How to Cure Eye Inflammation in Dogs

Dogs can get viral or bacterial eye infections. When inflamed, the dog’s eyes are itchy, swollen, red, and drained. Inflammatory eye disease can damage your dog’s eyes and even lead to blindness. You should take your dog to the vet for diagnosis and treatment to prevent it from getting worse. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Table of Contents

Get a diagnosis from a veterinarian

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Ask your veterinarian about the difference between lacrimation and eye inflammation. Watery eyes and other eye symptoms can be uncomfortable for a dog, but they are not an obvious sign of inflammatory eye disease. Your dog may have watery eyes from a foreign object getting in his eyes, from allergies, from scratching his eyes, or from a condition called dry eye. Dogs may also have a blocked tear duct, an ulcer or tumor in the eye, or a genetic problem such as bulging or entropion. ^{[2] X Research Source}

The only way to know for sure if your dog has an eye infection is to see a veterinarian.

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Have your veterinarian examine your dog’s eyes. First, the veterinarian will take the dog’s temperature and observe the dog walking and moving around the clinic to determine if the dog has vision problems due to eye inflammation. Next, the doctor will examine the dog’s eyes with an ophthalmoscope, an instrument that helps to see the structure of the dog’s eye. This will let your veterinarian know if there are foreign bodies, tumors, or abnormalities in your dog’s eye. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Your veterinarian will examine the area around your dog’s eyes to see if there is swelling or paralysis. The doctor will also then look into the dog’s eyes to see if the whites are red or abnormal around the eyeballs, and check to see if the discharge from the dog’s eyes is colored or thick.
Your doctor will also see if your dog blinks normally and responds to movement in front of him (such as a hand moving towards the dog). Your veterinarian will also note the reaction of the pupil in the dog’s eye to light and darkness to see if it is normal.

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Make sure your veterinarian conducts an eye test on your dog. Your doctor may do several tests to confirm inflammatory eye disease in your dog. These tests include:

Fluorescent staining: In this test, your veterinarian will use a chemically treated paper tape to examine your dog’s eyes. Fluorescent chemicals will turn green in areas of the eye damaged by abrasions or ulcers. ^{[4] X Research Sources}
Schirmer test: This test measures the amount of tears produced from the dog’s eyes. In this quick and easy test, your veterinarian will place a test strip over your dog’s eye to measure the amount of tears produced. This test will help your doctor determine whether the amount of tears your dog’s eyes is producing is normal or significantly increased or decreased due to eye inflammation. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Treatment of eye inflammation in dogs

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Use a warm washcloth to wipe the discharge from the dog’s eyes. You should wipe away the buildup on the fur around your dog’s inflamed eyes with a warm washcloth.

However, you should not use a washcloth on the dog’s eyes, because then you may scratch the eyeball and risk damaging the dog’s eyes.

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Rinse the dog’s eyes with a saline solution. Saline solutions can help wash the eyes and reduce irritation in the dog’s eyes. You can use eye drops to put the solution in your dog’s eyes 3-4 times a day.

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Give your dog antibiotics prescribed by your doctor. Your veterinarian may prescribe antibiotics to treat your dog’s eye inflammation. The antibiotic can come in the form of eye drops or ointment that you will put in your dog’s eyes 3-4 times a day.

Your doctor may also prescribe oral antibiotics, and you will have to give the medication to your dog through food.
When applying drops or ointments to your dog, follow these steps:
- Have the dog sitter stand still.
- Get everything ready.
- Open the dog’s eyelids and hold still.
- Approach from behind the eyes so the dog won’t turn away.
- Avoid touching the tip of the ampoule or tube to the surface of the dog’s eye.
- Have your dog blink to distribute the ointment evenly.
- Repeat the above operation as directed by your doctor’s prescription.

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Put a collar on your dog if he keeps scratching or scratching his eyes. It is important that you protect your dog’s eyes from scratching or rubbing. If your dog tries to rub his eyes with his nails or rub his eyes on other surfaces, it may be a good idea to wear a collar (also known as an Elizabethan collar) to prevent your dog from causing further eye damage.

You should also not allow your dog to stick his head out of the window while the vehicle is in motion, as insects and dirt can get into your dog’s inflamed eye, causing further irritation.

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Avoid exposing your dog to dusty environments. You should try not to leave your dog in dusty rooms or areas while the inflamed eye heals. You should also not let your dog hang out in dusty places to prevent eye inflammation in dogs.

Steps

Get a diagnosis from a veterinarian

Treatment of eye inflammation in dogs

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