Blind, deaf and no sense of smell.

Dr. Marie replied:

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that Jack is having these problems.

We can sometimes see blindness as a result of hyperthyroidism if the hyperthyroidism causes high blood pressure and the high blood pressure causes the retina at the back of the eye to detach. This is usually something that we can see on an exam of the eye. However, if Jack's hyperthyroidism has been under control with medication then this type of problem is not common.

If the blindness *is* due to a detached retina, then in some cases the vision can return if the blood pressure is brought back to normal quickly. But, quite often the blindness is permanent.

There are other causes of blindness and often it is hard to know what the cause is.

Hyperthyroidism should not cause deafness or loss of a sense of smell. Really there isn't a specific disease condition that would cause blindness, deafness and sense of smell all at once. I suppose we could make a case that a brain tumor could be doing this, but for a tumor to affect all of these senses it would have to be very widespread and I would think you'd also be seeing other symptoms like seizures and lack of appetite.

Unfortunately the only way to diagnose a brain tumor would be to have an MRI done and that usually is not in the budget for most people and is not available in all areas.

I'm afraid I don't have an answer for you. I think that the dental cleaning is a good idea. It sounds like your vet is doing all of the same things that I would.

Dr. Marie

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