Dog eye care can be somewhat “hit and miss”. It’s something dog owners generally take for granted unless your dog’s eyes start to show signs of infection, or perhaps there are signs that your dog’s eyesight is not as good as it once was.
We probably take dog eye care for granted because we’ve never stopped to consider that dogs don’t have an effective way of keeping his/her eyes clean. After all, we simply wash our faces with a wet face cloth or by splashing plenty of water on our faces, including our eyes. Dogs, however, when left to care for their own eyes, remove buildup by rubbing their faces on the carpet or against furniture, or perhaps with their paws. None of these methods of “natural” dog eye care is particularly effective, and they’re not particularly safe, either. Rubbing their eyes against surfaces or even their own paws can easily deposit dirt in the eye causing further irritation.
So we as pet owners need to provide our dogs with eye care on a frequent basis.
You should check your dog’s eyes at least weekly to ensure good eye care.
Healthy eyes in a dog are moist and clear. Redness, swelling, mucus discharge or squinting may all be indications of the presence of eye infection in your dog. If you see anything that is of concern, you should consult your vet.
But there are steps you can take yourself to improve your dog’s eye care, and ensure your dog’s eye health generally:
1. Keep hair away from your dog’s eyes, as hair can irritate the eyes and can cause tiny scratches on the cornea of your dog’s eye.
2. Particularly if you have a breed of dog that has long hair, you should regularly trim the hair around your dog’s eye. ALWAYS use blunt-nosed scissors for this, or you could potentially cause severe damage to your dog’s eye if s/he moves while you’re cutting the hair away.
3. Keep mucus to a minimum by using a sterile eyewash or eyewipes. Mucus is not only unsightly, but can easily lead to infection. Eye infections in your dog are often the result of bacteria that overgrow on mucus that is not cleaned away.
4. Take care of your dog’s eyes when bathing your dog. Use a mild, good quality dog shampoo of course – but even shampoos that are non-irritating to the eyes can in fact irritate the eyes if not washed out very well. Help to prevent the shampoo getting in your dog’s eyes by using a protective ophthalmic ointment under the top lid of your dog’s eye before you bath your dog.
5. If your dog is prone to developing “tear stains”, you should clean the hair in the “tear” area just under the inner corners of the eyes on a regular basis (at least once a week) with a tear stain remover product. Some breeds tend to develop tear stains more than others – e.g. Cocker Spaniels, Poodles, Maltese.
6. Older dogs can develop an opaque, cloudy look on their eyes. This can be a normal sign of aging, but it may be caused by cataracts, which is a degenerative condition of the eye that can result in your dog eventually going blind over a number of years. There are natural, homeopathic, eye remedies for dogs available that can assist, and even reverse this process.
Eye care for your dog is an essential part of your dog’s care. They’re not a part of your dog’s anatomy you want to take any chances with.
Thank you for all your dedication and guidance to help us dog lovers provide the best life possible for our lovely lil’ companions!!! its extremely warm and comforting to know that someone is willing to share important, useful information to better the quality of life, both for ourselves and our pets.
‘Bentley’ my King Charles Cavalier (2 1/2 yrs) has been getting a lot of eye infections lately. the drops provided by our vet seem to be helping, but only when the drops are used…as soon as the bottle is finished, Bentley’s eyes get all red and ‘gooky’ again.
**I was wondering if you had any advice, info or ideas on how I can help my Bentley-boy more comfortable and less ‘gooky’.
Thanks so much again,
Rachel -n- Bentley
Hi Rachel,
Thanks for your kind comments. I really appreciate them.
Sorry to hear that Bentley is getting recurrent eye infections.
First of all, let me stress that eye infections can be serious, and if you’re worried you should definitely be consulting further with your vet. Please note that I am NOT a vet and I have NO veterinary training whatsoever. I speak only from my own very limited experience as a dog owner like yourself.
But that said, if the drops your vet is prescribing for your dog’s eye infections are not working on a long term basis, there would be no harm in trying a natural remedy as well. Because we need to be so very careful with our dogs’ eyes and eyesight, I would hesitate to say try the natural remedy instead of the vet’s drops, as I have no idea what the vet’s drops are or what Bentley’s particular condition is. So what I’d do is try the natural remedy/ies while Bentley’s eye problem is reasonably good. That way there will be no risk to Bentley’s eyes from not using the vet’s drops, and you’ll be able to see whether the natural remedies provide a longer term benefit than the drops you’ve been using.
Hope that makes sense. Any queries about that, let me know, or preferably discuss it with your vet.
There are actually two types of natural remedies for dog eye care and dog eye conditions – one is an ointment, and the other is an oral remedy (tablets).
Click on either of the following links for more information on each product. You can try each one separately, or both in conjunction with each other.
Pet eye care ointment – treats and prevents eye infections including conjunctivitis, relieves pain, soothes eye dryness, promotes healthy vision, reduces inflammation, soothes the eyes, and is a general tonic for pet eye health.
Pet eye care remedy (tablets) – for eye infections and inflammation, double or blurred vision, dry eyes, conjunctivitis, failing eyesight, dilation of pupils and cloudy eyes.
Hope this helps Bentley’s problem.
Regards,
Brigitte
You mentioned in your article of September 3 that there were natural, homeopathic, eye remedies for dogs available that can assist, and even reverse the process regarding cataracts. Could I get more information on those products please? My dog has been diagnosed with the beginning stage of cataracts. Thanks.
My 11 year old Cocker has such cronic dry eye that the goop actually sticks to his eye ball. It is so hard and gets around his eye so bad that I have to soften it with warm water to even wipe it off. Is there anything that I can do to help this. I have had him to Vets and they always say dry eye. I use tears but nothing is helping. This has been going on for quite a while. Around his eye on the outside is sore from the goop sticking. Please help
Hi Virginia,
So sorry I missed your comment until now. Better late than never, I hope!
Yes, one of the homeopathic eye remedies is this one – Cataract Eye Care for Dogs.
A naturopathic vet I spoke to about this product suggested that these tablets should be given 3 weeks on and 3 weeks off for cataracts that have already started developing.
She also told me recently that treating the liver can also actually improve vision! You can find a good liver supplement for pets here.
Hope these tips help your dog’s failing eyesight.
Regards,
Brigitte
Hi Paulette,
Your poor dog. He must be quite distressed by this problem with his eyes.
The products I’d try for this problem would be the Pet eye care ointment and the Pet eye care remedy (click on the links, or see my comment addressed to Rachel, above, for more info on both these products).
Regards,
Brigitte
Hi again Paulette,
I’ve just come across a dog product specifically for dry eye in dogs – and it’s got great reviews.
Check out Dog Dry Eye Remedy.
Regards,
Brigitte
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