possible Blind addition...

[LorraineO]

I am considering adopting a 1 yr old male to our family He is a Staff mix himself.. I have a 2 yr old dobie/staff mix right now but the thing is,,, this new guy is blind..... and suffers from occational bouts of epilepsy..... is there anything special I need to consider? Or do?? Lucy has been the only dog in the house since she was 13 weeks old......
any advice is appreciated!

[aly]

First of all, yay for you on adopting a special needs doggie People never realize how special these little guys are. I have such a soft spot in my heart for the "underdogs".

Do you know if the blind dog gets along with other dogs or is it an unknown history? You're going to probably want to take extreme precautions when introducing them and settling the new guy in. Not because I think it will go terribly wrong, but his handicap may add some extra stress so a slow, calm transition would work best. I wouldn't leave the dogs alone unsupervised for at least a month. You probably will want to crate train the blind dog for several months anyway so he doesn't hurt himself while you're not home. I imagine he'd be fine after he knows the layout of your house well though.

This link lists some other links that may be helpful:

http://www.blinddogs.com/support.htm

[LorraineO]

thanks! I will definately follow your advice,,, and yes,, apparantly,, he does get along well with other dogs as well as kids... I have a 13 yr old at home and a 18 yr old who isnt living at home but visits alot... so lil kid concerns are not an issue,,,
Crate training will be a definate as our Lucy is crate trained.... In all likely hood,,, neither dog will be left alone and if they are,, its in the ol crates for them both I think... Wherever we go ,, our Lucy tags along.. she pouts too much when we dont,,,

This was the write up from the SPCA on him.

(in foster)
Dog
American Staffordshire Terrier Mix

Size: Medium
Age: Adult
Sex: Male
I.D:

Notes: Cosmo is a very handsome and special boy, only about a year old.... Has had rough start in life...likely blind from birth (central blindness) and has epilepsy (not on meds other than vitamins and seizures are infrequent)... He is a smart boy and he doesn't know he is blind, and is catching on to training very fast! He is great with other dogs and playful. Very intelligent and loving... he is in a foster home, and doing very well, but this stunning, unique boy would love a home of his very own... Contact his foster home

[LorraineO]

oh,, PS,, thanks for the link you sent!!

[aly]

He sounds WONDERFUL! I bet the foster mom can tell you lots about him that will help you too. I am so excited for you I hope you are able to get him!

Is his picture on the website?

[LorraineO]

Yes,, here is his pic... He is very sweet!!

[LorraineO]

Well.. SMALL world Aly,,, the link you sent me for the Blind dogs.. well the lady who has Cosmo now is one of three ladies who are trying to upkeep the site you sent me since the original owner of it died,, Linda Glass was her name....

thank you again for sending the link to me,, its been ,, excuse the term,, eye opening! We are calling to try to meet Cosmo today....

Lorraine O

[Glacier]

i have a blind dog. He does just fine--just don't rearrange the furniture too often! To watch Preacher, you'd never know he was blind. Dogs don't use their eyes as their primary sense and they adapt well to loosing their sight.

Good luck!

[LorraineO]

Originally posted by Glacier
i have a blind dog. He does just fine--just don't rearrange the furniture too often! To watch Preacher, you'd never know he was blind. Dogs don't use their eyes as their primary sense and they adapt well to loosing their sight.

Good luck!

thats the one thing I will find hard,,, not moving my furniture,, but hey,, its a small thing to not do in the grand scheme of things.. I am hoping to hear from the lady who has him today or this evening.... been doing alot of reading on blindness, training and also the epilepsy aspects... waiting to hear from my vet about some question I have... will keep this thread posted as things develop!

thanks for your comments... Do you have a picture of Preacher??

[mruffruff]

My dog, Bear, is also blind. I'd be glad to help all I can.



Mary

[Glacier]

Originally posted by LorraineO
Do you have a picture of Preacher??

But of course!

Lounging in the sun a few weeks ago. Preacher is about 10 years old now. He's been completely blind for about two years. He slowly lost his sight due to a degenerative condition called PRA.

[LorraineO]

Originally posted by mruffruff
My dog, Bear, is also blind. I'd be glad to help all I can.



Mary

thank you so much,, If all goes according to plan,, I will take you up on the offer,,,, BTW,, your baby is beautiful!!!!!!!!

[LorraineO]

Originally posted by Glacier
But of course!

Lounging in the sun a few weeks ago. Preacher is about 10 years old now. He's been completely blind for about two years. He slowly lost his sight due to a degenerative condition called PRA.

Well Preacher is most definatly a man of distinction!! Thanks for sharing his pic!!!! Beautiful dog!!!!! Was he depressed at all after losing his sight?

[Glacier]

Originally posted by LorraineO
Well Preacher is most definatly a man of distinction!! Thanks for sharing his pic!!!! Beautiful dog!!!!! Was he depressed at all after losing his sight?

Not at all actually. I think because he lost his sight quite gradually, he just adjusted as he went along. Preacher has always been a very stoic, calm dog. Not much upsets him. He has thyroid problems as well and he does seem depressed when that flares up or if he misses a pill or two in a row.

[LorraineO]

We are excited,, we are meeting Cosmo tomorrow!!!!!