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Diagnosed with Progressive Retinal Atrophy (aka PRA)

The Service and Therapy Dog forum is for all service and therapy dogs regardless of whether or not their status is legally defined by federal or state law, how they are trained, or whether or not they are "certified." Posts questioning or disputing a person's need for a service or therapy dog, the validity of a person's service or therapy dog, or the dog's ability to do the work of a service or therapy dog are not permitted in this forum. Please keep discussions fun, friendly, and helpful at all times.

  


Member Since
01/05/2013		 
 
Barked: Fri Mar 15, '13 2:06pm PST 
My seizure/headache service dog was diagnosed with PRA yesterday frown

So far, she is only night blind, and we are getting her on supplements to hopefully slow down the progression. I am worried that I will have to retire her :,(

She shouldn't have any trouble alerting me of a seizure or headache, but obviously retrieval tasks will be impossible when she goes blind (I could just have the meds and water and phone always in her vest, I suppose). I really don't want to retire her... It feels like it has taken me forever to get her almost to the perfect service dog for me! She is the best service dog I have had so far. Would it even be possible to have a blind service dog? We don't know for sure how long it will be before she goes blind. Any ideas? Should I retire her and try training a new pup?
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Mr. Jake the- Beagle

I am Murphy's- Law Embodied! <3- Me!		 
 
Barked: Fri Mar 15, '13 3:37pm PST 
After a year of intensive training with my Mr. Beagle and getting him just about ready to do his offical public access training. I had to wash him do to a similar contidion with his eyes. I'm sure I could have continued to work with him as a service dog but realized it's better to begin training another dog.

So jake was washed and is now just an ESA (for housing reasons) and I'm looking into programs for my next one.

I know first hand how disappointing that is. But you have to know when to let go and start over. I poured a lot of money into trainers and training for jake and had to wash him because of poor eyesight. Even though the year before when we started he was perfectly fine in terms of his eyes. I had even worked through his back issues to make him strong again.

Jake still alerts for me when we're out in public together in dog friendly places but I no longer require him to do so.

I feel it's best you just start over now. While you still have your current dog to help until you've officially trained the new one.

Good luck to you.
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