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Lil Bit

Lil Bit

I just got a vets confirmation about my puppy being blind. What kind of special training do i need and is there any pamphlets or anything that you could send or email me. She has a genetic eye disorder that caused her eyeball to be much smaller than it is supposed to be. She also has hookworms real bad and won't eat is there any tips you could give me on getting her to eat? I have tried everything that i know of and it just won't work. Please Lil Bit and I need help to get through this cause i have no idea what to do for her.

Symptoms: Anemia, Eyes

•   Selina Reid says:

  March 05th, 2008 at 10:21 AM

  Hi there,

  Dogs are very visual animals, especially when it comes to learning and training. However, they also rely heavily on their auditory senses and will become more so following the loss of one of their other important senses.

  With regards to training I would definately recommend clicker training. You will have to be very clear with the verbal commands that you use as she will be relying solely on these (whereas most dogs follow body language and other visual cues as well as verbal commands). I reccommend a book called 'Clicker Training for Dogs' By Karen Pryor. This will give you a good understanding of how and why to use the clicker as a training aid. I also recommend using liver cake as a training treat as no dog can resist it! I'm afraid its a little unpleasant to make but dogs love it! I have included the recipe for you below. Just use tiny pieces at a time as rewards.

  With regards to eating you can try to tempt her with things that she particularly likes but it may be worth trying some behaviour therapy here too. When you feed her leave the food down for half an hour then take it away and do not feed her until her next feeding time. It is very unlikely that she will starve herself and offering her better things to eat and handfeeding her etc. may encourage her to become a fussy eater. However, it depends what you have been doing already. If you have already tried this she may be genuinely off her food for some other reason and it may be worth returning her to the vet if you really can't get her to eat anything.

  I'm sure Lil Bit will adjust well to her visual impairment but remember that routine and structure will be extra important to her, particularly with regards to her surroundings - she will quickly learn where things are and will probably be very put out if any of these change. That doesn't mean you can't ever change things for her, just bear this in mind if you do need to make any changes at any point.

  Hope this is of some use to you. Good luck!

   

  LIVER CAKE RECIPE

   

  1 lb of liver (lambs is best)

  8oz S.R. flour (approx.)

  1 egg

  1 tbs. cooking oil

  2 tbs. water

  Garlic (optional)

   

  Liquidise the liver with the egg, oil & water.

  Mix with the flour to a dropping consistency and bake in a greased tin as a sponge.

  Dogs prefer it slightly undercooked.

  Will keep in the fridge for up to a week and freezes well.

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• User says:

  March 06th, 2008 at 03:53 AM

  I really thank you lots for your time and information on this. Like I said she is only 4 wks old and i told the vet she wasn't eating and they did a parvo test and all on her. She will drink the puppy replacement milk and seems to get full but that is it. she also hasn't had but one bowle movement in 2 days. Is that from all the milk or what could i do for her on that. Like i said me and Lil Bit really appreciate the advice.

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•   Selina Reid says:

  March 06th, 2008 at 07:34 PM

  Apologies, I didn't realise Lil Bit was still so young. Sometimes puppy replacement milk can cause constipation. She should be toileting by herself by now but it is probably worth stimulating her to see if you can encourage some movement: Use some damp cotton wool to rub her lower abdomen. Otherwise, if she seems uncomfortable with it, another trip to the vet is probably needed. You could certainly start weaning her already which may improve her bowel movements. Start with some very sloppy puppy food and encourage her to eat it off of your finger. The sooner you can get her onto solid foods, the better for both of you!

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• User says:

  March 06th, 2008 at 09:36 PM

  Thank you for your advice. She had 2 movements this morning. I am gonna get her some more can food that i think she will like. The vet had her on that hills A/D and she didn't like it. I figured if i could find some that smelled like milk she would eat it. Thank you so much we really appreciate it. She is itching real bad and kinda flaking off under her hair what could i do for that it just started today really bad.

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