Caring For The Health Of Your Dog's Eyes | Dogs

By: Mandy Fain

Dogs are one of the most valued companions to human beings, and for a variety of reasons. They are smart, loyal, and they can show love and trust just as people can do. As the parents to these incredible animals it is our duty to protect them from the bad things, and be sure to keep them as far away from all of the perils of disease and illness that there are out there. Let us examine some medical conditions as pertaining to the dog eye.

Conjunctivitis is one of the more common conditions pertaining to your dog’s eye health. This is an eye related health problem for dogs that is indicated by massive redness, increased blood, and swelling of the eye. There are a number of things that can cause conjunctivitis in dogs, and viruses and bacteria are just a couple of them. If your dog is experiencing conjunctivitis you will notice that their eye is puffy or mucous, and the only way to really cure this is to keep the eye rinsed and clean with fresh water. Your veterinarian may also prescribe certain drugs to help keep the infection at bay until the eye can heal itself properly in time.

Keratoconjuctivitis sicca is another health problem that dogs experience in there eyes. It is indicated by a thick discharge through the eye of the dog, and it causes the eye to be extremely red and puffy, as well as somewhat hardened due to irritation of the blood vessels in the eye. Your doctor may also prescribe certain medications to help keep this at bay, including anti inflammatory creams and drops to be administered directly into the eye.

Keratitis or degenerative pannus is another health problem for dogs’ eyes that is most commonly diagnosed in members of the German shepherd breed. It does occur in other dogs, but not to such an extent. It does not normally harm the physical makeup of the dog but it can harm the vision of the dog, potentially causing blindness in the future, and that is something no dog owner wants to deal with.

Cherry Eye is another one of the more common eye health problems found in dogs. It can be caused by any of a variety of things, including a certain species of bacteria or parasite, or even a breed of fungus. Certain breeds of dogs are more prone to Cherry Eye condition than others, and young dogs are at the highest risk of all. The treatment for Cherry Eye is a surgical procedure. Unless you want to have to deal with a blind dog in the future, be sure to take good care of your dog’s eye health now and it will serve you well.