Advice - Blind Dogs in Cones

Lynette sent me an e-mail this morning that Stevie-in-the-cone isn't going well. Like worse than just the regular "I hate this cone get me out of it" that is normally to be expected. Here's what she wrote:


he is having a horrible time... he uses his whiskers so much in getting around, he is truly lost. Also, i think the sound is really thrown in the cone, and he is sooo attuned to getting around by changes in sound. He is doing horribly with the cone.



And he just (how to describe...) if he runs into a wall with the cone, he puts the cone flush up against the wall and just stands there... for like a minute, until someone comes and rescues him.



Genie held her head up higher with the cone and he cant quite tie the two together,,,, he keeps catching the cone on the carpet and the grass and flipping his head down.



And when he catches the cone on the side, he starts going in whatever direction the cone hit....



It is just extra cruel for a blind dog to be in a cone. But, I know he has to be - can you imagine if he ran into something without the cone on? It would hurt so badly, if not damage the place where his eye was.



So basically I'm just wondering if any of you have any suggestions on how to make this easier on him? He has to stay in the cone for 2 weeks until the stitches are ready to come out.

I think you can get cushions that look like donuts to put round their necks which stop them scratching at their faces but would not be as awkward as a cone. No idea where you get them or what they are called.

Of course that may well not help with the issue of possibly running into something.

Is there any way of making some holes in the cone so that sounds filter through better?

Poor guy.

I think you said he screams in a crate, so crating him for the period of recovery isn't an option?

What is she got a soft cone and then leashed him to her so he couldn't bump into everything?

Yes it seems the vet was very happy to give him back to her as he had been screaming so loud at the vet people in the loby wanted to know "what kind of animal was making that noise" LOL.

I don't know that I've ever seen a soft cone...I'm going to google. I also like the idea of drilling holes through the cone so that sound flows in better.

Poor Stevie. I wish I could think of something to help him, but I can't.

Ok I googled and found the soft cone. I'm just not sure that would prevent him from hitting his face when he runs into things (which is still pretty regular, especially without the use of his whiskers). Maybe holes in the cone is the best way to go. Poor little guy, I hope the 2 weeks of "coning" go quickly.

I found this Optivizor online. I'm looking to see if they sell them in the US. It was invented specifically for dogs with vision problems after a man's dog had eye surgery and had problems getting around with an e-collar ... http://www.provizoraustralia.com/products

I can't find a distributor in the US, but I've seen on message boards where people in the US have used them so there has to be one out there. Maybe you can ask around at the vets office to see if they can locate one.

Sabra, I can't get the webpage to load. Could be a firewall b/c I'm at work. I will try it tonight when I get home.

Amber wrote:Sabra, I can't get the webpage to load. Could be a firewall b/c I'm at work. I will try it tonight when I get home.

I had trouble with it for a bit too, but it's working now. Here is a YouTube video of it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNotYepBx60

It looks like the closest distributor is in Canada. Here is their info

Aventix
50 Dundas Street East
Suite 104
Canada
Phone: 1877 909 2242
Fax: 905 690 4072
Email aventix@aventix.ca

Poor old sod. He will adjust. It takes a couple of days. Hazel had a hard time both times with her cone (both eyes removed at different times) and she never did master going up stairs with a cone on. Does he have any sight at all? I should remember, but can't.

The problem with enucleation surgery is that you don't want ANYTHING to touch that site. You don't want them finding the corner of the chair or coffee table to rub their eye on, you don't want them blundering into anything that could poke the eye. I have two different collars that I use--a long one that protects the eye completely--harder to navigate with it, but protects. And a shorter one that I used when Hazel was outside to excrete (can't do her business unless she can get her nose to the ground to find the right spot) or to eat.

Poor, poor, Stevie. How sad for her to watch, I hope a viable option comes soon!

Thanks Sabra - he's only in it for 2 weeks and shipping from Canada can sometimes take that long :(

Blanche - he is totally blind. I hope you are right and that in a day or two he will adjust.

Amber wrote:Thanks Sabra - he's only in it for 2 weeks and shipping from Canada can sometimes take that long :(

I didn't know if maybe they could refer you to a distributor in the US if there is one or maybe express ship it. I hope he adjusts quickly, whichever option is used. Poor little guy.

PetCo has inflatable e-collars. They are MUCH easier on the dogs than the regular e-collars.

http://reviews.petco.com/3554/100555/reviews.htm

Amber wrote:Thanks Sabra - he's only in it for 2 weeks and shipping from Canada can sometimes take that long :(

Blanche - he is totally blind. I hope you are right and that in a day or two he will adjust.

I'd also refer her to blind dog info which is a website and a forum for owners of blind dogs. LOTS of useful advice and ideas.
www.blinddogs.com and blinddog.info

Not Afraid wrote:PetCo has inflatable e-collars. They are MUCH easier on the dogs than the regular e-collars.

http://reviews.petco.com/3554/100555/reviews.htm

The problem with the inflatable e-collar is the dog can still find things to rub the eye against and that's what you also need to avoid. The e-collar needs to extend significantly past the face to prevent damage while the enucleation is healing.

northernwitch wrote:

Not Afraid wrote:PetCo has inflatable e-collars. They are MUCH easier on the dogs than the regular e-collars.

http://reviews.petco.com/3554/100555/reviews.htm

The problem with the inflatable e-collar is the dog can still find things to rub the eye against and that's what you also need to avoid. The e-collar needs to extend significantly past the face to prevent damage while the enucleation is healing.

Yes and the force at which Stevie often runs into things is awful!! I can't bear to think of him ramming into something full force while he is trying to heal.

Thanks Blanche for the website info, I will pass that along.

Sabra - thank you too! I'll see if they can direct me someplace state-side.

I'm only seeing this now.

When Otto had his eye ulcer, the specialist was adamant that he had to wear a hard collar, because the soft ones wouldn't protect his damaged eye well enough.

I had a blind dog (not a pug) years ago and she managed very well. Could you use scent or texture to help Stevie find his way around? It's difficult because it'll only be for a short time, so by the time he's used to the scents, he'll not need them as much, but maybe you could use a special scent by his food bowl and a different one by the door? You might already be using rugs just before stairways to cue him, but if not, you could. Does he respond to verbal cues? My terrier learned "step up" and "step down" and that helped when we were in unfamiliar surroundings.

It's so hard to see these poor guys in cones. Otto had the hardest time going up stairs, because the bottom of the cone would catch on the stair and bounce him backwards a bit. He'd shake his head and get a really annoyed expression on his face and do it again until he got up the stairs.

Good luck to Stevie.

I should probably give an update! Stevie was excused from "cone duty" yesterday and he couldn't be happier about it. Lynette sent me a picture message of him and I don't think I've ever seen him look so happy!

I'm glad he's free of it, what a rough time!

I'm glad Stevie is able to be cone-free now. Sweet boy. I hope he adjusts better now that he doesn't have the cone to contend with.

Imon wrote:I'm only seeing this now.

did you have a cone on?

(sorry I could not resist!)


And I am so glad to hear Stevie is recovering - and released - and HAPPY...

:bounce:

I'm glad he's out of that cone. I think the owners are just as happy as the dogs to get rid of those annoying things! Hope Stevie's doing much better and is much happier now.

Good news for all. I'm sure he is just thrilled to be out of the cone.