Content
- Causes of Conjunctivitis in Dogs
- Symptoms of Conjunctivitis in Dogs
- Dogs more prone to conjunctivitis
- Treatment and Prevention
THE conjunctivitis in dogs is an eye condition characterized by inflammation of the mucous membrane that covers the inside of the eyelids. Sometimes, in addition to inflammation, it can be accompanied by an infection. We were able to distinguish it because normally our puppies' eyes will be red, watery or streaked. At PeritoAnimal we will explain the causes and symptoms of canine conjunctivitis, in addition to explaining its treatment.
Causes of Conjunctivitis in Dogs
Conjunctivitis in your dog can be due either to an occasional problem that only affects the eye itself or to a larger one and thus become a symptom of another condition:
- When we talk about a concrete problem which is only related to the eye, we refer to allergies, some foreign body that hurt him while playing in the park (plants), dry eyes, when some part of his anatomy is not well (malformation of the eyelids, ulcers, eyelashes,. ..) or other infections that affect the eye directly.
- However, conjunctivitis in dogs can also appear as disease cause more serious such as distemper or hepatitis.
Regardless of the cause of this bothersome problem for our dog, it will be easy to detect since it will be quite obvious to see our puppy with its red eye, or with more tears than usual. So, at any indication, the first thing to do will be consult a veterinarian to diagnose the cause, as well as indicate the treatment to follow.
It is normal to think that if only one of the eyes is wrong, something must have happened in that eye. If our puppy has been playing in the bushes where he has put his nose, he will have had his eye too, and this is likely to be the cause of the conjunctivitis. However, if both of you are affected, your dog is more likely to suffer from some other problem.
Symptoms of Conjunctivitis in Dogs
In order to identify canine conjunctivitis, it is essential know the symptoms that your puppy will present, the following being the most common:
- Difficulty opening the affected eye. Remember that this condition, if not the cause of another major condition, usually appears first in one eye. In addition, it may also develop redness in the eyes.
- light rejection. See if your dog tries to hide in the less light parts of your house.
- excessive tearing. In most cases, the eye that cries excessively is accompanied by an uncomfortable itching, so your dog will scratch often. Therefore, it is essential to prevent it from scratching, as it could cause internal wounds with the nails.
- Yellowish or greenish purulent secretion. This symptom will appear in cases of more severe conjunctivitis or in those dogs that develop this condition due to another condition, such as the aforementioned distemper.
If your dog has any of these symptoms, don't hesitate to take him to the vet.
Dogs more prone to conjunctivitis
There are breeds of dogs that for hereditary reasons are more likely to suffer from eye inflammation than others. both the Poodle like the cocker they are breeds prone to hereditary causes and their prevention can only be carried out with an examination carried out in advance. In addition, you will need more specific eye care throughout the puppy's life.
In addition to hereditary races, the Pug and the Pekingese by the conformation of their skull they are more exposed to all temporal changes and, in general, to all the elements with which they relate in their life. For example, by sniffing, foreign bodies are more likely to penetrate their eyes and cause conjunctivitis to appear. Therefore, you should also take greater care with your eyes and consult your veterinarian as to how we should clean them daily.
Treatment and Prevention
To prevent eye infections or inflammation, it is important to maintain good eye cleaning habits, that your puppy has a good diet that strengthens all its organs and if it has hair that prevents vision, they should be removed to prevent the dirt that accumulates in the fur from getting into the eyes.
In case your dog develops conjunctivitis, you can treat it by cleaning its eyes with saline solution several times a day this will help you. However, depending on the cause, you should administer another type of topical treatment that can only be defined and prescribed by a veterinarian. Generally used topical antibiotics with the aim of reducing inflammation of the conjunctiva. The frequency of administration should also be defined by the specialist depending on the severity of the conjunctivitis.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.