Here is our sweet boy Gabriel, who was born with full sight, but has suffered from full blindness due to Suddenly Acquired Retinal Degeneration (also known as SARDS) when he was five years old. He is a very loving and happy little boy, and we are so blessed that God gave us the opportunity to be his parents!
SARDS is an extremely rare disease which affects about only one in every million dogs. It can affect juvenile or adults, and it usually occurs suddenly without any warning symptoms – so it was a shock for both Gabriel and us when he went blind.
There is no cure for SARDS, and there is currently no treatment available. We have been told by many of our friends that they would not want their dog to live like this, but we know that Gabriel loves life just as much as anyone else, and we believe that he will continue to enjoy life even though he cannot see.
Even though he developed his blindness quite late into his life, he has adapted remarkably well, and we think he is just as happy as a dog with their sight!
We do help him though by following a routine – we always do the same walks, and try to see the same people, so that he knows where his is even without the use of his eyes.
