Dogs are often exposed to viruses or bacteria that can cause eye infections. Once infected, your dog’s eyes will become itchy, red and swollen with increased discharge, which can not only cause damage to the eyes but also lead to permanent blindness. Therefore, it is important that you take your dog to the veterinarian in a timely manner to prevent further deterioration of the eye infection through professional diagnosis and treatment.
1. Ask your veterinarian about the difference between normal eye discharge and an eye infection. Although irritation such as eye discharge can make your dog feel uncomfortable, it cannot be used to conclude that it is an eye infection. Increased discharge from a dog’s eye can be caused by problems such as foreign objects entering the eye, allergies, abrasions or dry eyes, or it can be due to blocked tear ducts, ulcers or tumors, or congenital genetic problems such as protruding eyeballs or droopy eyelids.
The only way to be sure if it is an eye infection is to have it examined by a veterinarian.
2. Have your dog’s eyes examined by a veterinarian. Typically, the veterinarian will first take the dog’s temperature and observe the dog walking around in an observation room, which will help the veterinarian determine if the dog has a vision problem due to an eye infection. The veterinarian will then examine the dog’s eyes with an ophthalmoscope. The ophthalmoscope is a lightweight instrument used to look at the structure of the dog’s eye to see if there are any other abnormalities such as foreign bodies or tumors in the dog’s eye.The veterinarian will also check the tissue around the dog’s eye for swelling or numbness. The white of the eye or the tissue around the eye is then examined for redness and swelling, and the discharge is checked for changes in color or texture.
The veterinarian will also check to see if the dog can blink normally, wave his hand to see if he can respond to objects moving in front of him, and will also look for normal pupil response to light and dark light.
3. Always have your dog’s eyes tested by a veterinarian. The veterinarian may also test the dog’s eyes to confirm the presence of an eye infection. Relevant tests include.
Fluorescein stain test: During the test, the veterinarian will use chemically treated test strips on the dog’s eyes. If there is a scratch or ulcer in the eye, the fluorescein will appear green.
Schirmer Tear Production Test: This test measures the number of tears produced by the dog. The test is quick and easy, and the veterinarian will use the test strips on the dog’s eyes to measure the number of tears produced to determine if the dog’s eyes are producing a normal amount of tears, or if the amount of tears in the eyes has increased or decreased significantly due to infection.
2 Treatment
1. Wipe the secretions from your dog’s eyes with a warm towel. Use a warm towel to wipe off the secretions that accumulate on the hair around your dog’s eyes.
Do not wipe the eyes directly, as this can easily bruise and injure the eyes.
2. Rinse your dog’s eyes with saline. You can rinse your dog’s eyes with saline to reduce eye irritation. Use an eye dropper to give your dog’s eyes saline three to four times a day.
3. Treat with antibiotics. Your veterinarian will prescribe antibiotics to treat your dog’s eye infection. The antibiotic medication may be eye drops or ointment used three or four times a day.
The veterinarian may prescribe oral antibiotic medication that needs to be mixed into the dog’s food and fed to the dog.
When applying eye drops or ointment to a dog, follow these steps.
One person is responsible for holding the dog.
- Prepare the required items.
- Open the dog’s eyelids.
- Operate behind the dog to prevent the dog from seeing and avoiding it.
- Avoid letting the dropper or tip of the tube touch the dog’s eyes.
- Allow the dog to blink to allow the ointment to spread evenly.
- Administer the medication at the prescribed intervals.
4. If the dog tries to scratch its eyes with its paws, put a hood on it. Be sure to protect your dog’s eyes from scratching or bruising. If your dog tries to scratch its eyes with its paws or rubs its eyes against something else, you will want to put a head cover or Elizabethan ring on your dog to prevent it from hurting its eyes.
Don’t let your dog stick his head out the window when driving. Bugs and dirt can easily fly into the eyes and cause further irritation to the infected area.
5. Stay away from dusty environments. While your dog’s eyes are healing, try to keep your dog out of rooms or places that are full of dust. Go out and play also to avoid dusty environments to prevent aggravation of the disease.
