Oh boy - I suppose I should take her to the vet. I hate to subject her to the coronavirus vet experience but if something as simple as medication might help I better check. I don’t want to put her through a lot of traumatic veterinary care at this stage.

We had a dog with a meningioma wrapped around her optic nerve, inoperable. The first symptom we noticed was Total vision loss. Leaving aside our devastation, the neurologist explained that pets wake up each day and have no regret nor rue their circumstances...they take each day as it is presented. They don’t have regrets for what they’ve lost. I do hope that’s true...it did seem to be true... She was prescribed a steroid and did regain her vision for a year, before the steroid really took its toll on her organs. I do feel we did the best we could, and while she was blind, we did some things, like put a cheap ribbed rubber mat from the backdoor to the grass, so wouldn’t run into the patio furniture. So there are adjustments they will make and still have a happy life. I would do the same again.

I am curious, what you mean about the coronavirus vet experience? Our vet Techs bring the pet from the car to The vet, and the vet calls to explain things. There’s no contact. Does your vet do it differently?

Yes, Tina was about the same age, with CRF and hyperthyroidism. She lost her vision suddenly a few months before she died. I suspected a small stroke. I was worried about stairs, but she was mostly staying upstairs at that point, so it wasn't an issues. She did adjust and get around better after a few days.

I've had really good luck with the Animal Emergency and Referral Center in Oakdale for speciality care. They don't have an ophthalmology department yet, but they may have someone on staff. This may be more cardiololgy or neurology in any case. They are very kind to animals, so I wouldn't hesitate to let one of my cats go inside without me if required because of covid.

BluePearl Pet Hospital in St. Louis Park has an ophthalmology department. I've never used their services, however.

I've known a couple of blind cats that adapted just fine.

Petey loves a daily walk with his owner and canine housemate. No leash. Follows the sound of his owner's keys!

Little Bit was blind from a very early age. She used the walls to navigate. They didn't rearrange furniture or leave stuff in the floor which would have confused her.

Not sure if it helps, but my brother has a blind dog. The dog was born with sight and lost his sight probably around age 7 or 8. He bumps into things regularly but he has still been a very happy dog. You can even throw toys for him and he will happily search for them by smell. He has always been a fairly simple dog, not particularly intelligent, but also the sweetest thing. He loves his family and loves when I come to visit. I think he's been able to have a very happy life, despite the blindness.

Mrs. S - my vet does the same. I just hate handing her over to a tech in the parking lot and not being able to go in with her. For tonight I confined her to a bathroom. I thought she’d cry but she didn’t so I feel better about that. I just thought it was cruel to leave her bumping about in the night plus she can have access to her food all night which would not be the case if she was out with the other cats. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.

3katz4me, I am so sorry. My former roommate's cat years ago went blind from CKD and high blood pressure, and he did fairly well with finding the food bowl and box. He was pretty old at the time, and I think he lived about a year or two after that.

My sister's dog had one eye removed from a tumor. It did not seem to really affect her much other than sometimes she'd run into a door frame occasionally , but she always held her breath that she would not go totally blind.