Why are my dog’s eyes red? Some physical eyes condition, such as Red eyes in dogs, maybe a warning sign of an eye problem that will need to be treated on time. Some of these problems could be minor and will be treated with just proper care and little treatment, while some of these could lead your canine to severe eyes problem and possible blindness.
Our experts have compiled the article in such a way that will cover all the possible answer to the questions of pet owners regarding eye redness in dogs. You can use the table of content for smooth Navigation.
Why Are My Dogs Eyes Red?
Why are the whites of my dogs eyes Red? Eye redness in dogs is easy to observe. Pet owner may notice dogs eyes redness along with other symptoms such as Eye boogers in dogs, swelling, discharge, rubbing eyes with paws, squinting, or repeated blinking. Different reasons may lead your canine to different eyes problems. Redness in the eyes is a common issue among humans and pets that sometimes leads to very itchy, irritating and occasionally severe eyes condition.
Dogs may have redness in their eyes for various reasons. Below, we are discussing all the possible causes of Eyes redness in dogs.
Causes of Eyes Redness in Dogs:
1. Foreign Bodies:
Falling of environmental irritants and foreign bodies are considered one of the leading causes of eyes itchiness and redness in humans and pets.
Suppose you notice that your dogs suddenly start rubbing their eyes occasionally, and redness occurs. In that case, you need to look for any foreign bodies and irritants to try to remove them gently.
You can use the vet recommended eyes drops for dogs to remove the environmental irritants easily.
2. Dogs Eyes Allergies:
Eyes Allergies in dogs may lead your canine to eye redness, severe eyes itching swelling and tendency of fluids and boogers. Canine suffering from eyes allergies will continuously rubs their eyes with the paws, leading to inflammations and infections.
Dogs eyes allergies can cause by dust, smoke, pollen, diet or seasonal factors.
3. Eye Dryness Keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS):
Eyes dryness medically known as Keratoconjunctivitis sicca. This condition is the dryness of the eyes due to inflammation of the cornea and surrounding tissues from drying. You can use Lubricant Eye Drops with Antioxidant.
According to Vets, the Keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) Eye Dryness leads dogs to eye redness. Other symptoms of KCS are Eyes swilling, severe itching and boogers.
4. Ulcerative Keratitis:
Ulcerative keratitis is the inflammation of surface layers of the corneal epithelium, which causes erosion of the surface tissues. Living untreated and when it goes deep, it can lead to corneal ulcers.
Do not try to self diagnose. Contact your vet to diagnose if you think you puppy is suffering from Ulcerative keratitis. Symptoms of Ulcerative keratitis in dogs include increased eye redness, tearing, squinting, or rubbing of the eye.
5. Blepharitis:
Blepharitis means inflammation of the eyelid that usually affect one or both eyes. According to vets and pet experts, dogs suffering from Blepharitis will develop symptoms like itchy eyes, red eyes, squint, blinking eyes, discharge and swelling.
You will also notice symptoms like continuously rubbing eyes with their paws, and eyelids may have dry crusts.
6. Conjunctivitis:
Conjunctivitis occurs due to the inflammation of conjunctiva tissue. Conjunctiva is a mucous membrane similar to the lining of the mouth and nose.
These tissues can not be easily observed in healthy dogs. However, in dogs who suffer from Conjunctivitis, the condition can be easily observed. Because in Conjunctivitis, the conjunctival membranes become red and swollen. Generally, the conjunctiva tissue of the healthy pup will look pale, pink.
7. Glaucoma:
Glaucoma is referred to eyes issues in which the pressure of intraocular pressure (IOP) is increased inside the eyes. Glaucoma is caused by inadequate drainage of aqueous fluid. Glaucoma has two major types.
Primary Glaucoma and Secondary Glaucoma.
Dogs who suffer from Glaucoma will show symptoms like red eyes, itchy eyes, Cloudy cornea, Squinting, Tearing, Eyes rubbing, Avoidance of light, Weak blink response and Fluttering eyelid.
8. Corneal Dystrophy:
Corneal dystrophy is referred to as the corneal disease in dogs. In Corneal dystrophy, the canine eyes become opaque. Corneal dystrophy is categorized into three types based on the anatomic location of the abnormal tissue and opacity.
The three majors categories are:
- Epithelial
- Stromal
- Endothelial
9. Skin Illnesses:
According to pet experts and vets, some specific skin illness could be cause red eyes in dogs. Skin illnesses such as skin allergies, cancer management, and skin dryness may be caused by eye redness in you canine.
10. Entropion:
Entropion is the eyes condition in which The eyelid of the pet turns inward causing the eyelashes and eyelid to rub against the eye’s surface. If your puppy is has Entropion you will observe redness in your puppy eyes.
11. Hypertrophy (Cherry Eye) In Dogs:
Hypertrophy is referred to the prolapse of the gland of the nictitating membrane (cherry eye) in dogs. When a dog suffers from Hypertrophy, the red glandular mass swells and expends over the top margin of the nictitans.
There is a mucopurulent discharge and the gland eventually often remains prolapsed. During Hypertrophy, you will notice a bloody look redness in your canine eyes.
12. Systemic disease:
Many systemic diseases sometimes have direct or indirect effects on certain parts of the body . According to veterinarians , many systemic and related disease such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, pannus and leptospirosis may lead your pup eyes to redness.
13. Canine Cataracts:
Canine Cataracts is known to be the appearance of cloudy eyes in dogs. Generally, cataracts develop in the pup eyes when the change in water balance occurs in the proteins areas of the eyes.
Canine cataracts are considered one of the leading cause of vision loss in dogs. Before the appearance of the cloudy structure, you may also observe redness in your canine eyes. You can use Lubricant Eye Drops with Antioxidant.
There are many causes of Canine cataracts such as trauma, diabetes, retinal disease etc.
14. Eyes Hemorrhages:
Hemorrhages mean an escape of blood from a ruptured blood vessel. In Hemorrhages you will observe visible bleeding from the eyes due a trauma or secondary disease. There are Many others reasons for this puppy eyes condition are glaucoma, tumors, retinal separation etc.
If your puppy suffered from Eyes Hemorrhages, you would observe symptoms like eyes redness, Small blood clots in the eyes, unclotted bleeding, pain, rubbing, and sensitivity to light.
When your dog need veterinary care?
- Servedogs Team always keep dogs health on the priority. As already discussed, some of the canine issues will be minor, and you can go through them by yourself.
- If you notice that your canine eyes have dust, you can gently clean your canine eyes by using vet recommended eyes drops.
- Some issue may be more alarming and will need proper physical examination and treatment by a proportional vet. And self-medication may harm more than benefits.
- We always recommend contacting your vet if you notice any unusual eyes condition in your canine. Proper and timely treatment may prevent your pup from severe eyes problems and even blindness.
How do I treat my dog’s red eye?
The treatment of any illness depends on the cause of the disease. Treatment of red eyes in dogs will be treated differently after diagnosing and the actual cause of the eyes problems. Below are some of the possible treatment option for eyes redness in dogs.
1. Topical Medications:
Some eyes problems will be minor and can be treated only by using topical medications. There are many Topical medications in the form of drops and ointments available in the market or vet stores.
According to your vet recommendation, you can use these medications or up to 3 times a day in the dog’s affected eyes.
2. Oral Medications:
Some eyes illnesses in dogs may not be treated by just using oral medications, so your vet may also prescribe oral medications and topical medications.
In eyes illnesses such as infection or trauma, oral medication such as antibiotics and anti-inflammatories drugs may require eye redness treatment in your dog.
3. Surgery:
Some time many eyes problems become severe, and only surgery will be the treatment option. If you canine has a foreign body inside the eyes that cannot be removed, surgery will be required.
If your dog is diagnosed with the cherry eye, the vet will first try to rest the glands manually with the medication, but surgery will be the only option to reform the eyelid if the condition still exists.
Recommended measures and care for dogs Eyes Redness:
- Different eyes illness will needs different methods of care and measures. We recommend the below safety precautions to prevent your canine from eyes problems.
- First of all, help your canine by timely treatment under the supervision of a professional vet for any health problem.
- Make sure to do proper hair hygiene and to keep your canine eyes regions clean.
- Do not allow your canine to play with sharp objects or toys.
- If you canine is rubbing face behavior, first try to know why your dogs are rubbing the face and make sure proper measure because your canine can injured the eyes while this behavior.
- Don’t use soaps and shampoo that make your canine eyes itchy or red. You can use itchy free shampoo for your dog.
