Dry Eye in dogs is a painful condition for dogs. And it often seems to be difficult to treat by conventional means (most often eye drops, often containing corticosteroids – which should of course be avoided wherever possible).
Some dog breeds such as Pugs and English Bulldogs do have a tendency to be prone to Dry Eye.
But any breed can develop the condition. Dry Eye in dogs can be attributable to, and associated with, quite a number of conditions, including Diabetes, Hypothyroidism, Distemper, immune system problems including autoimmune diseases, or even to drug toxicity or surgery. It can also be caused by allergies.
Dry Eye in dogs can amount to a minor irritation for your dog in mild cases, to significant pain in significant cases of Dry Eye. If left without treatment, your dog could eventually go blind. Canine Dry Eye causes decreased tear production, and as you probably know, tears are essential for eye health in humans and animals alike.
Once established, Canine Dry Eye is usually a permanent condition. There is no known cure, but there are ways of keeping the condition under control to the extent that the dog does not suffer pain and discomfort.
Another, newer, method of treating Dry Eye in dogs which seems to work more effectively than conventional eye drops, and is completely natural, is a liquid capsule that you give orally to your dog. The best way is to pour it on your dog’s food, although directly into your dog’s mouth works just fine. It contains various vitamins, minerals, and oils that keep your dog’s Dry Eye under control from the inside out.
Try it!
Dog Clear Vision Herbs – $ 28.99 Nature’s Herbs for Pets Clear Vision is beneficial for many eye conditions: eye infections/inflammation, double/blurred vision, dry eyes (non-tearing), conjunctivitis, failing eyesight, dilatation of pupils, cloudy eyes, etc. |
Hi Brigitte
Our dogs were in for their annual check up and I said to the vet that it sounded silly but I thought I should mention how my Irish Water Spaniel repeatedly licks my Clumber’s eyes.
The vet did the blotting paper under the eyelids test on the Clumber for Dry Eye and discovered the moisture levels were practically zero!
We got cyclosporine drops and after a few weeks of using them on the Clumber twice a day, the most recent blotting paper tests show her eye moisture levels above the minimum, and the other dog no longer licks her eyes.
We will have to give the Clumber the drops twice a day forever, but thanks to the Water Spaniel’s actions, we were alerted to the Dry Eye much earlier than we would have been, and we were able to start treatment before any lasting damage had been done to the Clumber’s eyes.
Cheers
Phoebe
Hi Phoebe,
Wow, that’s amazing. I know dogs lick wounds, sore spots and rashes on each other to heal them, but it’s a wonder a dog can sense that another dog has something like Dry Eye – something that you hadn’t picked up on, and even the vet couldn’t see until performing the test with the blotting paper.
So either the condition in your Clumber must have been on the mild side (doesn’t sound like it if the moisture levels were so low), or your Clumber must be able to put up with a lot of pain and discomfort without conveying that to you.
Or more likely, your Clumber was able to convey his distress to your Irish Water Spaniel in a way that you would never pick up on.
Either way, I think it’s a fascinating story.
Thanks for sharing it.
Regards,
Brigitte
Amazing….my Chocolate lab did the same exact thing to my German Shepherd and low and behold I took him to the vet and the same thing, DRY EYE. Although the vet prescribed the Cyclosporine drops as well as BNP opthalmic ointment in both eyes, the Cyclosporine really seem to hurt him when I put them in so that concerns me a bit. Hershey (our lab) continues to lick Taz’s eye, my husband yells at him but I let him do it because i know they they lick to heal. Hopefully it isn’t making it worse, it doesn’t seem to be much better and I have another vet appt in 2 days. Wish us luck.
Good luck at the vet, Gina.
And if the Cyclosporine is causing distress, and doesn’t seem to be working very well, perhaps you might want to try the Oral Gel Caps for Dry Eyes above as well.
Regards,
Brigitte
Irish Water Spaniel Temperament
This is an energetic breed that is normally found in a real working retriever environment. They are intelligent, quick to learn, alert, and inquisitive, especially when it suits their purposes. They occasionally display humorous antics although working, earning them their “clownish” reputation. With proper socialization they might be gentle dogs with family members and children, but are normally shy around strangers if they have not experienced lots of socialization as youngsters. Irish Water Spaniels need regular exercise and need an experienced trainer however, when looked after properly, make quite loving and loyal pets. They benefit from access to Water to swim, an action they specialise in.list of over 400 popular dog breed