My dog is walking into walls in the dark. What causes worsening night vision?

Hello. There can be a number of causes for night blindness including exposure to toxins & some drugs, primary eye disease & some heritable conditions such as PRA ( Progressive Retinal Atrophy). It is important to have a thorough eye exam done to rule out all possible retinopathies. This would include an examination of menace responses, corneal exam, fundic exam & possible electroretinogram. Hope you can have Moti seen by a veterinary ophthalmologist to determine the cause of the night blindness. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This is an emergency. Your dog needs to be seen by a veterinarian right away. Sudden loss of eye sight can be caused by many conditions, inherited/congenital eye disease, tick borne disease (Ehrlichiosis), diseases of the retina, SARDS (usually in older dogs), Inflammatory, autoimmune, or allergic causes and many more. Please take Buddy to a veterinarian now.

Sadly, many of the ailments of human senior citizens can also occur in our canine companions. Impaired vision or blindness can occur in dogs and can be due to things like cataracts, glaucoma, etc. The good news is that these diseases, if caught early enough, can be treated and sometimes even reversed or cured! My best advice is to take Baby to your local veterinarian as soon as possible to have a complete ophthalmic examination performed. Some of the tests you should ask for are as follows: a menace test, intraocular tonopen test, schirmer tear test, and fundic exam. I hope this helps. Have a great day.

Dogs can develop blindness secondary to disease of the brain (central), eye (peripheral) or secondary to systemic disease such as elevated blood pressure or Cushing's disease. If she is able to see now, she may not have been truly blind before or just had trouble seeing at night. A full examination would be needed to help to determine the underlying cause. In the meantime, observe her closely and make notes including changes in behavior, bumping into things, changes in eyes, changes in urination or defecation, appetite and take this information with you to your veterinary appointment.

There is a condition called SARDS or sudden acute retinal degeneration syndrome. We don't know what causes this syndrome in dogs, but it does cause sudden blindness, weight gain, and increased water intake. Your veterinarian may be able to help identify if they agree with this possibility. I hope this is helpful. Thanks for using Pet Coach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! These could be signs that his vision may be affected perhaps by cataracts, or any other eye disease occurring in an older dog. I recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian to see if that seems to be issue. Good luck and have a good night!

Night blindness is unusual but it can develop. Sometimes this is hereditary but other causes like nutritional imbalance or a retinol disease could also be the cause. I recommend to play it safe and have Vinny examined by his veterinarian. Take in his package of food too for the doctor to examine. Please feel free to post any additional questions.