Puppy and adult dogs alike usually experience the pain of an eye discharge. While several forms are harmless, some may present considerable health risks. Do you ever ask yourself if it’s usual for your dog to get boogers in its eyes? There are various natural and abnormal reasons for a dog’s eyes to leak and tear. Discharge from a dog’s eyes is unsightly, but it can indicate a more severe complication that needs vet attention.
Reasons Why Your Dog Has Eye Discharge
A dog with clear eye discharge likely has allergies or has been physically wounded (dirt in the eye, wind in the face, etc.). A foreign body, such as an eyelash, could create a watery discharge or mucus from one eye, while a yellowish-green or pus-like discharge might signal a severe health problem. In that instance, look at the most prevalent factors for eye discharge and the steps you can take to resolve the issue.
Breed Issues
Since their eye sockets are shallower and protrude further out of their heads, flat-faced dog breeds like pugs, Pekingese, boxers, and bulldogs are more likely to experience eye discharge than other breeds. Dogs with more significant, prominent eyes are referred to as brachycephalic breeds. These dogs may experience issues with tear drainage, entropion, which triggers the eyelashes to itch severely, or lids that don’t wholly close over their eyes.
As a result, for their eyes, these breeds need to make regular travels to veterinarians from animal hospitals like Washington Dog And Cat Hospital that provide vet ophthalmology and eye care for dogs.
Dry Eye
Dogs with persistent, sticky tear fluid might be struggling with dry eyes. It’s caused by not generating enough teardrops to keep their eyes clean. An infection, an injury, a blow to the head in the region of a tear-producing gland, or an immune system attack on the tissue of the tear glands can all create mucus and swelling, manifesting as dry eye symptoms. Infection is a significant worry for dogs with dry eyes since it can result in painful swelling and vision loss.
Depending upon the severity of the problem, dry eye can be treated with antibiotic eye drops to manage secondary infections, immunosuppressant medicines to control the immune system, surgery, or a combination of these approaches. In addition, regular pet wellness exams for your dog could avoid severe eye discharge.
Eye Infection
Pink eye affects both humans and dogs. Many things can cause conjunctivitis, or “pink eye,” in canines. A hereditary disability, blocked tear ducts, allergies, or an eyelid foreign body are all typical reasons for conjunctivitis. Conjunctivitis is an infection of the transparent membrane that lines the eye and causes a yellowish-green discharge. Discharge that looks like green pus is never healthy.
Antibiotic eye ointment, eradication of the irritant, and saline eyewashes or warm compresses are a few of the treatments available for this condition of the eye. If you’re at a loss as to what’s inducing your dog’s eye infection, the best action is to get them seen by a vet that provides veterinary internal medicine services.
The Takeaway
As a dog’s guardian, your job is always to be on the lookout for anything out of the norm. When a dog experiences eye discharge or soreness, it is vital to take them to the veterinarian instantly to rule out more significant problems. You’ll know if those innocent puppy eyes lose their beautiful sparkle.
