Dog Conjunctivitis Symptoms and Treatments

Dog Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the pink mucous membrane surrounding the ‘white’ of the eye. It is a common dog eye problem and may be cause by a viral or bacterial infection, exposure to foreign body such as plant material, fibers, sand and chemicals, an allergy reaction, entropion, physical trauma and other illnesses, such as skin diseases, that can affect the eyelids and conjunctiva.

Signs and symptoms of conjunctivitis in dog include red, sore looking eyes with accompanying discharges. The dog may paw at the eyes or rub his or her face along the ground in an attempt to relieve irritation. Dry eyes in a dog will look kind of dull and sticky, and it causes the dog pain. If the problem is in the cornea of the eye, it will allow the tears to go in and the dog's eyes will look kind of shadowy and bluish.

Dog Conjunctivitis treatment involves symptomatic therapy for the conjunctivitis and specific therapy for any underlying causes. The dog eyes must be thoroughly irrigated to remove any irritating substance, foreign material should be removed if any. Tear production abnormalities must be treated with medication.

If you suspect that your dog’s eye has foreign matters, try to flush it with sterile eye irrigation solution to help remove them. If flushing the eye does not help, you should seek professional veterinary attention immediately.

As soon as your dog starts it medication prescribed by the vet, check the condition of your dog’s eye regularly, as most canine conjunctivitis problems in dogs should improve within a day or two. If you notice that the condition of the eye is not improving, get back to your veterinary again.

Conjunctivitis in dog is not a preventable eye disease, nevertheless current veterinary treatment would be able to solve the problem easily. Just be extra careful when you touch your dog’s face and whenever you help him shampoo during a bathe.

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