A few weeks ago I woke with one red eye & some yucky eye gunk in both.  With the Spring weather the sand & salt that the township used over the winter to pawvent ice build up on the roads now was loose & subject to blowing up whenever the wind or a vehicle passed by.  So huMom thought pawhaps this was the cause of my eye problem.  We walk daily along these roads & with my head so close to the road it made sense.  So how did we treat this red eye & eye gunk?  Hi, CEO  Olivia here to yapp about just that.

Eye gunk or discharge is a common problem for some of us dogs & can be a sign of anything from infection to glaucoma to allergies.  90% of all canine eye conditions end up being simple conjunctivitis (inflammation of the conjuctiva).  Eye issues can be serious & it is impawtant to have your good Vet take a look because they can be signs of brain or nerve injury, infection, or other serious problems.

Since it was a Saturday & our good Vet clinic was not open & the closes clinic would be Vet Emergency Hospital 3 hours away, we dogcided to treat it at home 1st. If we didn’t see an improvement by Monday then we planned to call our Vet to make an appoint.

Red eye, pink eye (conjunctivitis) is common in dogs as it is in humans. Mucus, yellow-green pus, or a watery eye discharge can all be signs of conjunctivitis, an inflammation of the lining of your good dog’s eye. Conjunctivitis  caused by allergic reaction is often seasonal & not contagious.

Causes include:

• Dust mites
• Pollen
• Mold
• Dander
• Cosmetics and perfumes
• Drugs

Typical treatments for allergic conjunctivitis include:

• Cold compresses
• Artificial tears
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
• Antihistamines
• Steroid eye drops

Conjunctivitis caused by a virus spreads easily, & can take up to 3 weeks to recover.

Viral conjunctivitis symptoms include:

• Cold-like symptoms
• Upper respiratory infection

Typical treatment include:

• Cold compresses
• Artificial tears
• Steroid eye drops

Then there is bacterial conjunctivitis which is very contagious & treatments include antibiotic eye drops or ointments.

Causes include:

• Streptococcus (strep)
• Staphylococcus (staph infection)

Typical symptoms conjunctivitis are:

• Redness
• Puffy eyelids
• Stringy discharge
• Watery eyes
• Pawing at their eyes
• Squinting
• Eyelids that stick together

So let’s get back to me & my  eye infection.  As I yapped above, one eye was pawsitively red & I was squinting quite a lot & both eyes were watery.  Both eyes also had some discharge.  The red eye was clear to yellow while the other was your typical gunk color.  After examing both eyes huMom was certain that this irritation was not due to a foreign body or injury.

We live as most of you nose deep in the country & for this reason huMom likes to keep our medicine cabinet stocked.  We always have a few bottle of sterile saline 0.9% solution on hand.  After using a warm cloth to remove the discharge from the corners of my eyes huMom held my  head upwards with one hand while the other hand gently opened my eye dropping several drops of saline into it.  Then she did the other eye.  We did this treatment several times throughout the day.  At first I did not like it but after a few times I didn’t mind.  It felt so much better.  The next day my eye was no longer red & by Monday the discharge had completely cleared up.  We kept up with the treatment for a few more days which like I yapped, I didn’t mind.  I like huMom’s loving attention.

If you don’t have a saline solution on hand you can make your own saline solution using 1/4 cup warm water & 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Dip a gauze pad or clean cloth in the solution & wipe the eye area starting from the snout (corner of eye) outward, toward the ear.

Next week we will continue with more yapping on Eye Issues.

Remember, if you have a question we love to pawvide you with answers.  Reach out to us here, through Instagram, Facebook, email or call us.  If you don’t have long distance calling contact us online & let us call you.

Have a pawsome week, CEO Olivia, Dot & Jerry Underfoot 💜

 

PS 🐾 Looking for wagnifient healthy & furbulously fun toys or pawsibly a supplement for the well being of your pawtacular good dog or cat? Shop Naturally

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