Blind Senior Golden Retriever Creates A Bond With A Little Puppy Pal Who Becomes His Seeing-Eye Dog

March 25, 2019 15:28

Author By Mambee

Blindness in dogs is not uncommon, although it is more prevalent in certain breeds than in others.

In most cases, the blindness occurs as a result of severe glaucoma, which is usually caused by some eye diseases or sometimes injuries.

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Glaucoma is caused by the inadequate drainage of aqueous fluid from the eyes rather than its overproduction.

Some symptoms of eye disease include water discharge from the eye, swelling of the affected eye, cloudy eye, and sometimes blindness.

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However, glaucoma is treatable if quickly detected and may not lead to permanent blindness in your beloved canine.

Older blind dog finds a younger puppy to show him the way

Charlie is an 11-year-old golden retriever that lost sight in both his eyes to glaucoma a few years back and, although he seemed to cope with the loss well, he soon began to lose touch with his happy nature.

However, Charlie's fun spirit was rekindled magically when his owners got him a cute little doggy companion.

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A post shared by Charlie And Maverick (@charlieandmav) on Mar 18, 2019 at 9:42am PDT

Chelsea Stipe and her husband, Charlie's owners, knew that Charlie was still a happy dog deep down and decided to get him a friend who could keep him company.

It worked like a charm!

They brought home a golden retriever puppy named Maverick. Charlie was wary at first, but the two dogs soon bonded and became inseparable.

This is Charlie and Maverick. Charlie had his eyes removed due to glaucoma, but then Maverick came along as his little helper. Now they’re doing amazing. Both 14/10 pic.twitter.com/qjkhYLihEO
— WeRateDogs™ (@dog_rates) March 18, 2019

The younger dog's energy and enthusiasm seemed to rub off on the older dog, and he too began to become considerably more excited.

Chelsea said:

“He knows Charlie is different. He’ll put toys in front of him. He’s very aware when Charlie starts to move, to be on the lookout for him. When they walk together, Maverick helps keep Charlie in line.”

Sometimes, Maverick will lean on Charlie as if to let him know he is not alone and it is just too adorable.

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A post shared by Charlie And Maverick (@charlieandmav) on Mar 20, 2019 at 9:50am PDT

The Stipes used to think they would soon lose Charlie. With Maverick in the picture now, it seems Charlie has gotten his powerful life force back.

How to take care of a blind dog

An extra portion of patience and love is necessary to care for blind dogs because they go through trying times without actually comprehending what's happening to them.

Try not to move furniture around the house and keep the living area as unchanged as possible so as not to confuse the dog. Also, always speak to the dog to get it to cue into his auditory senses, and train it to walk slowly and not wander too far.

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Never forget to walk and play with your dog as this helps to keep him excited and happy, despite his loss of sight.

In general, love is simply the most effective way to care for your blind dog, and you could take a page out of Stipe's book and get your blind dog a four-pawed companion, too.