Eyes

My dog has “gunky” eyes. What is wrong with my dog?

Your dog most probably has conjunctivitis. This condition is usually associated with allergies or irritation and leads to infections. We recommend all animals with abnormal eyes get checked by one of our veterinarians as soon as possible.

My dog is always rubbing its eyes. Is this normal?

No, it is not normal. A dog will often rub its eyes if the eyes are irritated or if the skin around the eyes is infected. We recommend all animals with abnormal eyes get checked by one of our veterinarians as soon as possible.

My dog’s eye has gone white. Should I get this checked?

Yes – like yesterday. This is an emergency and the animal needs to get to a vet NOW.

My dog will not open its eye. Is there anything I can do at home?

Yes – pick up the phone and ring a vet. Your animal is in intense pain and its eye needs to be examined NOW.

My animal has watery eyes and seems a little irritated. Can I wash the eye with salty water?

Yes you can, but do not make the water too salty or it will irritate the eye. We recommend all irritations of the eyes get checked by a veterinarian straight away.

I have a small white fluffy dog who always has tears running down its face. Is this normal?

A lot of the small dogs (and some cats) have eyes that are too big for the socket. These eyes often dry out more than a normal dog (or cat) and the animal makes more tears to lubricate the eye. The tear ducts in the internal corner of the eye cannot take all the tears so the excess tears swell over the eyelid and run down the inner corner of the eye and leave a dark mark on the white hair. There are some commercial products to wash the face to remove this stain. We recommend that the face is washed each morning with warm water to remove these tears.