Your pet dog could be suffering from a health issue but you may not be aware of it. As a pet parent, you need to be alert to every small or big symptom in your dog. This is because any abnormal behavior or physical symptom could be a sign of something big brewing inside. If you are alert to any symptom your dog exhibits, you can nip the problem in the bud and save your pet from a lot of discomfort and pain.
One problem in dogs that often goes unnoticed is tear stains or discharge from the eye.
Dog eye discharge and tear staining are common eye problems amongst certain breeds of dogs. These commonly show up as brown gunk or whitish and yellowish crusties around the eye. There are multiple reasons for these issues and there is a remedy for each of them.
Excessive tearing of the eyes can cause tear stains which may crust over as well. Excessive tearing occurs as a result of ear infections, irritation, or because their eyes are not draining properly. Conditions that might cause chronic irritation in the eye include glaucoma, eyelash or eyelid problems, corneal ulcers or scratches to the surface of the eye, and eye infections. Normally, a dog’s eyes have tiny holes that drain away from the tears from the eye to the throat but, sometimes this mechanism does not work for multiple reasons –
- Shallow eye sockets can cause tears to fall out onto the surrounding fur and crust over.
- Eyelids that are turned inwards can cause the tear-draining holes to become blocked.
- If there is excessive fur growth around the eye, that can also can tear staining.
Dogs with excessive fur around their face and eyes and especially those that are lighter colored show visible signs of tear-staining. The pigment in the substance can easily discolor the place around their eyes. Short-nosed breed dogs like the Pekinese and Pugs often have excessive tear-staining because they have shallow eyes. Cocker Spaniels and Poodles are most likely to encounter blocked tear-ducts.
To handle these problems, one must find out the source of irritation that is causing excessive tearing and eye discharge. If the reasons are shallow eyes, not much can be done but if it is because of hair growth then that can be trimmed. If there is an infection present then you must seek a veterinarian’s advice and start your dog on the treatment required. Glaucoma is a prolonged problem and the earlier the diagnosis, the better. Take your dog to the veterinarian if you suspect that it could be glaucoma. Start your dog on the treatment plan as given to you by the veterinarian so that something worse could be prevented and your dog can lead a healthy and normal life.
Apart from these, for reddish-brown stains, you could use a warm, gentle washcloth to keep your dog’s eyes clean. Do it regularly so the stain does not accumulate.
Contact the expert veterinarians at San Antonio Wellness for detailed treatment and preventive plans for your dog’s eye infections and discharge problems!
