An eye infection is common to all dogs. But there are some types of dogs that particularly attract this disease like those that have extremely long hair fur and the area around the eyes is not cleaned and maintained. Dogs like Pug, Lhasa apso and the Shih Tzu are especially exposed to conjunctivitis.
Symptoms/ Signs of Eye infection-
The signs of eye infection are easy to notice. The following are some of the symptoms-
1) Red eyes or inflamed eyes-
A dog suffering from this ailment will have bloodshot eyes. This is a very sure sign of an eye infection. However, it may be that the dogs eyes appear normal in the initial stage and in the latter stages it becomes extremely red. The dog can show signs of the area around his eyes being inflamed.
2) Excessive blinking of the eye-
When a dog has an eye problem, he will squint or blink very frequently. The reason for this behavior is that the infection causes irritation in the dogs eye and makes the dog very uncomfortable.
3) Eye discharge-
Another evident symptom of eye infection is the extra amount of eye discharge that the dog secrets. It starts collecting around the eye and forms like a hard substance. It is an eye opener for the owners when the dog has excessive eye discharge as it is a very usual thing for dogs to have a eye discharge.
4) Scratching of eyes-
In this case, the dog scratches or paws his eyes very frequently. It is normal for dogs to scratch themselves for sometime but it is abnormal for them to do it on a mundane basis. It might also happen that the dog lands up tearing his skin or may even bleed. So it is important that the dog is taken to a vet as soon as this symptom is noticed.
Treatment/ Vaccination-
Treatment for eye infection is easily available. However in some of the infections it takes time for the dog to recover. Some medications must be given to the dogs even though the treatment has stopped. The following are the types of treatment-
1) Eye drops-
It is generally used in cases of conjunctivitis and the types of eye drop differ from each case of conjunctivitis which might be caused by bacteria, virus or even by any sort of allergy. These drops are to be several times in a day. However some of these drops can cause the dog to be uncomfortable for a short period of time.
2) Eye scrubs-
It is a general type of treatment adopted for treating eye infection. An eye scrub is a specific formula to cure eye infections and should be given as prescribed by the vet.
3) Oral medication-
Yet another way of treating an eye problem is giving oral medicines. This type of method is generally used in the initial stages of infection. The oral medication will differ on the type of infection the dog has like viral, bacterial or air-borne.
Dog Eye Care-
There are a few things that the owners can do to prevent the infection-
1) It is essential that the dogs eyes are properly washed when he gets up. This will avoid the formation of crusty material around the eyes and prevent any sort of infection.
2) If the dog has long hair fur, then care must be taken that it is trimmed on a regular basis.
3) While bathing the dog it is important to take precaution that the shampoo is not poured on the dogs head. This might result in harmful substances entering his eye and may be problematic for the dog in future.