irritated eye

[Chef-Kergin]

ok, so saturday morning i was out checking aurbey's chain and lap links (she's been runnin a lot since she went back out after her heat).

anyways, i noticed her right eye was a little red.

no real signs of swelling, but i can tell she doens't have her eye open as wide as the other one. thought maybe she got stung or bit by a bug, because it's really only the inside corner of her eye that's red.

i've been goin out and checkin on it eevry few hours when i'm home.

it seems that maybe her tear duct is the culprit?...she has s sh*t ton of eye boogers coming out of that eye., but no tears or other lubrication/liquid.

every time i go out back, i take a wash cloth soaked in warm water. i've been rinsing her eye, and keeping the warm cloth pressed on there for a couple of minutes. she really seems to enjoy it and it relieves some type of irritation, because she sits as still as stone and just wags her tail when i'm rinsing her eye and keeping the warm compress on there. i did this probably every two to two and a half hours the last two days, and more often yesteday b/c i was actually off work for one sunday.

from what i can see by manipulating her eye lid, there's nothing lodged in there, or caught under her eye lid.

like i said, i noticed this saturday morning, and it's been two days now. this morning.

any other suggestions, comments, or concerns?

if it persists more than another 3-4 days i'll prolly have to buckle and take her to the vet, unless the irritation starts to fade.

any and all input is appreciated.

[Michele]

could it maybe be allergies?

[EDOGZ818]

I had that to, and basically did the same thing. It did go away after about a week. Differance was I couldn't afford the vet. If you could I would take her. Mine is back to normal, but I would never discourage a proffessional opinion.

[Chef-Kergin]

michele - i thought allergies, too. they just started cutting the corn down around my house about a week ago. maybe dust, allergens, etc.

ez - i'm gonna wait a few more days, see what happens, and like i said, then take her to the vet for that if it doesn't sub-side. i gotta take her anyways, b/c she just turned a yr old and i gotta go do the heartworm test.

[chinasmom]

I'm not a vet but have seen cases of 'Cherry Eye" before. Is it swollen on the inside of her eye at all?

[FearlessKnight]

I'm not a vet but have seen cases of 'Cherry Eye" before. Is it swollen on the inside of her eye at all? I was thinking Pink eye.....as it sounds just like it from what he described...

One of the most common eye problems for dogs and cats is conjunctivitis.Also known as pinkeye,conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the membrane covering the inside of the eyelids and the front of the eye.Caused by such things as allergies,infections or even distemper,it can make your pet's eyes crusty,itchy and red,with an ugly abundance of pus or tears.

To speed healing and make your pet more comfortable,you'll want to clean the discharge from her eyelids.Wet a soft,clean cloth or cotton ball with lukewarm water,squeeze it out and gently wipe away the goop from around your pet's eyes.Repeat twice a day or as often as needed.

Instead of using water,you may want to try an over-the-counter eye scrub.Eye scrubs are pH-balanced and may cause less stinging than water.You can buy eye srubs at pet stores,but scrubs formulated for humans are just as effective.Just follow the directions as if your pet were human.

While eye scrubs can help keep the lids clean,you'll also want to wash the surface of the eye.A good way to do this is with artificial tears,which can help wash away particles that may be causing the problem.

Covering your pet's eyes with a damp,warm compress can be very soothing.Wet a soft,clean cloth in lukewarm water,wring it out,and gently hold it acroos her eyes for five minutes.This can make your pet's eyes feel much better,and it goes a long way toward keeping her eyes clean.If your pet balks at having both eyes covered,apply the compress to one eye for about five minutes.Then rinse the cloth and place it on the other eye.Of course,you can skip this step if only one eye is affected.

Regular grooming can help prevent eye irritations before they get started.Hair in your pet's eyes can cause irritation that can lead to conjunctivitis if it's matted up around the corners.Brushing the hair back away from the eyes or getting a grooming to cut excess hair can help prevent conjunctivitis.

When traveling in the car,don't let your pet cruise with her head out the window.Debris can get in the eye,and the eye becomes more prone to infection.

WHEN TO SEE THE VET
While conjunctivitis isn't difficult to treat,any eye infection can result in permanent damage,so you'll want to see your vet at the first sign of problems.In some cases your pet may need antibiotics to clear up an infection.In addition,some dogs that appear to have conjunctivitis actually have a condition known ad dry eye,or keratoconjunctivitis sicca (cats are rarely affected).It occurs when there aren't enough tears to keep the eyes properly lubricated.Your vet can test you dog's tears to see if she has dry eye.If she does,treating the problem with artificial tears may be all that's needed,although some pets will need antibiotics or steroids as well.

Before trying any of this information,be sure to aask your vet if it is OK.You can print this out or send it to her/his office.I hope this is helpful http://pethealth.petwellbeing.com/wiki/Dog_Pink_Eye
This link here has a lot more onfo on it that the quote....
This would be my first and only guess.......

[FearlessKnight]

Here is some info on Cherry eye.....

http://www.gopetsamerica.com/dog-health/cherry-eye-dogs-cats.aspx

The condition usually develops during the first year of life. The cause of the prolapse is unknown but is considered to be a weakness of the connective tissue around the gland. The gland starts to move and becomes irritated. Irritation leads to swelling and clear or mucous discharge. The third eyelid can become bloody and ulcerated and develops conjunctivitis (http://www.goodwithchildren.com/health/eyes/conjunctivitis.aspx).

The Cherry eye commonly affects young dogs, especially beagles, cocker spaniels, boxers, Neapolitan mastiffs, and Chinese Shar Peis Pekingese, and bulldogs. If one eye (http://www.gopetsamerica.com/anatomy/eye.aspx) has cherry eye, the other eye could be predisposed to it as well. Cherry eye also affects cats. Burmese and Persian cats are more prone to developing this condition than most other cat breeds.

Causes of this condition still remain controversial. Eyelids may become inflamed from dermatitis; a bacterial, parasitic, or fungal infection, a metabolic or immune system problem, cancers, trauma or sun damage. It is also a common congenital defect that can be passed from one generation to another.

Treatment varies by exact diagnosis. Usually, the treatment envolves a surgical procedure where the prolapsed gland is pushed back in its pocket. This procedure can be performed under local anesthesia. The complete removal of the third eyelid is still performed in small animal clinics in some cases, but this type of surgery adversely affects the stability of the tear layer of the eye as this layer is responsible for about 30% of the overall tear production. Removal of a prolapsed gland of the third eyelid predisposes a dog to develop keratoconjunctivitis sicca ("dry eye") later in its lifetime.

[Chef-Kergin]

it must be conjunctivitis of some degree.

there's no real outward swelling, but the membrane under her eye lid seems to be whats affected, and making the ey red....just doens't look like the membrane under her other eye lid.

glad i've already been rinsing it and applying the warm cloth....i'll call the vet tomorrow and ask what OTC med they recommend if the irritation doesn't start to go down, like i said before. worse case scenario, i have to take her in and get some kind of antibiotic drops or something.

thanks FK and cm.

[miakoda]

My advice is to go ahead and make the appoinment with the vet. If it is nothing more than allergies, you would only see light to moderate clear or opaque (whitish) discharge from the eye(s). A green or yellow discharge is not good news.

The reason I'm such a stickler for the vet with eye issues because if there is a corneal scratch or ulcer then a delay in care will result in scarring which will result in blindness.......and nothing after that can be done. Even conjunctivitis left untreated can result in reduced vision.

Until you get the dog into the vet, rinse the eye twice a day with a sterile Saline solution (can buy at any store). Pat dry with a clean washcloth or gauze.

I do NOT suggest any self medicating of the eye unless don't mind the possibility of having a blind dog.

Good luck and keep us updated. :)

[Chef-Kergin]

this morning when i went out out feed her, her eye was almost completely clear.

after she ate, i went ahead and rinsed it out and held a warm cloth on there again for a little bit. i'll go check on it before i take her on her walk, and decide whether or not to call the vet. you guys are right, better safe than sorry, beter get the opinion of a professional.

mia - the discharge yesterday and this morning was more of an opaque color; if memory serves me right, it was kind of greenish saturday morning, but that's the only time i noticed a color that wasn't normal.

*edit*

i called the vet office i normally take my dogs to, along with another one here in town. when i told them all the symptoms, both ppl i spoke with at both offices asked the same question, "how close to you live to corn fields?"

i can throw a stone from my back yard over the neighbors house, and if i'm lucky, it'll bounce across the road and into the fields. consequently, at the end of last week, a lot of farmers started cuttin down their corn.

the response from both places was the same - keep rinsing her eye and keeping the compress on it. make sure the irritation decreases, and see if she messes with her eye at all (which she hasn't, from what i've seen). it's probably due to dust, or an allergy from the flowering part of the corn at the top that starts to fly when it dries out...starts with a 'p,' can't remember. if it hasn't completely or near completely gone away by friday morning, then they said to call and bring her in. probably give me an ointment or eye drop.

the lady at one place recommended a saline rinse, like mia posted above. i'll be runnin to the drug store to pick one up here before i go to work.

keepin' my fingers crossed it goes away, i'll keep this updated.

[Chef-Kergin]

her eye is all cleared up, except for the slightest bit of pink in the lower inside corner of her eye. and no more eye boogers this morning.

i'll continue rinsing it and checking on it today and tomorrow, but it looks as if it's all nearly cleared up.

thanks for your input, all those who contributed.

[Chef-Kergin]

it was a pain to get her out of her barrel this morning b/c it was raining, but there appears to be absolutely zero signs of any irritations left.

thanks again!

to the mods - you can lock this thread if you wish, since my query was answered w/ all possitive and useful input, and the health issue is resolved w/ my pup. thanks!