My 5-week-old Labrador puppy is bumping into walls. Is he blind?

This is definitely suspicious for hereditary blindness, which is occasionally seen with this breed. It's best to have a vet to examine him and determine if he's blind. Since Toby is old enough for his first shots, this can be done at the same time. I hope that helps and all is well with Toby.

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.

Based on what you have done so far, I would say that it certainly is likely that Willow is visually impaired. If you have a veterinary ophthalmologist in your area, I would take her there to be examined so that other tests can be recommended to help confirm this. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

It can be tricky to determine if newborn pup is [blind](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/blindness/) since puppies don't [develop full eyesight](https://www.petcoach.co/article/sight-development-in-the-dog-puppy) until around 8 weeks of age. Vision will gradually improve to adult capacity over the next several weeks. You can gauge your puppy's vision by throwing a cotton ball into the air and watching his/her response. A puppy with normal sight will watch the hand motion, then the cotton ball as it falls to the floor. Do this silently as sound may distract the puppy. If your pup fails to spot or follow the cotton ball, see your veterinarian or a [veterinary ophthalmologist](https://www.acvo.org/) for a complete eye exam.

Puppies do not develop the respond to blink due to an object in front of the eye until they are 10-12 weeks old (usually). Place objects in front of Leo and see if he walks around them. You can also have a toy and see if his eyes follow it while encouraging play. Your vet can also access and help you if needed. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Dixie. I recommend seeing her veterinarian to have her vision assessed. Some young puppies run into things as they are still developing their coordination. However, it is important to ensure that she does not have any vision defects. I hope this information helps!

Puppies do not generally open their eyes until 1-2 weeks have passed since their birth. They will sleep a lot as puppies as well since they are growing and using a lot of energy. If the mom is there and he is feeding from mom, he should be nursing every 2 hours or so. If he is not nursing or mom is not around, I would feed every 2-3 hours with a puppy formula. Once he is 6-8 weeks of age, I would take him in to be seen by a veterinarian for his first set of vaccinations and deworming. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.