# Benny blinded puppy



## Debbieg (Jun 7, 2009)

My daughter moved home in October with her 8 week GR pup. 
Benny has been very good with Kenobi, giving him a puppy license, but last night bit him in the face. It happened so quick; a quick bite and he let go.
There was no blood but the pups face was bruised. This morning his face was swollen but he was his playful and happy self. Tonight we noticed one of his eyes was not responsive and took him to the e vet. He is blind in one eye. The vet said we can take him to a pet optometrist but there is probably nothing they can do. 

I do not blame Benny. It is my fault. My husband and daughter blame me.
I did not see it happen One minute they were fine and I walked out of the kitchen and it happened. 
I am heart broken right now... feel like the worst dog owner in the world.
Please be careful to all those who add a new pup.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Debbie--

I am very sorry but it is not your fault. You had no idea this was going to happen because Benny had been good with the puppy. Accidents happen. Please do not be hard on yourself about this. 

I don't mean to sound insensitive but since it's happened, being blind in one eye is not that big of a deal, especially when they grow up that way.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Oh no, I'm so sorry. I agree with Ruth - I know you feel terrible, but it doesn't sound like you could have anticipated something like this. Please don't beat yourself up over it.


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## blehmannwa (Jan 11, 2011)

Dogs are dogs. Please don't blame yourself. Our pup got bit in the nose by our senior dog and it became infected. Accidents happen.


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## Twyla (Sep 18, 2011)

Don't beat yourself up, accidents do happen.

Shadow, my lab, has been more or less blind in one eye, from birth. Early on, it appeared she did see light, shadows, but that soon disappeared as well. The only way anyone could tell anything was different about her is because of the eye being blue. Otherwise she is full speed ahead. 

Something to keep in the back of your mind. Keep a check on the eye ball pressure and appearance of the eye and how it rests in the eye socket. In Shadow's case, the pressure built quickly, it became an emergency situation and she had to have the eye removed. It isn't an easy surgery, full recovery for Shadow at least, took a while.


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## Jelpy (Nov 8, 2009)

I have around a hundred "I wish" when it comes to me pets; sometimes things happen. 

Lycan is largely blind, 100% in one eye, 60-70% in the other with a kaleidescope vision in the portion that remains. He is one of the silliest, happiest dogs that I know. Kenobi will never know the difference; it may even help him develop control over the force. 

Jelpy


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## Eiros (Jun 30, 2011)

I'm so sorry, try not to feel bad though, it wasn't your fault!! These things happen so suddenly, there's nothing anyone could have done.

My GSD growing up, Max, was blinded in one eye at 4 months old by our family cat. He lived a completely normal life and no one even noticed he was blind, sometimes he just wouldn't see you on one side.

Everything will be ok!! 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Debbieg (Jun 7, 2009)

The e vet said the optic nerve is damaged and there is a slim chance when the swelling goes down his sight will return, but unlikely. He is on tramadol and anti biotics. The e vet did say there is a chance the eye may need to be removed so we will monitor. Kenobi goes to our regular vet this morning.

He is playing, bringing tennis balls and seem his happy self, but I do feel bad. I know dogs will be dogs but my family is emotional right now (We are Italian) and saying it is on me for not training Benny well enough. They don't get that even the best trained dog in the world could do this when left alone with another dog. I have kept toys off the floor, fed them seperately, to prevent this and never saw what started it. 
Up until this incident Kenobi had followed Benny around like he looked up to him.

I know Kenobi will adjust and be fine with just one eye. I am going to enroll my daughter in puppy classes so he can socialize with other pups and have some good experiences. Hopefully he wont become fearful.
Here is a pic the night before it happened.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

It sounds like Benny gave the puppy a muzzle correction - completely normal and appropriate way for an older dog to discipline a pushy puppy. This is not aggression, it was just an unfortunate fluke that Benny got the eye area.  

It's not your fault or Benny's fault - it was just one of those things that happen.


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## Bridget (Apr 5, 2004)

I am so sorry this happened, but absolutely not your fault. You did everything right and could not have foreseen this. Dogs are dogs... 

I can feel your pain though, because my family also tends to need someone to blame. I caught it with my son when he was staying with us and his Boston Terrier got out with our lab who is dog aggressive. My son accidently let him out, but I got the blame, just for the principal of it I guess.

Speaking of the Boston, Heidi once spent an entire Saturday with him and all of a sudden hauled off and bit him in the head. Dogs are dogs.


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## Debbieg (Jun 7, 2009)

The vet gave us some hope!! At first she shined she concurred with the e vet that Kenobi is blind in the left eye but as she shined the light he flinched! Upon furthur exam she said he is seeing a little. The tendons holding optic nerve in place are undamaged, but his pupils was fixed and dilated. She is having us put steroid drops in 4 times a day and says there is a chance he will fully recover. My daughter brought him to the church where I work and our pastor blessed him. This morning 24 hours later the pupils seem a bit less dilated. He goes back to the vet next Wednesday

Kenobi and Benny are laying by eachother and seem to have completely gotten over it. I do think it was a normal adult puppy muzzle correction that went very bad.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

Dogs are resilent. My pup has a piercing that she didn't realize she had asked for. Missed her eye but it was close. The two were playing, the pup did something offensive and got told off big time. I was right there. Happened anyway. Yes, I felt like I should have been more on top of it. ...


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## Gretchen (Jan 20, 2011)

I think we met once at Ft Funston? if it was you, both your dogs were very well behaved. I'm just going to say what everyone else said - It is not your fault! Where was your husband and daughter, they are equally responsible, but it just seems like an accident with nobody at fault. And if your daughter is an adult, she should be grateful she's allowed to live with you with a puppy.

I hoping for an optimistic outcome and that some vision will be restored.


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

Praying for a full recovery for Kenobi. He is adorable.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Eye injuries are always scary, probably because we value them so highly in ourselves, and they hurt so much when we hurt them. 

I am sorry this happened. I hope the puppy fully recovers. Emergency vets often give the worst case scenario. I sure hope they were wrong in this incident.


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## Debbieg (Jun 7, 2009)

Gretchen said:


> I think we met once at Ft Funston? if it was you, both your dogs were very well behaved.
> 
> I hoping for an optimistic outcome and that some vision will be restored.


We did meet at Fort Funston. That was a great day. 

I just got home from work and Kenobi is about the same tonight as this morning. Hoping for more improvement tomorrow. I don't want to have that beautiful brown eye removed

A dog trainer family friend came over last night and in her no nonsense way told my family that Benny was giving an appropriate correction to the puppy and it just happened to be in a bad place . She reiterated what my family already knows; that Benny is not a "bad vicious dog who blinded her puppy 
" and my daughter should not let the pup loose in the house when she is not watching him and not leave his tennis balls and toys strewn around. In a multi dog home high value items must be kept away and used under supervision.

I have said all these things but it helped for family to hear it from a friend who was objective.


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## blehmannwa (Jan 11, 2011)

When Havoc got the correction by our older dog it was over a very high value treat dispensing toy. He cried and there was a slight puncture. This happened in the evening. In the morning, his muzzle looked like a balloon and we rushed him to our vet which caused him to miss his puppy class. Our vet has been wit us for ten years and she did not guilt us at all about the bite but when we took him to the playtime after puppy class, the instructors were both so judgmental and disapproving that I never went back. So it is not just family that can be jerks. Glad you have a good trainer.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

Do you have access to a vet ophthalmologist? If so, I think it's worth a specialist visit. In my city, an office visit is under $100. They sometimes have knowledge of specialty procedures and treatments rarely used by regular vets. My dog's eye doctor charges under $100 for an office visit and exam.


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## Debbieg (Jun 7, 2009)

Magwart said:


> Do you have access to a vet ophthalmologist? If so, I think it's worth a specialist visit. In my city, an office visit is under $100. .


One of our vets associates has training in opthamology and is the one who have us the more hopeful prognosis.


Continued improvement today. He is flinching more and the pupil seems to be starting to constrict. As long as he at least has some vision I think they won't have to remove his eye.:fingerscrossed::fingerscrossed::fingerscrossed:


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## brembo (Jun 30, 2009)

Two things, I have a one eyed GSD. He gets on just like a dog with two except he sometimes konks his head on stuff on his blind side. Not often tho.

Also, if we had an olfactory system like a dogs, we would not place such value on eyes. Dogs see 1000X what we do with thiei noses.


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