Often the owner of the dog notices that his pet is “crying”. The resulting tears leave wet marks on the animal’s muzzle and stain the corners of the eyes with a brownish or reddish color.
Why do dogs have watery eyes? Most often this is due to the breed characteristics of the animal or the ingress of foreign particles into the eyes, but sometimes the problem may be more serious and require the help of a veterinarian.
Reasons
Normally, tears may leak a little in dogs, but if the lacrimation becomes too abundant and interferes with your pet, then this is a signal that the process has gone beyond the natural.
Tear fluid has antibacterial properties and helps protect and moisturize the cornea of the eye. With the help of tears, all foreign objects and pathogenic microorganisms are removed from the surface of the eyeball.
For some dog breeds, excessive lacrimation is characteristic, this is due to the size of animals or anatomical features of the development of the skull and eyes. So, tears often flow from the eyes of small dogs, for example, toy terriers, because of their size.
A short muzzle with a flattened nose is also the cause of eye secretions in pugs, sharpies and other breeds. From this we can conclude that if you have a puppy of this breed, then he will have a predisposition to lacrimation.
But, if the dog’s eyes are watering too much, then the reasons for this may be:
- pollution by sand, dust, specks;
- allergy to food, household products;
- smoking hosts;
- irritation of the eyeball with hair or eyelashes;
- inversion of the century;
- problems with the lacrimal canal — an inflammatory process in it, blockage or congenital anomaly of the canal;
- eye injury;
- infectious diseases.
In the case of pathological lacrimation, the volume of tear fluid increases, it becomes opaque, and this process causes inconvenience to the dog.
How to cope on your own
- If the cause of the discharge from the dog’s eyes was a foreign object or an aerosol that got into the eyes, then you can help your pet yourself. To do this, rinse your eyes thoroughly with warm boiled water, boric acid solution or infusion of pharmacy chamomile. A cotton swab, abundantly soaked in the solution, is carried out from the outer edge of the eye to the inner, in the direction of the nose. Each eye is wiped with a separate swab. It is necessary to carry out such manipulations several times a day for up to 5 consecutive days.
- Treatment does not require lacrimation associated with the ingress of eyelashes or wool located near the eye. In this case, you need to carefully trim the excess hair or too long eyelashes. This will have to be done constantly so that the dog does not experience discomfort.
- IN a too dry room, your pet’s eyes may also water, so you need to moisten the air or instill special drops of the “Artificial Tear” type in the dog, which help to nourish and lubricate the cornea.
- Special care will also be required for animals of those breeds for which copious discharge of tears is the norm. In this case, you need to take care of the dog’s eyes, wiping them daily with boiled water so that the accumulated tear fluid does not become a breeding ground for pathogenic microflora. Such care should be carried out throughout the life of your pet.
Symptoms
The dog’s eyes are watering for a long time, what should I do? If you have already tried to treat your pet at home, and it did not help, then it is better not to delay time and go to the veterinarian.
You should be on your guard in case:
- eye washing has been carried out for several days, but there is no improvement in the condition;
- eyes reddened;
- the discharge changed color and consistency, the eyes began to turn sour;
- the dog’s eyes have become cloudy;
- the dog squints his eyes, tries to scratch them, blinks often;
- the dog has become worse to see;
- the general condition of the dog has worsened.
If such symptoms are observed, it is necessary to urgently contact a veterinarian so that he performs a qualified examination and prescribes appropriate treatment.
Diseases accompanied by lacrimation in dogs
If you are sure that your pet does not have a foreign object in his eye, and there was no injury, then why are his eyes watering?
The cause of lacrimation can be infectious diseases, inflammatory eye diseases and problems with tear ducts:
- The absence of exit from the nasolacrimal tubule is congenital or acquired as a result of a disease.
- stenosis of the nasolacrimal canal.
- inflammation in the lacrimal sac, which occurs against the background of narrowing of the nasolacrimal canal.
- The turn of the eyelid inward, provoking irritation of the eyeball with eyelashes.
- Closure of the tear ducts.
- Neoplasms and inflammatory processes in the system that removes tears.
- Allergic reaction to external stimuli or nutrition.
- infectious diseases.
- conjunctivitis of various etiologies.
- inflammation of the cornea of the eye — keratitis.
- inflammation of the vascular mesh of the eye — uevit.
- Glaucoma.
All these diseases are quite dangerous for a dog, and untimely and improper treatment can not only worsen your pet’s eyesight, but even deprive him of it.
How to treat
What should I do if the cause of lacrimation in a dog is related to a disease? If this is a common disease of an infectious nature, then tears will stop flowing as soon as the underlying disease is cured.
In inflammatory eye diseases — conjunctivitis, uevitis, keratitis, complex treatment is prescribed, including anti-inflammatory, antibacterial drugs that are introduced into the eye in the form of drops or ointments. If necessary, veterinarians recommend additional medication in tablets or in the form of injections.
The most popular drugs used for the treatment of conjunctivitis, keratitis, blepharitis in dogs are veterinary drops containing antibiotics that are active against gram-positive and gram-negative microorganisms, and also have an anti-inflammatory effect.
Glaucoma in dogs is practically not treated, only drugs are prescribed that lower intraocular pressure and alleviate the condition of the animal.
With lacrimation associated with pathologies of the lacrimal system, surgical intervention is most often necessary. During the operation, the patency of narrowed, overgrown or blocked areas is restored, after which the removal of tears begins to occur normally.
Watery eyes in a dog suffering from allergies due to improper nutrition or exposure to external factors will return to normal after the contact of the animal with the allergen stops. Additionally, the doctor may prescribe antihistamines.
For preventive moistening of the surface of the dog’s eye in a dry room, you can use artificial tear drops.
How to use eye medications correctly?
Given the fact that the eyes are a delicate and easily vulnerable system, their treatment should be carried out with caution:
- Before performing the procedure with the dog’s eyes, wash your hands thoroughly.
- Wipe the fur around the pet’s eye and the eye itself with a cotton swab soaked in boiled water, chamomile tincture, etc.
- Tilt the dog’s head slightly back and hold it firmly with your hand so that it cannot twitch and injure the eye during the procedure. After that, drip the medicine and hold the dog a little in such a position that the drops spread better over the eye surface.
- To place the ointment in the conjunctival sac, pull back the lower eyelid and squeeze it into the resulting pouch. To spread evenly, cover the dog’s eye and hold for 3-5 seconds.
- The drug is used for both eyes, even if the problem is only in one eye.
Healthy eyes are excellent eyesight, good health and cheerful mood of your beloved dog!