The Necessity Of Dog Eye Care

Dog eye care really should be part of the weekly health check you give your small dog. It's virtually impossible for your dog to take care of his eyes safely. Rubbing against furniture or clothes, trying to remove buildup with paws that have nails are not very effective and most definitely unsafe.

So give your dog a hand.

Make sure you position yourself in good light and then look at your dog's eyes closely. They should be clear and moist.

If you see redness,swelling, mucus or your dog is squinting (not against bright sunlight of course), he may be suffering from an eye infection. Dont' wait too long to see a vet if you suspect your dog may be having problems with his eyes.

If your small dog is a bit older, the eyes may appear somewhat hazy or opaque. This could be just a sign of old age. Your vet will have no difficulty to distinguish between cataracts or age-related clouding.

dog eye care glaucoma

DIY Dog Eye Care

Keep your small dog's eyes clear of mucus. Not just because it's unsightly, but because bacteria tend to build up there. Use a soft, clean cloth, eye wipes or sterile eyewash to remove the mucus.

Hair can cause scratches on the cornea, the surface of your dog's eyes. Cut the hair short, parallel to the edge of your dog's eyelid. Only use blunt-nosed scissors for this job in case your dog should move unexpectedly. Especially breeds like the Pekingese dog breed, Lhasa Apso dog breed and Maltese dog breed have problems with the hair on the area where the skin folds close to the eyes.

You need to take extra care of the eyes before bathing, cleaning of the face and insecticide treatments. Put some protective ophthalmic ointment underneath the top eye lid for protection.

Certain breeds like the Maltese dog breed, Toy Poodle and West Highland Terrier dog breed suffer from so called 'tear staining'. Especially in white dogs this can be quite unsightly. Tears are a good thing though. They kill the bacteria that could otherwise cause an infection of the eye. The discoloration in the eye corners known as tear stains is caused by regular tears that lay on the hairs in the eye corners. So it's nothing to worry about healthwise, it's a purely cosmetical problem. If your small dog is prone to tear stains, part of the weekly eye care should be to clean the eyecorners with a tear stain remover product.

dog eye care tear stain

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