Daschound blindness and over weight

Question
We saved Scooter from the pound about 3 years ago. They think he was about 2 yrs then. He was quite a pistol up until about 6 months ago when his weight drastically shot up from 20 to about 24lbs. This past month he is running into things and very lethargic. (he won't even hang is head out of the car windows any more.) Now the occasional toy or doggie treat has to be touching his nose for him to react, he can't see it. He seems to make out shadows from a distance, but nothing up close unless it is associated with a nose touch or smell. Is this normal for his breed, maybe diabetes, or is it something else? Please help we love him dearly.

Answer
Chuck-

No, this is not normal for any breed unfortunatly. It is of course possible your dachshund may be experiencing a thryoid problem, or diabetes, but unfortunatly there is no way for anyone to diagnose him without a blood panel. On the other hand, it is also very possible that he has cataracts and has gone blind, in which case he is just not as active so is not burning off his food, is lethargic because he cant see to play, and doesn't want to hang his head out the window because he can't find it, or it isn't as interesting without sight. I would get him into the vet ASAP. The faster it is diagnosed, the faster a solution, if possible, can be found.

Good luck, I hope he feels better-