dry eye

5 Signs Your Pet Has an Eye Emergency

5 Signs Your Pet Has an Eye Emergency

It's not uncommon for a veterinary clinic to field plenty of questions concerning pet eye problems on the daily. “Watchful waiting” is advised with some minor complaints, but never with eyes.

A non-vet pet owner cannot assess an eye problem’s severity, and a description over the phone just doesn’t cut it. In other words, when someone calls in and says their pet’s eye “looks funny,” it’s time for a trip to the vet.

Your vet may even direct you to a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist for immediate assessment if the emergency requires it.

Red, inflamed or swollen eyes? Each of these symptoms can be caused by different ailments.

1. Red Eye

The white of the eye should be pristine white, with the odd lazy blood vessel meandering across the surface. If you’re not sure what this looks like, check out your own eye in the mirror.

Red eyes are not normal.

Gently lift the upper eyelid to check, and you’ll see anything from a rosy pink to a livid red. As a rule of thumb, the angrier the eye looks, the more urgently it needs checking.

Causes of red-eye range from irritation and infection to a condition called glaucoma.

Glaucoma: Pressure builds within the eye, like blowing too much air into a balloon. The most common cause is a problem within the eye and is often breed-related (Basset Hounds, Cocker Spaniels, terriers and northern breeds are at greatest risk). The pressure can damage the retina and cause blindness, so swift action is essential.

Conjunctivitis: Infection causes reddening of the eye. Sometimes the problem can be self-limiting, but — especially if there is a sticky yellow-green discharge, too — please see a vet.

2. Yellow-Green Discharge

It’s normal to have a white gloop in the corner of an eye first thing in the morning. Just wipe this away with a clean, damp cotton towel.

Also, rust-colored gloop is fine. This is a normal gloop that’s been exposed to the air for a while and oxidized (like when you cut an apple in half and it goes brown).

What isn’t normal is a thick, yellow-green discharge from one or both eyes. This is commonly a sign of infection.

Have the vet check the eye because some infections need antibiotics, while others can occur as a complication of another problem that needs attention.

3. Swollen Eye

If there’s something odd about your pet’s face, compare one eyelid with the other to see if one side is swollen. Eyelid swelling can be the result of an allergy, trauma, or infection. It’s best to seek vet attention because the eyeball needs checking to make sure it wasn’t damaged.

4. Dull Eye

Is the eye lackluster? A normal eye is bright, and you can see reflections on the surface— but sometimes the surface is dull and reflections aren’t clear, or those images are broken up or haphazard.

The most common reasons for this are either a dry eye or a corneal ulcer:

Dry eye: Our eyes are kept comfortable by the production of tear fluid. A pet with dry-eye fails to produce enough tear fluid, which leads to the surface drying out. One consequence is a dull surface, and another is the eye tries to protect itself by producing a thick, glue-like discharge. In the long term, scar tissue forms, impairing the vision.

Corneal ulcer: This is like a burst blister on the surface of the eye. In some cases, it heals on its own, but other times it can be dangerous and cause perforation of the eye.

5. Closed Eye

A closed eye is painful: Just think of the last time you had grit in your eye.

The pain might be due to a corneal ulcer, a knock to the eye, or a foreign body — anything from dust to grass particles or even a twig. When our pets are sniffing around, it’s not uncommon to get something lodged behind the eyelids.

Your vet will put drops of local anesthetic into the eye to get a better look and remove the object.


5 Most Common Eye Emergencies (in Dogs)

Here, we go into more detail about some of the top ophthalmologic emergencies we see with dogs in general practice.

1. Corneal Ulcers

Corneal ulcers are the most common acute eye problems seen. (This goes for cats as well.) The cornea is the outer “skin” of the eye; an ulcer occurs if this layer has been damaged.

Corneal ulcers are often traumatic in origin, although certain diseases of the cornea can result in an ulcer. Trauma to the cornea can occur with a scratch from a bush, a stick or even another critter.

Treatment involves early diagnosis of the severity of the ulcer and the administration of appropriate eye medications.

More serious ulcers may require surgery, and frequent re-checks are needed to ensure the cornea is healing nicely. When a corneal ulcer goes from bad to worse, the cornea can actually rupture — this is a true emergency indeed.

2. Proptosis

Proptosis occurs when an eye literally bulges out of the socket and the eyelids entrap the globe. This occurs most frequently in brachycephalic breeds and is a true emergency.

Even with immediate care, the dog may lose the eye depending on the extent of trauma sustained by the extraocular muscles, nerves, and blood supply.

Many of these eyes can be replaced and vision saved in about 20% of dogs, but only if you act immediately.

3. Corneal Laceration

Corneal laceration occurs when there is a complete tear through the cornea. The most common offender from a cat claw.

A sharp object, like a stick, can also puncture the cornea. The dog is almost always holding the eye completely shut and is in significant pain. Again, immediate surgery may save the eye.

Get to the vet. There is a very small window of opportunity when it comes to repairing these eye injuries.

4. Lens Luxation

Lens luxation is over-represented in certain breeds like the Russell Terrier and other terriers. In these dogs, due to a genetic disorder, the lens can spontaneously luxate, or become dislocated. In other breeds, causes may vary — head trauma is one example. This is a difficult diagnosis and may require a visit to an ophthalmologist.

Compared with the normal eye, a lens luxation can look like a very dilated pupil or a blue or whitish eye. Removing the lens can save the eye and save the dog from pain and total blindness.

5. Acute Glaucoma

Acute glaucoma looks like a discolored, a “red” or an inflamed eye. There may be discharge and painful blinking (called blepharospasm).

Glaucoma occurs when, for whatever reason, the pressure in the eye elevates, leading to pain, secondary changes, and blindness. The condition is usually obvious in just one eye, but both eyes are at risk.

Again, this is over-represented in certain breeds like the Cocker Spaniel, Basset Hound, Shih Tzu, Great Dane, and northern breeds.
As with every other eye problem discussed here, acute glaucoma should be assessed and treated immediately. Both systemic (oral) and ophthalmic drugs are used. Get an opinion from a veterinary ophthalmologist to help you and your primary care vet manage the case.

Don’t mess around with the eyes. Ophthalmic problems need early diagnosis and treatment.


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DOG HEALTH

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Dog Eye Allergies: Symptoms and Treatment

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If you notice that one or both of your dog’s eyes are red, you may be wondering what the cause could be.

Dogs with allergies more commonly show symptoms related to the skin or intestinal tract, but it is possible that allergies may be causing the irritation in your dog’s eyes—just like in people with seasonal allergies.

The medical term “allergic conjunctivitis” is used to describe inflammation of the eye that’s usually caused by environmental allergens like pollen and mold. Dogs with skin-based allergy symptoms (allergic dermatitis) are more likely to experience allergic conjunctivitis than dogs with no history of allergies.

If you believe that your dog is suffering from allergic conjunctivitis, it’s important to have them seen by a veterinarian to rule out other more serious diseases that can have similar symptoms.

Here’s what you need to know about dog eye allergies.

Symptoms of Dog Eye Allergies

In dogs, redness of the eyes is a vague symptom that can be caused by a wide variety of underlying diseases.

For allergic conjunctivitis, redness is usually seen in both eyes. You may also notice symptoms like:

  • Squinting of the affected eye(s)

  • Pawing at the face

  • Discharge coming from one or both eyes

Dog Eye Allergies and Itchy Skin

If your dog has a history of itchy skin, it's worth mentioning to your veterinarian.

Dogs with itchy skin will more commonly experience allergic conjunctivitis than the general dog population.

Affected dogs are usually under 3 years of age when they first become symptomatic. Although all dog breeds have the potential to develop allergic dermatitis, common breeds with a predisposition for this condition include:

  • Boxer

  • Cocker Spaniel

  • French Bulldog

  • German Shepherd

  • Golden Retriever

  • Labrador Retriever

  • Poodle

  • West Highland White Terrier

How Do Vets Diagnose Dog Eye Allergies?

Although a test called “conjunctival cytology” may reveal inflammatory cells that will confirm a diagnosis of allergic conjunctivitis, the cells are not always present. As a result, many veterinarians will diagnose eye allergies through the process of elimination.

Your veterinarian may perform several brief tests to rule out diseases with similar symptoms, like eye infections, dry eye, or corneal ulcers. Other details, like your dog’s age, breed, and history of itchy skin, can also help point your veterinarian to this diagnosis.

In rare cases, a biopsy of the conjunctival tissue around the eyes—taken while your dog is under general anesthesia—may be needed to achieve a definitive diagnosis, or to rule out other, more serious causes of red eyes.

An emerging test called the conjunctival provocation test has shown promise as a quick and easy test to definitively diagnose allergic conjunctivitis. However, it’s currently not widely available and would likely be performed by veterinary dermatologists—not your general practice veterinarian.

What Can You Give Dogs With Eye Allergies?

In mild cases, simply flushing the eyes with sterile saline once or twice a day may be enough to remove the allergen and resolve the symptoms.

You should not use contact solution for this purpose.

Although antihistamines provide relief for people with eye-related allergies, antihistamines have a variable effect in dogs with this condition. Therefore, eyedrops containing steroids are often the treatment of choice for dogs with allergic conjunctivitis.

It’s important to note that steroid-based eyedrops can be very harmful to dogs with other, similar diseases in the eyes, so you should never start treatment without first consulting your veterinarian.

Severe cases may require the use of oral medications in addition to eyedrops.

Follow-Up Testing and Treatments

Generally, a recheck is recommended after one to two weeks of treatment so that your veterinarian can assess how well the medications have worked.

If minimal improvement is seen, it’s possible to be seen by a veterinary dermatologist, who can perform allergy testing and other diagnostics to uncover which allergens may be triggering your dog’s allergic conjunctivitis.

If possible, the allergens are removed, often by changing the diet. If removing allergens is not possible, your dog’s dermatologist may suggest immunotherapy for long-term treatment.

If the allergen can’t be removed or treated with immunotherapy, it is very likely that a dog with allergic conjunctivitis will experience flare-ups throughout her life. Fortunately, the symptoms caused by allergic conjunctivitis are fairly mild, and with proper treatment and management, affected dogs generally live long and happy lives.


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