Normally, your dog sees much better at night than you do. Like people do, some dogs experience night blindness as they age, but night blindness occurring in young canines is often the first sign of an eye disease that leads to total blindness. If your dog starts having difficulty navigating at night, take him to a veterinarian for a diagnosis.
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Night Blindness
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Your dog has started bumping into the furniture when there's no light in the room. Instead of bounding outside for his nighttime potty break, he moves hesitantly once he's out of the lighted area. These are symptoms of night blindness, or nyctalopia. You won't notice actual changes in your dog's eyes. If you suspect that your dog is experiencing night blindness, observe his actions in a dark room, especially any tentative movements. See if his behavior changes when you turn on the lights. In older canines as in older people, nyctalopia might be part of the aging process. In a young dog, it often means he's suffering from progressive retinal atrophy.
Progressive Retinal Atrophy
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Night blindness is one of the first signs of progressive retinal atrophy. Your dog's retinas receive light and form that light into images that travel down the optic nerve to his brain. The term progressive retinal atrophy describes the disease exactly -- the retinal receptors start breaking down early on, usually leading to total blindness within a year of the initial night blindness symptoms. Your veterinarian diagnoses night blindness through an ophthalmoscopic examination and an electroretinogram.
Affected Breeds
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While any dog might develop PRA, the condition is more common in certain breeds. These include the Siberian husky, Irish setter, toy and miniature poodles, English and American cocker spaniels, collies, Brittanies, Labrador retrievers, Samoyeds, Australian cattle dogs, Chesapeake Bay retrievers, Portuguese water dogs, Akitas, beagles, Rottweilers, papillons, Old English sheepdogs, German shepherds, dachshunds, German shorthaired pointers, English and Welsh springer spaniels, cairn terriers, Cardigan Welsh corgis, miniature schnauzers and Great Danes. Breed-specific DNA tests are available to identify whether dogs are carriers so they can be removed from the breeding pool.
Congenital Stationary Night Blindness
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Congenital stationary night blindness is a rare condition affecting the Briard and the Irish setter. This affliction affects only night vision; dogs with the condition are able to see normally during the day and in well-lit areas. That's because, unlike PRA, it affects only retinal rod photoreceptors aiding in night sight, not the entire retina. DNA testing via blood sample is available for Briards so those carrying the CSNB gene mutation can be identified. The test identifies both normal dogs and carriers so breeders can make responsible decisions to eradicate CSNB in the Briard. At the time of publication, DNA testing was not available for the Irish setter. However, relatively few Irish setters have been diagnosed with CSNB.
Blind Dogs
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If your dog becomes blind, don't despair. Since canines rely more on their senses of smell and hearing than their sense of sight, your dog can still have a good quality of life. You'll have to take some precautions, such as keeping objects out of the traffic-flow routes in your house and making no changes to the household traffic patterns. Your dog should adjust to his vision loss gradually; by itself, blindness is not a cause for euthanization, but you'll want to devote more cuddle time and learn to talk to him a lot to make him aware of your presence and location.
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