My puppy's eyes aren't opening. What do I do if my puppy is blind?

Some puppies will open their eyes later than other puppies. If there is no discharge from the eyes, mucus or matting over the eyelids, it seem like the muscles around the eyes 'blink' even though his eyes are not open, and he's eating and otherwise thriving, he may just be slow to open his eyes. If you see any of the signs I mentioned above, there is a medical reason behind why he isn't opening his eyes, and you need to take him into your vet.

If she is nursing well and alert otherwise then it is less concerning and would point more to an eye injury or infection (conjunctivitis) which will need treatment. If she is weak and not wanting to nurse or interact then she needs to be seen by a vet immediately.m to see what is going on. Make sure she is kept warm and you can gentle clean her eyes with sterile eye wash. If you see any redness, mucus or cloudiness to the eye then it is best she get seen by a vet

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.

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.

Sometimes it takes a few days longer for a puppy to open its eyes. Looking at the photos it looks like he is starting to open his eyes. Be patient. Should he have not opened them by the third week, then have him examined by your veterinarian.

Puppies’ eyes usually do not open until about 14 days of age. At 11 days of age, Baby girl would need to be bottle fed Puppy Milk Replacer at least every 2 hours until about 6 weeks of age, and stimulated to urinate/defecated several times a day with a hypoallergenic baby wipe in the genital area (mother dogs usually stimulate their pups to urinate, defecate by licking them down there). I recommend bringing the puppy to your veterinarian for an evaluation as young puppies are extremely susceptible to hypothermia and hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), in addition to dehydration if not fed every 2 hours. They may recommend subcutaneous fluids and possibly offer medical day boarding where their techs can feed Baby girl for you while you are at work (likely pricey though for several weeks). Good luck!

You can try bathing very gently with cooled, boiled saline and cotton wool but do not pull or pry them open. It is not impossible for pups to be born with no or deformed eyes and a full vet check would be recommended if not opening within the next 72hours