It’s always heartbreaking when a family pet begins to grow elderly (I still can’t think about THAT scene in Marley and Me) but one pet lover has devised a way for older dogs to enjoy a better quality of life for longer.
Californian Silvie Bordeaux was devastated when her beloved 13-year-old toy poodle Muffin developed cataracts and lost his sight. When the businesswoman couldn’t find a product to help Muffin navigate the house alone without hurting himself, she set about developing a prototype.
Her device, Muffin’s Halo Guide for Blind Dogs, is a lightweight copper tube “halo”, attached to a harness (complete with wings! I can’t even.) fitted to the dog. Starting at around €60, the company ships the devices all over the world.
“Muffin now knows his home again and can travel with me to any hotel or friend’s house and gets to familiarise any new surroundings, quickly.” said the inventor.
“Muffin also loves all the attention he gets when I take him on walks, as he looks like a little angel. Most importantly, I can leave him at home for hours and know that he is safe.”
Blindness in dogs is commonly caused by cataracts, glaucoma, SARDS, trauma, retinal diseases and diabetes. While any breed can be affected, pure breeds such as cocker spaniels, poodles, golden retrievers, shih tzus and Yorkshire terriers are more genetically inclined to be succumb to these illnesses.
Meet Silvie and Muffin here…