should make you think of diabetes.
Is there a test to find out whether my dog is deaf?
Yes. Your vet sends sounds and measures the activity of the ear and the auditory nerve: this is the BAER test, also known in French as the PEA test. It is done in a specialist centre, it does not hurt, and it shows whether your dog can still hear, and with which ear. It is mainly useful to settle whether a dog can no longer hear or is simply no longer listening. It is also used in puppies, since some white-coated or merle dogs are born deaf.
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