My Little Girl Suddenly Blind

[Guest Rob1969in]

Hello all, on searching for possible reasons why my little Greyhound girl lulu has seemingly suddenly gone blind ,I came across this thread.

 

My Lulu is 10 years old and I have had her since she retired at 4 years of age, over the last couple of weeks she had become a bit less sociable and in the last week she has refused to eat from her dinner bowl, on Wednesday I took her out for her normal pee in my garden she has never needed a lead ,she normally nips out does a quick pee and then comes back in to her bed but this time she kept walking away from me and wouldn't come back I am not the fittest but I ran after her desperatly calling her ,but she took no notice ,she eventually ended up on the main road and as it was a busy time there was lots of traffic, luckily they saw her and stopped ,I managed to shout at a trucker coming towards me to try and catch her ,she ran away from him which was good enough as she ran in to the recreation field, anyway after 15 mins of trying to catch her and her just running away, trying to get in to gardens etc she went through the hole in the edge leading to my house, and as she normally goes straight to my front door and waits for me to come let her in that is what I assumed she will have done, but she hadn't she had kept walking up a path for half a mile, luckily there is a gate at the end of it and luckily the gate was closed, I was exhausted by this time so I asked a school kid if he would run and cut her off, within five minutes Lulu came back down the path towards me and I managed to catch her, but on getting her home ,the stairs that are normally no problem for her became impossible to get up so I went to pick her up and carry her to the top but she turned on me and bit me on the hand, she was obviously very scared of what she had been through, I then took her to the vets ,who on examination said he thought she was blind in at least one eye, and prescribed her some carprelieve for her arthritus and injected her there and then, she has suffered from a sore neck for as long as I can remember due to a racing injury but it only gave her discomfort if she had a mad one and ran around too much with her new mate ,Murphy a male grey of 19 months, who I adopted for my mother after she lost our beautiful Male Greyhound Malcolm 4 months ago, my Mother lives locally to me so Lulu and Malcolm were inseparable ,Lulu and Murphy are not as close and I know Lulu misses Malcolm a lot ,so when Lulu became a little less playful etc I assumed it was because she misses Malcolm, anyway since the Vet visit Lulu has gotten worse ,she hardly leaves her bed ,has to be fed by hand as she will not go to her bowl, although she will drink water from her drinking bowl, and she is very shaky on her legs ,the carprelieve does not seem to have worked and she has about every 30 seconds a shake like a spasm when she sort of jolts forward suddenly and she also pants a lot ,but she has eaten quite a lot today , steamed fish for breakfast and her usual dog food tonight, does anyone have any idea if this is normal ,I am thinking she may have had a stroke or a brain tumor ,but wouldn't the vet have thought the same? or is this normal for a dog that has suddenly gone blind, I am heartbroken seeing her like this and I sob everytime I look at her. Does anyone have any suggestions to what has happened ,I go back to the vets on Wednesday or before if I can get an appointment .

 

The Vet said he will do lab tests on the next visit if she has not improved, I keep her on her leash at all times she goes outside now, she does tend to go in a circle and she does stagger a bit, the vet tested her pupils and he said one of them was 100 percent blind and the other one reacted a bit to the torch, I just can not imagiane how she must be feeling having no sight all of a sudden ,it breaks my heart , I just wonder what has caused it, because she isn't herself, but obviously she wouldn't be with a sudden lose of sight, she is panting a lot too, it is not hot in my house and she has drank, I took her out for a pee an hour ago and she just walked around in circles.

Edited October 26, 2013 by Rob1969in

[Busderpuddle]

I have no idea what is going on but just wanted to let you know that Lulu is in my prayers...........

[Guest Rob1969in]

I have no idea what is going on but just wanted to let you know that Lulu is in my prayers...........

Thank you very much

[Time4ANap]

It sounds like something neurological has happened. The "walking in a circle" may be an indicator of that.

 

There are others here who have experienced similar issues and will be able to suggest some things to check. Give the responses a little time, as weekends can sometimes slow down a little here.

 

I hope Lulu is better soon.

[Guest Rob1969in]

Thank you Grey, I hope so

[RedHead]

I am assuming the vet covered this...but my friend's cat went blind suddenly because of a jump in high blood pressure. He got meds and got his vision back.

 

Best wishes whatever is causing this.

[Guest IrskasMom]

I am keeping You and Lulu in my Prayers and sending Cyperhugs to Lulu I have no Advice as to what could cause this sudden Onset of Blindness. Keeping my Fingers crossed that your Vet can get to the Bottom of this. Please keep us posted .

[TheFullHouse]

Have your vet check her blood pressure. I have one now that has some vision issues caused by extremely high blood pressure. I also had a girl who went blind. Until she adjusted to losing her sight I had to lead her to the water bowl until she had learned the path. Same thing around the yard until she learned how to get around the obstacles.

 

Wishing you and your girl the best.

Edited October 27, 2013 by JillysFullHouse

[greysmom]

Did the vet not say *anything* about what caused her to go blind at your first visit??? I'm assuming she was basically all right previous to her walkabout incident? Her break from normal behavior would also have me thnking something neurological - tumor or stroke, maybe vestibular disease, or even a bad ear infection. A simple nsaid which is what I believe the carprelieve is probably won't be helping any of that. I don't know how much experience your vet has with greyhounds, or even if it's necessary in this case, but I would definitely be looking for some sort of answers from him, even if it's "I don't know what's going on, let me refer to to a neurologist."

 

Good luck for you and your girl.

[Hawthorn]

It does sound as if something neurological may have happened, but don't assume that your vet will have considered this possibility.

 

My boy had a mini stroke a couple of years ago which, along with some other symptoms, affected his eyesight in one eye - he wasn't completely blind in the eye, but he definitely couldn't see properly and it really upset him (and me!). When I took him to the emergency vet I said I thought he might have had a stroke or TIA (Transient Ischaemic Attack) and the vet said to me "Dogs don't have strokes" - these were his exact words! To cut a long story short, a few days later I took my boy to a specialist centre where we saw an opthalmologist and a neurologist who agreed, after listening to my account of what had happened, that it was very probable that my boy had had a brain stem TIA. He recovered fully from this, and regained his full eyesight, over the course of about a week.

 

It would definitely be a good idea to have Lulu's blood pressure checked and you may need to specifically request that your vet does this because, in my experience, it doesn't seem to be something that most vets check routinely.

 

Your best bet may be to take Lulu to a specialist if you can, especially as she's not improving and your vet doesn't sound very helpful.

 

Hang in there.

[Guest Rob1969in]

Thank you all very much for your help and suggestions, I will insist on a blood pressure check and ask for some neurological advice

[3greytjoys]

I'm so sorry about Lulu. I agree with others to please try to get Lulu in to see a veterinarian or specialist ASAP. Most dogs are very stoic and try to hide pain. Excessive panting (when air temperature is cool and dog is not exercising) can be a strong indicator of pain. You mentioned panting a couple of times which leads me wonder if she might be in fairly severe pain. Shaking/tremors/spasms and jolting forward could also be related to pain.

 

One of our hounds also had a TIA stroke (entire right side was affected, including head, right front leg and right back leg). She couldn't walk at first, but minutes later she did begin walking but was goose-stepping both right legs. Her vision appeared to be okay. She fully recovered within 10-15 minutes. No recurrences in well over a year.

 

There are also many eye problems that can cause blindness. A veterinary ophthalmologist would be most helpful. As an example, I've known several Greyhounds with pannus, which leads to blindness if not caught early. A dog's eyesight can often be saved if prescription eye drops are administered at home. It isn't a cure but can slow or halt disease progression.

 

Might be a good idea to keep an eye open for brusing just in case she was tapped by a car or something. Whatever happened, I'm relieved you were finally able to capture her. Good luck and please let us know how things go with Lulu. Positive thoughts for her recovery, and for you.

Here is a veterinary site you might find helpful: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=2354

Edited October 27, 2013 by 3greytjoys

[Guest sirsmom]

Our Lucy of several years ago went suddenly blind and was diagnosed with optic neuritis. She had a pituitary gland tumor and did not do well as it became very painful. But there are several reasons for sudden blindness and some can be treated with drops and prednisone successfully so please see your specialist and quickly if you can.

[Guest Rob1969in]

Hello a brief update on my little princess, she rallied round and seemed to get a lot better, eating, coming for cuddles etc but relapsed yesterday, so taking her to the vets again later ,thanks for all your advice. This a great place.

 

Will update soon x

[scullysmum]

I know that in horses some of the symptoms you describe can be due to liver failure...I think you said that your vet did a blood test? hopefully this will show that up if it is. sending you both best wishes.

[NeylasMom]

A couple of thoughts. One, her blindness may not actually be sudden. Dogs don't rely on their vision the way that we do, scent is their primary sense so often dogs gradually go blind without us ever knowing it. Especially if you stick to the same routes typically and don't move things around in your house, it's possible that she had just figured it out (they also use their whiskers to get a lot of information and that helps them to navigate without bumping into things when they can't see). They can also become dependent on other dogs in the house so part of me wonders whether that's not why you're noticing issues more recently (with the loss of your mom's dog, who was her buddy).

 

I wouldn't rule out investigating things that may have caused a sudden issue with her sight in the least, I would actually pursue it aggressively given that you're seeing other symptoms concurrently, but just throwing it out there for consideration.

 

As someone else suggested, I think a consult with an oncologist is wise. I'm not sure what it's like in the UK, but if you have a specialty hospital that has multiple specialists I would just take her there. That way they can involve whoever might be appropriate and consult with each other to figure out what's going on whether it be an internist, neurologist, etc. It will be more expensive, but like I always say, if you had cancer, you'd see an oncologist, not your primary care physician. Same should go for our pups imho.

 

Sorry you're facing this. Good luck, and keep us posted!

[Guest blueberri]

I'm in with the others in thinking neurological, and that NSAIDs won't be hugely helpful. I would encourage you to advocate for Lulu and get specialist input, and if your vet is being an arse about it, change vets.

 

Will keep you both in my thoughts and prayers, and hoping whatever the conclusion, that your lovely Lulu recovers to her previous gorgeous personality.

[Guest Rob1969in]

Hello All, I am very sad that to say that my precious Lulu went to sleep for the final time earlier today, it was a brain tumor and there was nothing that could be done for her, I had 6 beautiful years with her and I am completely heartbroken, I am an aethist and I don't care what happens to me when I die but I so hope I am wrong and that animals do have an afterlife, because life is too short for them.

 

I thank Lulu for many precious memories, I don't know how I will ever get over her ,she was the perfect dog I will miss her so much.

[macoduck]

I am so sorry Lulu had to leave you. I will add her name to the list of Bridge Angels in Remembrance.

[Neighsayer]

Hugs!

[seeh2o]

Oh no, I am so sorry.

[Remolacha]

I am so sorry for your loss

[dante2zoe]

I am very sorry for your loss.

[FiveRoooooers]

I am so very sorry

[galgrey]

I'm so sorry to see this.