Dog Eye Care
Dog eye care can be somewhat “hit and miss”. It’s something dog owners generally take for granted unless your dog’s eyes start to show signs of infection, or perhaps there are signs that your dog’s eyesight is not as good as it once was. We probably take dog eye care for granted because we’ve never stopped to consider that dogs don’t have an effective way of keeping his/her eyes clean. After all, we simply wash our faces with a wet face cloth or by splashing plenty of water on our faces, including our eyes. Dogs, however, when left to care for their own eyes, remove buildup by rubbing their faces on the carpet or against furniture, or perhaps with their paws. None of these methods of “natural” dog eye care is particularly effective, and they’re not particularly safe, either. Rubbing their eyes against surfaces or even their own paws can easily deposit dirt in the eye causing further irritation. So we as pet owners need to provide our dogs with eye care on a frequent basis. You should check your dog’s eyes at least weekly to ensure good eye care. Healthy eyes in a dog are moist and clear. Redness, swelling, mucus discharge or squinting may all be indications of the presence of eye infection in your dog. If you see anything that is of concern, you should consult your vet. But there are steps you can take yourself to improve your dog’s eye care, and ensure your dog’s eye health generally: 1. Keep hair away from your dog’s eyes, as hair can irritate the eyes and can cause tiny scratches on the cornea of your dog’s eye. 2. Particularly if you have a breed of dog that has long hair, you should regularly trim the hair around your dog’s eye. ALWAYS use blunt-nosed scissors for this, or you could potentially cause severe damage to your dog’s eye if s/he moves while you’re cutting the hair away. 3. Keep mucus to a minimum by using a sterile eyewash or eyewipes. Mucus is not only unsightly, but can easily lead to infection. Eye infections in your dog are often the result of bacteria that overgrow on mucus that is not cleaned away. 4. Take care of your dog’s eyes when bathing your dog. Use a mild, good quality dog shampoo of course – but even shampoos that are non-irritating to the eyes can in fact irritate the eyes if not washed