Do dogs like when you clean their eyes

How to Clean a Dogs Eyes: Vet-Approved Guide

The information is current and up-to-date in accordance with the latest veterinarian research.

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They say that the eyes are the window to the soul, but sometimes that window gets a little grimy. If your dogs eyes start looking crusty or stained, its time to clean them up! But how do you accomplish this task safely?

In this article, we will teach you how to clean your dogs eyes in six simple steps. We will also let you know what signs to watch that could indicate that your dogs dirty eyes indicate something more serious. Lets get into it.

Preparation

Before you get started cleaning your dog's eyes, you'll need to collect the following supplies:

• Warm water
• Soft washcloth, gauze, or cotton pads
• Eyewash or eye wipes (optional)
• Eye comb (optional)
• Treats or another reward

Take your dog into a quiet room or space where they feel secure. If your dog is active or wiggly, you may need to enlist a trusted assistant to help hold your dog. Remember, youll work near the eyes, which are very sensitive and easily injured.

How to Clean Your Dogs Eyes in 6 Steps

1. Wet a Cloth or Gauze With Warm Water

For simple cleaning, start with a soft cloth or gauze. Wet the cleaning material with warm water and wring out any excess liquid. Position your dog comfortably so you can support their head while cleaning.

To accomplish this, you may need to ask a large dog to sit or place a smaller dog on your lap. You could also ask your assistant to help hold your dog still if necessary.

2. Wipe Eyes Gently

Using the wet cloth or gauze, gently wipe your dogs eyes clean, starting from the inside corner and moving away from the eye. Dont wipe the actual surface of your dogs eye with the cloth, but the area around it.

Dont use the same gauze or cleaning cloth for both eyes. Either re-wet the washcloth and use a different corner or switch to a fresh cloth or gauze entirely. This step helps prevent the spread of any bacteria or allergens from one eye to the other.

3. Rinse With Eye Wash

Use a wash formulated to be safe for the eyes to help cleanse the surface of your dogs eye. This step is only needed if debris or mucus is on the eyes surface. Many different brands are available, so you may need to ask your vet for a recommendation to help you narrow down your choices. Dont substitute contact lens solutions or other human eye products without double-checking with your vet that they are safe first.

Use the eyewash as directed, typically by squirting the liquid into your dogs eyes to rinse them. Dont touch the tip of the wash bottle to your dogs eye surface. Use gauze or a cloth to absorb the excess liquid.

You could also use the eyewash to soften any stubborn, dried crusts around your dogs eyes to assist in removal.

4. Use an Eye Comb

If your dogs eye discharge or crusts are especially thick or dried, you may need to use an eye comb around the eye area to help remove them.

Use a warm cloth or eyewash to moisten the dried crusts and gently comb them out of your dogs hair. Dont attempt this step if your dog is uncooperative or wiggly unless you have assistance. Be very careful to keep the comb away from the surface of your dogs eyes.

Sometimes, the skin underneath the crusts may be irritated or infected. If so, contact your veterinarian.

5. Wipe With Eye Wipes

For tear stains or other stains near your dogs eyes, try using commercial eye wipes designed to remove them. Again, youll find several options available. Use the wipes as directed for best results.

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6. Reward, Reward, Reward

During the eye cleaning process, and especially once youre finished, give your dog plenty of treats or other rewards. You want the process to be positive and not stressful for your dog, especially if you need to clean the eyes regularly.

If possible, incorporate eye wiping or cleaning into your dogs grooming routine as a puppy. A puppys behavior is easier to shape, and if they can get used to eye cleaning early in life, theyre more likely to tolerate it as they get older (and bigger!)

When Should I Worry About My Dogs Dirty Eyes?

Some breeds of dogs are more prone to gunky eyes than others, but even for those pups, eye discharge could be a sign of a medical problem.

If your dog has any of the following symptoms, you could be dealing with something more serious:

Eye problems can be quite painful and quickly worsen, so dont hesitate to call your vet if you have any concerns. Depending on their diagnosis, you may need to treat them with eye drops or ointments. Follow your vets treatment plan carefully to ensure the best success at healing.

Dont assume that your dogs tear stains are normal, either. Some breeds are more prone to staining because they have inherited issues with their facial shape. Sometimes, these issues are correctable with surgery or other therapies. Your vet will be able to advise you if thats the case.

Conclusion

Dogs seem to find ways of making themselves messy no matter how big or where they live. Keeping your dog looking their best can get time-consuming, but responsible pet ownership is a necessary aspect. Hopefully, these six steps for cleaning your dogs eyes will help make part of their grooming routine a little easier next time.

Featured Image Credit: Marina.Martinez, Shutterstock

Eye discharge in dogs: Vet's guide to causes and treatment

Wondering whether eye discharge in dogs is normal or a sign of a deeper problem? If your dog gets some sticky bits in the corner of their eyes now and then, it's likely you've considered it nothing more than than a little gunk.

But what if you've noticed that your dog's eyes are red or, even more alarmingly still, that their eye discharge is a different color to what you might expect?

In many cases, eye discharge is not a sign of serious illness in dogs, but occasionally it can signal a dangerous problem that threatens the eye or even your dogs overall health.

Is it normal for dogs to have discharge in their eyes?

A little discharge from the eyes can be quite normal in dogs. However, if the amount of discharge suddenly increases or changes color, then this can be a sign that something is wrong.

What does normal dog eye discharge look like?

Normal discharge from dogs eyes usually looks like tears thin, runny, and clear. Sometimes this will then dry out and form small crusts at the corner of dogs eyes.

Occasionally, dogs can have some mucus-y discharge, which is thicker and may be clear, cream or yellow in color. A small amount of this discharge can be normal, but larger amounts may suggest that there is a problem.

Causes of eye discharge in dogs

There are many different causes of eye discharge in dogs. These can include:

• Infections (bacteria or viruses)
• Trauma
• Allergies
• A blocked tear duct
• Dry Eye (Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca)
• Corneal ulcers (serious damage to the surface of the eye)
• Uveitis (inflammation within the eye which can be a sign of serious illness)

Types of eye discharge in dogs

Eye discharge in dogs can come in lots of different colors and these can mean different things!

Clear discharge

Can look a lot like normal tears. However, some conditions (like allergies or viral infections) will cause dogs to over-produce tears, leading to this clear, runny discharge.

White, cream discharge

Can sometimes be normal in small amounts, but in large quantities it can be caused by infections, trauma, or dry eye an autoimmune condition where dogs stop producing tears properly, leading to infections and damage to the surface of the eye.

Yellow discharge

Usually means that inflammation or infection is present, as the yellow color may come from the net

Green eye discharge

Is very common when dogs have a bacteria infection in their eye and is usually thick and sticky. It can also be seen with other conditions such as Dry Eye and corneal ulcers. It usually means that there is serious inflammation within the eye, so dogs with green eye discharge should always be seen by a veterinarian.

Fluorescein a dye used by vets to look for damage to the surface of the eye also turns green, and can make your dogs eye discharge change color, too. So, if your dog has green eye discharge straight after coming back from the pet clinic, then it may be nothing to worry about but do call and check with your veterinarian!

Red-eye discharge

Can be seen if there is bleeding in or around your dogs eye. This usually happens after trauma and does not always mean that there is an infection present in your dogs eye.

When should I be concerned about my dogs eye discharge?

If you have noticed some discharge from your dogs eye, it can be hard to know whether to worry or not.

You will usually need to see your veterinarian to work out the cause of your dogs eye discharge, so here are a few things that signal it might be time for a trip to the vet.

You should see a veterinarian if one or more of these is true:

• Your dog has yellow, green, or red discharge
• Your dog has more eye discharge than normal even if the discharge looks the same
• Your dog is pawing at their eyes or rubbing their face along the floor or across the furniture
• There is swelling around your dogs eye
• Your dog is holding the eye partly or fully closed
• You can see something trapped in your dogs eye
• There is a bump, dip, scratch, or other change to the surface of your dogs eye
• You can see small blood vessels growing across the surface of your dogs eye

If you dont see any of these signs but your dogs eye still looks different than normal, then you should still make an appointment with your veterinarian.

Does discharge mean my dog has an eye infection?

Eye infections are one of the causes of discharge from dogs eyes, but there are many other things that can cause this, too. Some eye conditions that look similar to infections such as corneal ulcers need to be diagnosed quickly, or your dog may risk losing their sight or even needing to have the whole eye removed.

This means that it is important not to just assume that your dog has an infection make sure they are checked out properly by a veterinarian.

Treating dog eye discharge

If your dog has regular eye discharge, or some crusting at the corner of the eyes, then you can clean around their eyes to keep them comfortable. To do this, you can use some cotton wool and some water that has been boiled ad then allowed to cool.

Dip a small piece of cotton wool in the water and then gently wipe over your dogs eye to loosen and remove the discharge. Be sure to clean your hands both before and after doing this to prevent transferring bacteria between yourself and your dogs eye.

If your dogs eye is sore, or they have thicker discharge that is yellow, green, or red, then you will need to see your veterinarian for diagnosis and treatment. Home remedies for dog eye infections are usually not effective and can leave dogs in pain whilst they wait for proper treatment.

How to prevent dog eye discharge

A small amount of discharge from dogs eyes is normal and often cannot be prevented. However, if your dog regularly gets crusty eyes, then you can prevent this by bathing their eyes daily with some damp cotton wool.

Some dogs are prone to conditions that lead to eye discharge especially brachycephalic (flat-faced) dogs whose eyes may protrude further than normal.

When buying a puppy, make sure to choose one whose parents do not have these protruding eyes, as this may prevent your puppy from having problems when they are older.

If your dog has a health condition that causes eye discharge such as dry eye or allergies then it is important to see your vet regularly and follow their advice on treatment. Otherwise, these conditions can lead to inflammation and scarring of the surface of the eye, which is painful and may affect your dogs vision.

Summary

Eye discharge in dogs is very common, and not always a cause for concern. However, some causes of eye discharge can be serious and may be painful for your dog if not treated quickly. If you are unsure if your dogs eye discharge is normal, you should see your veterinarian for advice.