[Kitchen Cottage]

I am fostering (and paid for his transport) an old blind chain dog from Bulgaria called Denzel.  He's been with me now about 8 weeks and, to be fair,  I always knew he may never be suitable for future adoption.  As a chain dog he will have had very very little human interaction his whole life.

Denzel can now be touched carefully on the head and shoulders, will come to me from a few metres away and yesterday pottered round the garden and came into the utility room on his own... these are BIG steps for him.

I think Denzel may have been blinded in a car accident and I THINK he may be brain damaged.  I have another blindie Luca of the same age, who can assess situations much better.  Denzel gets very confused very quickly.  Its taken a little time for him to learn to navigate the Kitchen!

There is one feature of Denzel that causes me concern .... and that is that he constantly seems to walk in circles outside.  I know in some breeds tail chasing and circles is indicative of neurological conditions. 

does anyone have any views on this without me referring to that most inaccurate source.... Google.

To get Denzel to a vet (and I see little point really) would involve him being lifted... and he would attack.  Its going to be a long time before I have that kind of trust from him or at all.   He is what he is... I would just like a view on whether the circle walking is significant

[shygirl]

does he spin fast in circles or walk slowly?
i was watching a cesar millan programme(you tube) the other day which involved a spinning dog, but that was anxiety related and spinning was the way the dog released stress.
maybe yours is neurological? does he hold his head strangely. (i know goats walk in circles when ill, can be a sign of brain/spinal cord damage amongst other things)



hats off to you anyway, i really admire your determination with these dogs 

[kelly58]

Our collie cross chases her tail when you sneeze, laugh, see dogs on the tv, when you whistle,  when you sing .
The local dog trainer told us it is a 'collie thing' . She did it so bad that she actually injured the end of her tail and had to have half of it removed ! Shes a rescue too but l dont think she has the issues your poor Denzil has.
He has been to hell and back by what you say. I have great respect for you taking on such a sensitive and complex challenge.
Hes a very lucky boy.

[Old Shep]

if he's always been on a chain maybe circles has been his only way to walk?

[in the hills]

I suppose it's very difficult for anyone to say without medical examination. I was thinking that it could just be due to his limited experiences/opportunities for movement in the past or 'disturbed' type behaviour.

Our Flattie when he was young used to chase his tail, sometimes until he fell over. In his case it was high spirited, endless energy type thing. Our young lab does it occasionally. This maybe different than in your dogs case. They were both obviously trying to playfully catch their tail. Is he doing it in a joyful 'tizz'? I'm guessing not.

I have read about it indicating problems but I think the circling/tail chasing could have very different causes in different dogs.

[Kitchen Cottage]

Old Shep.... What a good point! It may be exactly that!  As for his head, it is slightly to the side but his whole gait is odd... very very uncertain and he often seems to be about to fall over or trip.... If I leave a bag in the kitchen and he walks into it slowly, he seems almost to fall over. 

In answer to the other question, its a slow walk in circles.  I've been told he's about 9 but its hard to know.  He doesn't seem arthritic or anything but he is very very slow and then... I'll put him in a field and he'll get a wiggle on and be fast.

Like I said, he is what he is.... I'm quite sure he won't benefit from any further medical intervention.  The journey over must have been awful.

[doganjo]

A friend of mine has an Ibizan hound which does this regularly when she is bored - she is perfectly normal in every other way, and they have a few of them to compare her to.(about 7 or 8 of them)

[Coeur de Chene]

Our 14 year old collie cross had a stroke - as in a cerebral vascular accident, about 18 months ago. He has a head tilt, which is apparantly a classic sign, and an unusual sideways gait. He sometimes trips and falls. He is otherwise managing fine but may have another at some point. When it happened his eyes were darting back and forth very quickly. All the best with your boy, does it sound as if he may have had something similar?

[Kitchen Cottage]

Denzel has his own facebook page Find Denzel his Special Home.... (in truth I don't think he will be rehomed) and there is a video of him on there

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Find-Denzel-His-Special-Home/1436384803288011?ref=hl

I would be grateful if someone could look at that and give me a view.  He is only supposed to be 9 or 10 so too young to be as doddery as he is.

The video is on the post of 5th July

[pgkevet]

If that's the video that starts off with the pink bowl..

That dog looks older than 9yrs..likely 'aged' with 'optimism' to rehome.
There wasn't any circling behaviour on that vid. All I saw was a very slight gait abnormality that one could easily put down to the blindness and stepping a bit higher to avoid a trip. Good use of nose.

If he's as unhandleable as you imply then it'd be pointless trying to get a blood pressure reading off him but brain isues are one cause of high BP. Similarly with those cataracts (correctly lens opacities) one can't view the retinal vessels and optic disc.

Head tilts with circling imply balance issues (most common cause in older dogs is a past epsiode of idiopathic vestibular syndrome) which can also leave a high stepping gait. But honestly that vid shows no sign of it.

[Kitchen Cottage]

On a lead he doesn't circle, he moves forward.  He now goes round the garden by himself and when he bumps into something he goes round and round.  He can't be picked up or touched. He's not aggressive just terrified.  He seems a lot older than 9 to me and, frankly, the rescues tend to lie to suit themselves with these dogs.  luca my other blindie was supposed to be 1... he is about 9 or 10 (still love him though)

Thanks for looking... I think the video is a pretty accurate view of him ... and I don't think he will be rehomed which isn't a problem, he's safe with me and we're making little steps 

[pgkevet]

If he only circles off lead after bumping stuff then either circling to re-orientate or borderline vestibular condition getting jarred (but then ought to head tilt as well).

One of the tricks we used to recommend for suddenly blind dogs was for the owners to get a bunch of cheap scents or smells and mark set points with set smells. As in a spot of cheap cologne top and bottom of the stairs, a different one in doorways etc

[doganjo]

If he only circles off lead after bumping stuff then either circling to re-orientate or borderline vestibular condition getting jarred (but then ought to head tilt as well).

One of the tricks we used to recommend for suddenly blind dogs was for the owners to get a bunch of cheap scents or smells and mark set points with set smells. As in a spot of cheap cologne top and bottom of the stairs, a different one in doorways etc

What a brilliant idea, never heard of that before!  Thanks, will pass on if I hear of anyone with a blind dog, it will definitely help, as dogs have such discerning scent abilities it is bound to help them orientate.

[Kitchen Cottage]

There are 4 permanent and 2 foster blindies at KC... The garden is scented in various places and I have made scented doorstops.  I use a little essential oil inside the doorstops.  I think scents on something would be quite offensive to their noses.

I also have, outside, some wind chimes with different sounds