Question:
Hi there
Have been horribly remiss on here, but am back with a question for all of you who have had older dogs....
My 12 and a half year old girl is starting to go a bit deaf - we noticed it when we moved into the new house, and if she wasn't near the door we came in from, she wouldn't hear us unless we banged the floor and she felt the vibrations, or we were right behind her (scared the bejesus out of her!). Now she seems to be having some trouble seeing things sometimes (if we put something on the ground in front of her, she has problems seeing it unless we point it out, or she can smell it strongly). Is it common for them to have deafness and blindness come shortly after one another in older dogs, or am I overreacting?

Answer:
Sad to say it's pretty normal. Probably a good idea to have her checked over by a vet, though, just to be sure. Geriatric dogs should be checked more frequently, anyway.

We've had older dogs that have gone deaf and had blindness due to cataracts (so could probably see light but not detail). The problems seem to bother us more than they bother them, though --the dogs do well. The family mixed-breed we had as a kid was still chasing off after rabbits at the age of 16--by smell alone and somehow missing all the trees by memory, since she was almost totally blind by then... She died at the age of 18--blind and stone deaf by then, but as long as we didn't rearrange the furniture, she did fine.

It's hard to watch them age, though--they age so quickly But your girl will adapt.

Answer:
Yes, it is sad but normal. I agree that you should have her checked over by your vet though. Senior dogs should have a check-up twice a year and more often than that if there are health problems.

Answer:
Thanks for the info....I was afraid that may be the case. She's almost due for her check up anyway, so i guess I'll get it looked at then.
R

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