I work with a lot of different rescue groups. We email back and forth and forward emails about dogs and puppies in need.
The beginning of December I get an email from a lady who has found a puppy wandering the streets. She took her in, out of the rain, but couldn't keep her. She asked if I could help. She sent pictures and I could tell immediately that there was something wrong with her head, it was way too large. I told her she might want to take the puppy to a vet first to see what was wrong. She did, two actually, and they thought she had hydrocephalus (excess fluid in the brain). They said that she probably wouldn't live and to put her to sleep. I told the lady not to do that, and I drove an hour and picked up the puppy that same day.
The following morning I took the puppy to MedVet, which is a 24hr animal hospital. They have specialists onsite, so I figured this would be the beat place to take her.
To make a LONG story short... the ER doctor wanted her to see the neurologist. He did an ultrasound of her head and she does have hydrocephalus, and it's severe for her age. She is only about 8 weeks old (at that time, now about 10 weeks) so her skull had not fused together yet. The doctor said when the fluid built up her skull was able to expand to accommodate, and that is probably why she is still alive.
Other than the enlarged head, she was rather normal. She had a little trouble seeing, because her eyes are so far apart, and she would run into things every once in awhile. She would sometimes walk sideways when she meant to go forward, and she has some trouble eating and drinking. But other than that, she acted just like a puppy :)
The neuro surgeon suggested that we start her on a medical treatment instead of a surgical treatment right now. She takes two medications 3 times a day and will do so for the rest of her life. This is to reduce the fluid being produced. He told me her prognosis was fair, at best. But it was possible for her to live somewhat normal for a few years. He said she would always run the risk of developing seizures, dementia, and sudden death. He said she could get worse over the next few months, at which time she may become a canidate for a surgical shunt which would drain the CSF from her brain into her abdomin to be reabsorbed.
Well needless to say, after all this news, my husband and I decided to keep her for the remainder of her life.
Well over the past few days her vision has gone. It started two nights ago when she was playing, then running into EVERYTHING. She used to run into a few things, but this was everything she passed. Then all the night she cried and cried and circled my bedroom, constantly running into my bed. I would pick her up and put her with me on the bed but she would always end back on the floor walking around aimlessly. Yesterday morning she couldn't find her food or water, and as I watched her throughout the day, it is evident she is blind... or at the least, almost blind. She tries to follow the sound of my voice but is constantly circling and running into things, crying the entire time.
My question is, does anyone have experience with blind puppies? What can I do to make her more comfortable or help her to adapt? I worry because the neuro surgeon said if she hits her head too hard she could hemorrhage and die instantly. I have never let her go down stairs since I brought her home because of this, but she is running into everything. It is obvious she is scared and frustrated... I mean one day she could see and now she can't.
I will be taking her to the vet to get evaluated and see if maybe we can proceed with the shunt... but until then, I wanted to hear your advice.
Her is a few pictures of Harmony taken late last week. This is when she seemed to be seeing fine. She would play with toys and the other dogs. But now, when she is awake (which isn't long), she just circles and runs into things :(
**Sorry this was so long