Just like humans, many dogs experience eyesight-related problems as they age. While this can’t be prevented completely, there are plenty of things you can do to ensure your four-legged friend has the best quality of life possible. If your dog is already having difficulty seeing, this guide to caring for a blind or vision-impaired dog will allow you to make them as comfortable as possible. But if your dog is still on the younger side with healthy vision, here are the things you need to do to keep their eyes in good shape.
Balanced Diet
It might seem obvious, but a healthy and balanced diet will help your dog to feel their best as they age. The right diet will support their whole body, including their eyes, but adding fresh vegetables to meal times can really contribute to better eye health. Lots of dogs might resist this at first, but most will enjoy vegetables when presented with meat or mixed in with their usual food. It’s not advisable to feed dogs nothing but vegetables, but giving them portions of veggies like cauliflower, peppers and carrots will give them a boost. If your dog isn’t taking to vegetables easily, fish that are rich in fatty acids like sardines can also protect their eye health, so start with these first.
Maintain Hair
If your dog has long hair, over time strands can irritate their eyes and cause the cornea to become scratched and irritated. By maintaining the length of their hair, you can help your dog to see more clearly and reduce the risk of inflammation further down the line. Make sure you’re using blunt scissors to trim hair and never point them towards your dog’s eyes. Instead, keep the edge of the scissors parallel to their face to avoid accidents.
Sleep
Providing your dog with a good place to sleep is essential to maintaining eye comfort. While you might see your dog snoozing in the sunlight, make sure there’s a dark space for them to have a deeper sleep as well. Even though many pets don’t have problems napping in places they’re often interrupted, it’s important that your dog gets the chance to fully rest when they need to.
Regular Check-Ups
Even if your dog seems to be in perfect health, taking them for a check-up at the vets regularly can mean eye-related conditions are spotted early. If you wait until your dog is already showing signs of discomfort, it might be too late. Prevention is always the better solution, as some vision problems can’t be cured and simply have to be managed. Your vet will be able to provide tailored advice on how to keep your dog seeing more clearly into old age.
No matter the age of your dog, it’s never too early to start caring for their eyesight. If you have concerns about your dog’s vision, don’t hesitate to make an appointment with a vet to make sure everything is alright.
