Living With a Dog With Cataracts: Tips for Everyday Life
Cataracts can cause vision loss in dogs, making everyday activities like walking, playing, and navigating the house more challenging. If your dog has been diagnosed with cataracts, there are a few things you can do to help make their life (and yours!) easier.
Every dog is different, and the amount of vision loss will depend on the severity of their cataracts. If you’re new to the diagnosis, the Merck Veterinary Manual’s guide to cataracts in dogs is a helpful resource for understanding the condition.
I’ve learned a lot from living with a dog whose vision has progressively deteriorated. These are some of the things that have made the biggest difference in our everyday lives.
1. Pay Attention to Lighting Conditions
This is probably the biggest thing to pay attention to. Notice which lighting conditions seem to confuse your dog and which ones help them navigate their surroundings.
Bright Sunlight Can Make Things Harder to See
Walking directly toward the sun can make it extremely difficult for a dog with cataracts to see what’s in front of them. Before I understood what was happening with my girl’s vision, she ran right into streetlight poles, street sign poles, snowbanks, and other obstacles.
Once it happens, you won’t forget it!
Sunny days can affect her vision even when the sun is higher in the sky, although the effect seems less severe than when she’s looking directly into the light.
Think about how difficult it is to see when you’re facing the sun while wearing non-polarized sunglasses. Everything gets washed out, right? This is one way to understand what your dog may be experiencing, although the effects of cataracts vary between dogs.
This also applies when your dog is looking toward a door with sunlight streaming through it. They may not be able to tell whether the door is open or closed, or even notice that you’ve opened it.
Watch for Backlighting Indoors
Lighting inside your home can affect your dog’s vision, too. Pay attention to the conditions that seem to cause confusion and adjust things where you can.
I have a plant light in the corner of my apartment near my desk chair. When my dog looks toward my chair with the light behind it, she often can’t tell whether I’m sitting there. Most of the time, she thinks I am and sits looking at the chair, waiting for me to play with her.
It’s heartbreaking, but I’ve learned to get her attention in other ways so she knows where I am.
Think about someone sitting in front of a bright window. Their face and features become difficult to see because they’re backlit, sometimes leaving them looking like a dark silhouette. Your dog may experience similar difficulties distinguishing objects against bright backgrounds.
Find the Shade When You’re Outdoors
Shade is your friend!
When we go camping, I notice an immediate improvement in my dog’s vision when we sit under the awning. If you’re spending time outdoors, look for shaded areas where your dog seems more comfortable and confident.
Small adjustments like this can make outdoor adventures much more enjoyable.
2. Make Your Home Easier to Navigate
Keep Furniture and Everyday Items in the Same Place
Dogs rely on more than their eyesight to navigate the world. Familiar surroundings, smells, sounds, and routines can all help them get around.
Try to keep your furniture in the same place whenever possible. Keep food and water bowls in consistent locations, too.
You might also consider padding the corners of low furniture, such as coffee tables. Personally, I wouldn’t have a glass coffee table in a home with a visually impaired dog because it can be particularly difficult to see from a low angle.
Keep Floors Clear of Clutter
Your dog will probably trip over things from time to time. Shoes, grocery bags, toys, and other everyday objects can quickly become obstacles.
Usually, my dog can catch herself, but if your dog has limited mobility or struggles to regain her balance, tripping could result in a painful fall.
I try to keep my floors as clear as possible. It’s a small change that makes moving around the house safer and easier.
3. Adjust Your Walks and Outdoor Activities
Consider Keeping Your Dog on a Leash More Often
Your dog may struggle with off-leash activities as their vision deteriorates. They might have trouble finding you when you call them, run into obstacles, or trip over uneven ground and gopher holes.
Depending on how much vision your dog has left, you may need to keep them on a leash more often than you’re used to.
Walking on-leash through an open field can still be enjoyable, depending on how well your dog can keep track of where you are.
My dog has heeled on my right side her entire life, so she knows where to look for me when we’re walking together. It’s not foolproof these days, but she can often use my shadow to help figure out which direction I’m in.
Stick to Familiar Walking Routes
I’ve pretty much succumbed to sidewalk walks these days.
The most reliable thing I’ve noticed, aside from the problems caused by direct sunlight, is that my dog can still distinguish between the sidewalk and the grass.
Of course, winter makes this more difficult when both the sidewalk and grass are covered in white snow. But we walk the same block every day now, and she stays on my right side, where she can often distinguish the white sidewalk from the darker grass.
Familiar routes give your dog an opportunity to learn the layout of their surroundings and anticipate what comes next.
You don’t necessarily have to give up exploring new places, but be prepared to slow down and offer more guidance when the surroundings are unfamiliar.
4. Help Your Dog With Depth Perception and Obstacles
Take Your Time at Curbs and Steps
Walking the same route has helped my dog for several reasons, but one of the biggest is navigating curbs.
Depth perception can be affected by vision loss, making it harder for a dog to judge changes in height. They may not realize they need to step up or down when approaching a curb.
We have exactly three streets to cross on our usual walk. By slowing down at each curb, she’s learned the routine: you go down, then you go up!
You can also explore different routes if you slow down at each curb, step, or other obstacle and give your dog time to work out what’s ahead.
A well-fitted harness can be especially useful here. It gives you a way to offer gentle support through your dog’s body rather than putting all the pressure on their neck.
Expect Snowbanks and Other Obstacles
Your dog will likely eventually walk straight into a snowbank or trip over something they didn’t see.
I imagine that, for my dog, some obstacles appear as indistinct shapes without clear edges or heights. It’s difficult for her to judge exactly what’s in front of her.
Assume that obstacles may be harder for your dog to identify than you expect, and guide them around anything they might struggle to step over safely.
5. Be Patient as Your Dog Adjusts to Vision Loss
When I first noticed my dog’s vision deteriorating, I was devastated. It changed so many parts of our lives almost immediately, and her vision has progressively gotten worse.
It’s difficult to watch your dog struggle with things that used to be effortless. But I’ve also learned that a few small lifestyle changes can make a huge difference.
We still enjoy our walks, spend time outdoors, and go camping. I simply have to pay closer attention to our surroundings and adapt to what she can manage comfortably.
If you’re interested in seeing more of the dogs I photograph and the special relationships people share with their pets, you can visit my pet photography portfolio.
And if you’re looking for more information about cataracts themselves, the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists has a helpful article explaining the difference between cataracts and another common cause of cloudy eyes.
Of course, every dog is different. These tips are based on my own experience and aren’t a substitute for veterinary advice. Regular veterinary checkups are important because cataracts can sometimes cause complications beyond vision loss. Also, the earlier you notice them, the more successful cataract removal surgery can be. By the time we had a consult with an eye specialist, the cataracts were too far along.
Cataracts are not necessarily the end of your adventures together. With a few adjustments, a little patience, and an awareness of how your dog responds to different situations, you can help them continue to enjoy their life.
Please leave a comment if there’s anything you’ve found helpful with your own visually impaired dog. I’d love to hear your experiences and add more tips to this list!
Take good care,
Crystal
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