Vision Disorders in Companion Animals and Their Impact on Behavior and Welfare

Vision disorders in companion animals reshape spatial orientation, social interaction, activity structure, and caregiver routines. Welfare changes appear in navigation errors, altered interaction patterns, and disruption of daily routines. The text examines how visual impairment in dogs and cats transforms behavior and long-term well-being under domestic conditions. The analysis traces a chain linking ophthalmic change, functional limitation, owner interpretation, clinical timing, and environmental adaptation. Different forms of visual disorder produce distinct behavioral patterns, shape owner interpretation, and define how welfare-oriented management is constructed without experimental data. Peer-reviewed veterinary studies from the last five years form the analytical basis and are compared through conceptual synthesis. Recurrent behavioral pathways, limits of indirect assessment, and clinical decision points that separate manageable blindness from states shaped by pain, disorientation, or delayed diagnosis are identified. The findings translate into practical guidance for monitoring and supporting visually impaired animals in clinical and household settings across different stages of care.

companion animals, canine blindness, feline vision loss, animal welfare, behavior change, quality of life, glaucoma, retinal disease, sensory compensation, veterinary ophthalmology

Beckwith-Cohen, B., & Petersen-Jones, S. M. (2024). Manifestations of systemic disease in the retina and fundus of cats and dogs. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 11, 1337062. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2024.1337062

Biondi, V., Pugliese, M., Voslarova, E., Landi, A., & Passantino, A. (2022). Animal welfare considerations and ethical dilemmas inherent in the euthanasia of blind canine patients. Animals, 12(7), 913. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12070913

Borzatta, D., Gualandi, L., & Lucidi, P. (2023). Blindness in adult dogs: Owners’ and dogs’ reactions and changes in human–animal interaction. Anthrozoös, 36(6), 1025–1038. https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2023.2238436

Bujan, J. D., Boyd, E. J., & Pont, R. T. (2021). Comparing the behaviour of dogs before and after enucleation due to glaucoma. Veterinary Record, 188, e53. https://doi.org/10.1002/vetr.53

de Sampaio, M. O. B., Montiani-Ferreira, F., Mello, F. R., et al. (2024). Supplemental vibrissal extensions as an alternative to improve the tactile sensitivity of blind dogs: A preliminary approach investigation. Veterinary Research Communications, 48, 1907–1914. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-024-10342-y

Fulmer, A. E., Laven, L. J., & Hill, K. E. (2022). Quality of life measurement in dogs and cats: A scoping review of generic tools. Animals, 12(3), 400. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12030400

Hopper, R. G., Bromberg, R. B., Salzman, M. M., Peterson, K. D., Rogers, C., Cameron, S., et al. (2024). Dual sensory impairments in companion dogs: Prevalence and relationship to cognitive impairment. PLoS ONE, 19(10), e0310299. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0310299

Moretto, L., Lavaud, A., Suter, A., Günther, C., Pot, S., & Glaus, T. (2021). Reliability of detecting fundus abnormalities associated with systemic hypertension in cats assessed by veterinarians with and without ophthalmology specialty training. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 23(10), 921–927. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098612X20983265

Rogers, C. M., Salzman, M. M., Li, Z., Merten, N., Russell, L. J., Lillesand, H. K., & Mowat, F. M. (2023). Subjective vision assessment in companion dogs using dogVLQ demonstrates age-associated visual dysfunction. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 10, 1244518. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2023.1244518

Washington, D. R., Li, Z., Fox, L. C., & Mowat, F. M. (2021). Canine sudden acquired retinal degeneration syndrome: Owner perceptions on the time to vision loss, treatment outcomes, and prognosis for life. Veterinary Ophthalmology, 24, 156–168.