Blindness in Pets

When we had our two first cats, Diego developed blindness. The vet predicted he might because his pupils (and eyes) were always open wide, potentially a symptom of high blood pressure. He adapted quite well to life in our old house, finding his way to the litter box (well, in the end, a puppy pad), and was able to jump up to the stool next to me and sit on my lap in the morning, a sweet memory that I will always carry with me.

My sister’s dog was recently diagnosed with diabetes and his total blindness has come on very suddenly — within two weeks his lenses are completely opaque, like a glacial lake, and they have both been on a tortuous journey to find the right level of insulin to treat his symptoms (very high glucose levels, monitored with needle prick blood draws, terrible thirst followed by massive drinking and needing to pee long and often, all night, etc.). But he is still enjoying life and today had a great walk on Bartol Island, managing to trot and even lope for part of it.

Seeing the end of a dear pet’s life looming is never easy and my sister won’t prolong it if his suffering seems to be more than the few moments of pleasure he has. This was a rescue dog whose owner had died in hospital and nobody knew she had a dog; he was locked in a house with no food for who knows how long, found eating toothpaste. He has had serious abandonment issues but this dog got her through an excruciatingly painful divorce. It will be a difficult parting.