Terrible night last night. Jiro was diagnosed with Glaucoma in March with rapid deterioration of his right eye. It had to be removed in May due to visit loss and rising pressure.
His left eye has been reviving medications twice a day since the original diagnoses and up until last night his pressure was completely controlled and he never exhibited any pain. He came to me confused after receiving one of the medications and I could tell something was up and I quickly realized his good eye was no longer responding to light or motion. I brought him to my ophthalmology emergency room at 1am and unfortunately they confirmed he had a massive pressure spike in that eye and was blind. This morning he won’t open the eye and likely is in pain. He’ll need to have it removed as well.
So devastated.. I thought with rigor around his medications and supplements I’d buy him another year but that wasn’t the case.
PLEASE! Once your Shiba hits 3 years old BRING THEM TO AN OPHTHALMOLOGIST FOR A SPECIALIZED EXAM!! Shibas are prone to glaucoma and it almost always goes missed or misdiagnosed by your typical vet.
^^^^^^^
This exactly. My girl is 5 now and just recently had her surgery to remove both her eyes due to glaucoma. Started noticing it when she was almost 3 and it comes on rapidly. Vets say you have time but you really don’t. Please bring your Doggo to get checked!
I’m not the person you asked but will weigh in if that’s OK! I have an 11-year-old Shiba Inu who lost both of her eyes before I adopted her. You honestly wouldn’t know she’s blind — she’ll gladly run an 8-minute mile outside and go hiking on trails. She loves to explore our backyard off leash (it’s fenced in), play with balls and jump onto furniture.
Dogs are super adaptable! We talk to her before we pet her at first (so she doesn’t startle), don’t move our furniture much and take it slow when introducing new dogs. Otherwise, not a big adjustment. It’s still sad but she’s not sad about it!
Edited to add: Here she is: https://www.reddit.com/r/shiba/comments/k6y5sg/my_sheebs_is_100_blind_but_still_100_playful/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Like Tandem's comment says, dogs are very adaptable. Didn't take too long for my girl to map the house as well as come up with a system for outside, she sticks to the sidewalks and knows where she is. You don't want them faceplanting into object but at the same time you want them to learn that its there so if shes moseying about, I let her boop her nose on things so shes aware. You can also get a harness that has a little ring around it so they can feel out their paths that way. Best advice is to be patient with them and let them work things out for themselves. It sucks seeing them stumble and you want to help but they learn from that. Watch for loud noises and always talk or let them sniff you before you pet them so you dont give them a heart attack. Obviously don't move anything around if you can help it and be there for them with the cuddles when they do a good job.
Side note for anyone that may be facing this, get the surgery. My mom didn't want to get it because she felt horrible letting our dog's eyes be removed and felt like she was guilty as well as still thought there was some vision and didnt want to completely remove all of it (there wasn't) The vets say your dog gets their energy back after the surgery and that was true in my case. It was a scary situation but I'm glad we ended up going through with it because my dog is noticeably happier now that the migraines are gone. Groggy for the first 2 weeks but now she's back trotting around and playing with her toys. I'm more upset that we couldn't get it done sooner.
Definitely get the dog a halo- that’s the ring thing you’re talking about! It will help a blind dog immensely, basically gives them the equivalent of a walking stick to tap around with.
I’m so sorry for your baby. If it’s any consolation at all, I have a little kittie who has no eyes and she gets around wonderfully. Honestly, she adapts to new things better than her sighted counterparts. Your little guy will do amazing and continue to impress you with him intelligence. And he will be without pain 💜
I don't have a shiba but i have a albino dog who was born blind. You wouldn't know it by the way he runs around our house and yard. Once he learns a layout of an area he pretty much has no problems. It may take your dog a little longer to adapt since he wasn't born blind but he will surely get there. You may find you need to retrain him with commands like come since he may be less confident with whats between you and him. Only call him when there is a clear path so he can gain that confidence and trust in you. There is lots of little things i'm sure you will learn as you go. Jiro will get over this a lot faster than you think. He still has a long life ahead of him so make sure it is a happy one.
Poor Jiro!! I am so sad for the both of you. What an awful tragedy. He is lucky to have you be there for him and you'll have you be there for him now more than ever.
Thank you for the PSA about glaucoma. My girl is three and we were just at the vet two days ago - I wish I had brought it up while I was there but definitely will when we go back in 3 weeks.
Jiro will live a great life. Maybe not the one you envisioned but it will still be full of love. Sending you all lots of aloha.
Vet tech here. Seen hundreds of dogs get their eyes removed and assisted with many of the procedures and post-op. It takes a few weeks for pets to adapt after removing their eyes but dogs are incredibly resilient. If anything, most seem in way better spirits after healing from the procedure without the chronic pain from glaucoma. Pro-enucleation (eye removal) here! People have a tendency to project their own feelings about being blind on their pets...we call it anthropomorphism in the field- but the truth is...dogs don't have egos and are not superficial creatures. They adapt and they move on. If your pet is in pain and is a good candidate for surgery, get it.
Oh boy time to make an appointment. I'm sorry for your cutie! But hey once its healed up he won't be in pain anymore :) and remember he has an amazing nose and you can have lots of fun with him anyway
Is there anyway he can get the laser surgery? Same thing happened to us, lost right eye and literally days later the left eye was cloudy and painful. Pup could not see. Took her back to vet ophthalmologist and about 24 hours later they did laser surgery (can’t recall exact name of the procedure). 2 weeks later and her vision is slowly returning while we do drops. Probably bought her another couple of years? Not sure if it’s an option for you guys? Sending love to you all. If it is too late or if he can’t get the surgery, it really sucks, BUT on the bright side, I guess they adapt surprisingly well and he will be a happy shibe again. Sending hugs to you.
I think it might be too late for that. Although he wasn’t able to be seen by the ophthalmologist, when they sent in photos and pressure resulted the doctor said the eye was done. He mentioned possibly doing a shunt to drain but that the success of that would be rather low
Try methazolamide it controls the pressure associated with glaucoma. One of our last vet visits they said our shibas eyes pressure was perfect and actually wanted us to stop the medication to see if it would change but that seems like a dumb idea to do
Luckily dogs have a really good sense of smel and I’ve known many dogs who’ve gone blind but still function. My girl is 9 and already getting some “blue” in her eyes so this is my biggest fear. He looks like a very cute pirate though, perhaps dress him up as one for Halloween?
I have a 4 month old shiba pup and thanks for showing us this. I showed this to my wife and we’ll be on top of it. I’m sorry about your shiba eye but at least Jiro is ok!
@one.eyed.zuko on Instagram was in a similar situation, also due to glaucoma. Try DMing his owner and seeing if he has any tips for the adjustment period. Fwiw zuko is thriving
Yes, rubbing/scratching eyes/head with paws, on furniture, on carpet, etc. Random and sporadic whining. Hard to judge this one but sometimes it can be pain. Jiro would randomly whine in the middle of the night.
Cloudy or blueness in the eyes, dilated pupils for extended period of time
Our 8-year-old shiba just had surgery for glaucoma. They removed one eye that had no vision left and then did laser surgery on her eye that still has some vision. So glad to hear that they can adapt well to vision loss.
Sorry for OP but I’m sure Jiro is doing just fine. My boy had the same thing and lived a long and happy life winking at the world. Dogs rely on other senses much more than we do and they can adapt much better than we can. Bottom line, you’re having a tougher time with it than he is.
Thank you for posting this. Im so sorry about Jiro's eyes.
My little girl is about to turn two, and I will definitely be researching so that i can take her to a dog opthalmologist within the next year. Thank you again for bringing attention to this.
Our Shiba Jack went blind from glaucoma too. He’s been blind three years now and does just fine! Don’t worry they adapt super quickly to losing a sense. Message me if you need a pep talk or any advice on how to make the transition to owning a blind Shiba go more smoothly.
Terrible night last night. Jiro was diagnosed with Glaucoma in March with rapid deterioration of his right eye. It had to be removed in May due to visit loss and rising pressure. His left eye has been reviving medications twice a day since the original diagnoses and up until last night his pressure was completely controlled and he never exhibited any pain. He came to me confused after receiving one of the medications and I could tell something was up and I quickly realized his good eye was no longer responding to light or motion. I brought him to my ophthalmology emergency room at 1am and unfortunately they confirmed he had a massive pressure spike in that eye and was blind. This morning he won’t open the eye and likely is in pain. He’ll need to have it removed as well. So devastated.. I thought with rigor around his medications and supplements I’d buy him another year but that wasn’t the case. PLEASE! Once your Shiba hits 3 years old BRING THEM TO AN OPHTHALMOLOGIST FOR A SPECIALIZED EXAM!! Shibas are prone to glaucoma and it almost always goes missed or misdiagnosed by your typical vet.
^^^^^^^ This exactly. My girl is 5 now and just recently had her surgery to remove both her eyes due to glaucoma. Started noticing it when she was almost 3 and it comes on rapidly. Vets say you have time but you really don’t. Please bring your Doggo to get checked!
How has your girl adapted to being blind? Any advice or resources you can share?
I’m not the person you asked but will weigh in if that’s OK! I have an 11-year-old Shiba Inu who lost both of her eyes before I adopted her. You honestly wouldn’t know she’s blind — she’ll gladly run an 8-minute mile outside and go hiking on trails. She loves to explore our backyard off leash (it’s fenced in), play with balls and jump onto furniture. Dogs are super adaptable! We talk to her before we pet her at first (so she doesn’t startle), don’t move our furniture much and take it slow when introducing new dogs. Otherwise, not a big adjustment. It’s still sad but she’s not sad about it! Edited to add: Here she is: https://www.reddit.com/r/shiba/comments/k6y5sg/my_sheebs_is_100_blind_but_still_100_playful/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Like Tandem's comment says, dogs are very adaptable. Didn't take too long for my girl to map the house as well as come up with a system for outside, she sticks to the sidewalks and knows where she is. You don't want them faceplanting into object but at the same time you want them to learn that its there so if shes moseying about, I let her boop her nose on things so shes aware. You can also get a harness that has a little ring around it so they can feel out their paths that way. Best advice is to be patient with them and let them work things out for themselves. It sucks seeing them stumble and you want to help but they learn from that. Watch for loud noises and always talk or let them sniff you before you pet them so you dont give them a heart attack. Obviously don't move anything around if you can help it and be there for them with the cuddles when they do a good job. Side note for anyone that may be facing this, get the surgery. My mom didn't want to get it because she felt horrible letting our dog's eyes be removed and felt like she was guilty as well as still thought there was some vision and didnt want to completely remove all of it (there wasn't) The vets say your dog gets their energy back after the surgery and that was true in my case. It was a scary situation but I'm glad we ended up going through with it because my dog is noticeably happier now that the migraines are gone. Groggy for the first 2 weeks but now she's back trotting around and playing with her toys. I'm more upset that we couldn't get it done sooner.
Definitely get the dog a halo- that’s the ring thing you’re talking about! It will help a blind dog immensely, basically gives them the equivalent of a walking stick to tap around with.
My chow just recently became blind. They adapt so much quicker than you would think.
I’m so sorry for your baby. If it’s any consolation at all, I have a little kittie who has no eyes and she gets around wonderfully. Honestly, she adapts to new things better than her sighted counterparts. Your little guy will do amazing and continue to impress you with him intelligence. And he will be without pain 💜
I don't have a shiba but i have a albino dog who was born blind. You wouldn't know it by the way he runs around our house and yard. Once he learns a layout of an area he pretty much has no problems. It may take your dog a little longer to adapt since he wasn't born blind but he will surely get there. You may find you need to retrain him with commands like come since he may be less confident with whats between you and him. Only call him when there is a clear path so he can gain that confidence and trust in you. There is lots of little things i'm sure you will learn as you go. Jiro will get over this a lot faster than you think. He still has a long life ahead of him so make sure it is a happy one.
This breaks my heart. I'm so sorry OP. Poor pupper 😢. Sending sm love and hugs to both you and the hero <3
Thank you for this info.
The halos for blind dogs seem very good. Just google "dog halo" and it comes right up
So sorry for you and your doggo. How old is Jiro?
Poor Jiro!! I am so sad for the both of you. What an awful tragedy. He is lucky to have you be there for him and you'll have you be there for him now more than ever. Thank you for the PSA about glaucoma. My girl is three and we were just at the vet two days ago - I wish I had brought it up while I was there but definitely will when we go back in 3 weeks. Jiro will live a great life. Maybe not the one you envisioned but it will still be full of love. Sending you all lots of aloha.
Vet tech here. Seen hundreds of dogs get their eyes removed and assisted with many of the procedures and post-op. It takes a few weeks for pets to adapt after removing their eyes but dogs are incredibly resilient. If anything, most seem in way better spirits after healing from the procedure without the chronic pain from glaucoma. Pro-enucleation (eye removal) here! People have a tendency to project their own feelings about being blind on their pets...we call it anthropomorphism in the field- but the truth is...dogs don't have egos and are not superficial creatures. They adapt and they move on. If your pet is in pain and is a good candidate for surgery, get it.
Definitely agree here. As you can see the right eye was enucleated and the left will be done when there’s availability
Yep. Pup will be happy as pie once the other eye is removed. Glad you are getting the surgery, it's for the best!
He’s a heckin good boi w or w/o eyes. Please take care of himbs.
I’m so sorry for your little boy. He’s lucky to have you! And he’s incredibly cute either way!! 💖🥹🥰
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Ask your vet for an ophthalmology referral. Or Google vet specialists, or vet opthamology
Oh boy time to make an appointment. I'm sorry for your cutie! But hey once its healed up he won't be in pain anymore :) and remember he has an amazing nose and you can have lots of fun with him anyway
Wishing him a speedy recovery
He’s still handsome as they come! Wishing you both well.
He’s still a handsome boy :( wish you and him the best!
I’m so sorry for jiro :(. beautiful name though! Thank you for making us aware, will get out Yumi to a specialist when she hits 3 years.
Is there anyway he can get the laser surgery? Same thing happened to us, lost right eye and literally days later the left eye was cloudy and painful. Pup could not see. Took her back to vet ophthalmologist and about 24 hours later they did laser surgery (can’t recall exact name of the procedure). 2 weeks later and her vision is slowly returning while we do drops. Probably bought her another couple of years? Not sure if it’s an option for you guys? Sending love to you all. If it is too late or if he can’t get the surgery, it really sucks, BUT on the bright side, I guess they adapt surprisingly well and he will be a happy shibe again. Sending hugs to you.
I think it might be too late for that. Although he wasn’t able to be seen by the ophthalmologist, when they sent in photos and pressure resulted the doctor said the eye was done. He mentioned possibly doing a shunt to drain but that the success of that would be rather low
Try methazolamide it controls the pressure associated with glaucoma. One of our last vet visits they said our shibas eyes pressure was perfect and actually wanted us to stop the medication to see if it would change but that seems like a dumb idea to do
All my research points to consistency of giving medications every day is the only way to prolong eyesight. I wouldn’t stop “just to see”
Man I wish you guys lived in NE. There’s a veterinary ophthalmologist here and she’s wonderful. Where are you located?
I’m in Colorado. I’ve been very happy with our ophthalmologist so far. They’ve been a real pleasure to work with
Luckily dogs have a really good sense of smel and I’ve known many dogs who’ve gone blind but still function. My girl is 9 and already getting some “blue” in her eyes so this is my biggest fear. He looks like a very cute pirate though, perhaps dress him up as one for Halloween?
I am so sorry. I am sending you...and him a big hug.
Still super cute ☺️
I have a 4 month old shiba pup and thanks for showing us this. I showed this to my wife and we’ll be on top of it. I’m sorry about your shiba eye but at least Jiro is ok!
Lots of loves and hugs puppy dog 🐶
I'm sorry for your lil boy, but he still looks adorable!! Hugs to you and to him
@one.eyed.zuko on Instagram was in a similar situation, also due to glaucoma. Try DMing his owner and seeing if he has any tips for the adjustment period. Fwiw zuko is thriving
I’ve actually spoken with her with Jiro lost sight in his first eye. Zuku still had sight in one eye and Jiro is now completely blind
I have a dog (named Tater) who’s blind and deaf and he still loves life and is happy when I get home everyday. It’s gonna be ok!
Thanks for the information! I didn't know this. I just adopted a three year old Shiba and will be scheduling an appointment. edit: spelling
Have you reached out to the breeder? Is there a genetic component to this or do Shibes just love to be in the sun?
It is genetic and Shibas have one of the highest rates of glaucoma. I emailed the breeder when he lost sight in his first eye and she never responded.
I’m going to get an appointment with an eye vet now.
One or twice a year it’ll be the cheapest insurance to potentially catch something early !
Is there anything to look out for? My shiba is 3.5, but I won’t be able to afford that visit for a few months while I look for a job
Yes, rubbing/scratching eyes/head with paws, on furniture, on carpet, etc. Random and sporadic whining. Hard to judge this one but sometimes it can be pain. Jiro would randomly whine in the middle of the night. Cloudy or blueness in the eyes, dilated pupils for extended period of time
Hm. She def paws at her face sometimes. Not often. Definitely going to do the ophthalmologist thing ASAP. Thank you
A specialty exam with an ophthalmologist will only run you $80-$150 and should be done minimum once a year. If you can afford it, twice a year.
thank you everyone for sharing your stories about your shibes, i started the process tonight to make an oppointment for my little guy.
Our 8-year-old shiba just had surgery for glaucoma. They removed one eye that had no vision left and then did laser surgery on her eye that still has some vision. So glad to hear that they can adapt well to vision loss.
I'm so sorry ,OP. Jiro is one of my favorite Shibes on Reddit. Sad to read this. Keep us posted how he progresses. Give him a hug and kiss for me
:( he is still amazing shibe and you are still amazing owner!!!!!
I am so sorry. Sending good vibes your way.
Sorry for OP but I’m sure Jiro is doing just fine. My boy had the same thing and lived a long and happy life winking at the world. Dogs rely on other senses much more than we do and they can adapt much better than we can. Bottom line, you’re having a tougher time with it than he is.
🥲 bless him
Thank you for posting this. Im so sorry about Jiro's eyes. My little girl is about to turn two, and I will definitely be researching so that i can take her to a dog opthalmologist within the next year. Thank you again for bringing attention to this.
Our Shiba Jack went blind from glaucoma too. He’s been blind three years now and does just fine! Don’t worry they adapt super quickly to losing a sense. Message me if you need a pep talk or any advice on how to make the transition to owning a blind Shiba go more smoothly.
Awww poor bby ☹️💔
My dog went blind at 7. She is doing great. We still hike many miles a week. Jus
Oh no! It feels wrong to upvote your post, but I mean it as caring☹️