It’s normal to have eye discharge, which plays a significant role in lubricating the eyes, fighting off invaders, and alleviating irritations. However, a dog with significant eye discharge may be suffering from underlying health problems.
The dog’s body increases discharge when it senses that there’s something wrong with the eyes. For example, if there is a possible infection, the body will create a thick mucus substance to trap and get rid of the invader.
However, too much thick mucus can cause irritation, redness, and swelling of the eye or the skin near the eyes. If that is left unmanaged, it can make your pet vulnerable to a secondary bacterial infection, which in turn might lead to blindness or scarring of the cornea.
All of this can be very stressful, but at Dope Dog, we know there are steps you can take to help your dog relax. Here are some useful pieces of information that can provide you with more detail about what you need to know when it comes to excessive discharge in your dog’s eyes.
There are various causes of eye discharge, and here are the common ones that you should know:
Allergies
If your dog has clear discharge with the additional symptoms of itching and irritation, it might be a result of allergies. This is more likely to be true if both eyes are affected.
Allergies are most common during the spring seasons, where the dust and pollen are blowing everywhere. Once the pollen gets to the dog’s system, the body will release mass cells, which will create histamine.
Histamines are responsible for the majority of allergy symptoms, such as watery eyes, flushing of the skin, sneezing, and asthma. If you notice these other symptoms, it’s more likely that your dog’s eye discharge is just another sign of an allergic reaction.
You can talk to your vet about obtaining anti-histamine medication such as Zyrtec to reduce allergies.
Conjunctivitis
Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the lining of your dog’s eyes. There are various causes of conjunctivitis, but the most common one is an infection.
Keep in mind that conjunctivitis often occurs in one eye. If your dog has obtained a viral infection, then most likely, the discharge would be watery and thick. However, if it’s from bacterial infection, then it would create thick, yellow-green pus.
Viral infections will go away on its own, so your dog would only need eyedrop lubrication to alleviate conjunctivitis. However, bacterial infections will require antibiotic medication prescribed by your veterinarian.
Epiphora
Epiphora is another word for excessive tearing, which can cause irritation and inflammation of the eyes. This is often caused by abnormally grown eyelashes that grow inward and scratches the cornea leading to redness and watery eyes.
However, treating this ailment depends on the underlying causes. If an infection causes the Epiphora, then your dog will need a combination of antibiotics and corticosteroid eye drops. If a duct obstruction is the cause, surgery might be the next step for treatment. If the problem originates from long eyelashes, then your veterinarian will simply trim those down.
Whatever the case is, if your dog has a lot of tears, redness, pain, and swelling around the area of the eye, then talk to your veterinarian to find out how to proceed.
Dry Eyes
Dry eyes are an indication that your dog is unable to produce enough lubrication to cleanse the eyes. The symptoms can lead to inflammation and mucus that is caused by injury, dysfunctional tear glands, or the body’s own immune system attacking the gland near the eyes. Keep in mind that infections can be very risky for dogs with dry eyes. It could exacerbate current pain and swelling of the eyes.
Another problem is that if the ulcers in the cornea of a dog’s eye can be extremely detrimental without lubrication from tears. The eyelashes can scratch the surface of the cornea every time Fido blinks.
The treatment option is very simple. Once you bring the dog to the veterinarian office, they can prescribe artificial tears that can be placed in your dog’s eyes to provide an excellent source of lubrication.
However, if the causes are due to autoimmune issues, then your vet will have to prescribed immunosuppressant drugs. If a bacterial infection causes this, then your dog will need antibiotic eye drops.
