How To Care For A Blind Pet

• May 22, 2020
• Fizzion Clean

If you have adopted a blind pet, or due to an unfortunate event, your dear pet has lost its sight, insufficient prior experience in taking care of them can make you feel lost. So here is a guide on how to care for a blind pet:

Create a familiar, safe place

You have to be extra careful with your pet if it has or is in the process of gradually losing its sight, as they will be at their vulnerable and anxious most self. Therefore, it is highly essential to create an environment that is familiar, safe, and comfortable for them. Ensure that you properly block off swimming pools and stairs at your place, cover the corners of your home furniture which are sharp, and, most importantly, make sure that you remove any hazards or pointy branches in your yards. Over some time, your pet will become familiar with the layout of your home and will safely work around the stairs. However, being cautious is better than your pet getting into an unfortunate event and get an injury or lose its confidence for an extended period.

Create touch, sound, and scent cues

When your pet loses its sight, help them in navigating through the house using other senses. We recommend that you take the help of scent markers to navigate your pet around the house. For example, slightly apply vanilla oil on the door leading to the outside of the house to create a path for them to follow, and a touch of lavender oil by the pet’s bedside for it to know where a particular thing is situated. Other than that, you can hang wind chimes on the exterior door of the house for your pet to know where to steer itself or to keep them off of high places, corners where it can get stuck, and sharp edges; you can even take the help of metronomes.

If scent markers are not something that works for your home or your pet, you can even opt for tactile markers. Placing textured mats water or food bowls or in front of litter boxes will help them steer clear of or identify the spot quickly. These markers are a lot of help when it comes to creating navigation aids for the pets. Throw rugs in front of furniture pieces so that your pet can memorize them and avoid getting any injury, or place carpet runners around the house so that your pet can easily guide itself around the house. For the backyard, sand, mulch, and landscaping stones can help your pet to easily roam around the backyard while it stays alerted of the obstacles in the way and avoid any unfortunate event.

If you notice, a blind pet can end up sitting at a place for hours due to being demotivated or scared to move around the house. It is better for your pet’s physical and mental well-being if you stimulate its senses properly. With the help of scents, sound-making toys, and puzzle toys, you can keep your pet engaged and active.

Gradually introduce the pets to the unfamiliar

When you move a blind pet to a new, strange, and changing environment, they are more likely to feel highly vulnerable. You will face this challenge while introducing your pets to your friends and family, or even other pets. The process should be slow. A way to get around that challenge is to call gently, touch, tug their bed or put a small piece of food in front of them to wake them up before they get startled by a new person’s touch, sound, or when another animal comes close..