Shihtzu - eye infection

BlazingSaddler

Hi. My sisters shihtzu has a very bad eye infection, she had a graft to try to save the eye which was given a 50% chance of success but it is now very weepy and looks like it has spread to the other eye. The dog is on a drip tonight to get some antibiotics into her but it's looking like she could lose both eyes.
If this is the case do you think the vet will suggest that the dog be put down or could the dog still have a decent quality of life? They have another shihtzu who would be a lot more boustrous and they would generally be on their own in the house for about 5 hours each day.

Whispered

Up until a few weeks age I would have said that I wouldn't think it fair, however, I recently met a lovely little jack russell who lost both of her eyes to cancer when she was 5 years old. She is now 8 and is perfectly happy.

She is amazing how she can find her way to her bed (she stays in the kennels I work in). She copes with everything brilliantly, to bring her for a walk I carry her out to the open grassy area and walk slowly around while chatting to her, she follows my voice while sniffing around and generally pottering.

I would imagine that the dog will cope, especially considering it's obviously in a secure home and knows how to get around its own home. I'd suggest having a chat with a behaviourist before the operation, they would be able to give your sister some great tips on preparing for the operation and how to deal with the after effects.

DBB

Poor wee dog... Has her vision been impeded for some time?
To answer your question, there is absolutely no reason why the dog can't live a reasonably normal life, if some changes are made to compensate for loss of sight. I'm sure some owners of blind dogs will come on here to tell you about how they coped with it!
Dogs tend to be remarkably resilient when it comes to sensory loss. But some things that can be done include not moving furniture about, teaching clear auditory commands to her so that she can be controlled from a distance ("Stop!" being an important one), also to teach her to step down off a footpath, or step up onto a footpath/step/stair etc.
Different rooms can be scented differently using candles, oil-burners etc (the same scent always in each room) so that she can use her nose to find her way around, and also use a DAP (now called Adaptil) diffuser beside her bed, to guide her into her bed. Her bed should be very easy to climb in and out of. You can also use rugs and matts of different texture around her bed, around doors around bowls etc, so that she can use her tactile senses to discriminate different important areas.
A radio playing near floor level will help create sound waves around furniture, which may help a dog to tell where various items of furniture are: but don't move furniture around, just to give her some environmental stability.
Don't allow her groomer to clip her whiskers, eyelashes etc... she's going to need them.
Keep a close eye to make sure the other dog doesn't annoy her: maybe a quiet refuge that she can go to to get away from him would be good. And remember she'll need extra protection from other dogs, as she won't be able to read their body language visually, and may panic if she suddenly realises other dogs are close to her. You could teach her a little code word which comes to mean "Heads up! There's a dog beside you!"
She should always be kept on lead when out and about, for her own safety.
How does this all sound? Would your sister be up for making at least some of these changes?
The most important thing is, the little pooch does not need to be put to sleep if she goes blind. She can still have a very happy and near-normal life!

BlazingSaddler

Thank you both for the answers, it is most appreciated. It sounds encouraging with a few changes and a lot of love I agree she could still have a good quality of life. She's based in the UK and I'm off to see her this afternoon so i'll keep you posted. I will pass on your good advice to her.

Thanks again!