Mary Allen
With the acquisition of a dog, there are also many new tasks for the new owner. In addition to a high-quality diet tailored to the dog, sufficient exercise, and lots of petting, caring for the animals is also part of everyday life. When grooming a dog, most people immediately think of brushing their coat.
However, care includes much more than just that. Eye care is also one of the new tasks. In this article you will find out what you need to look out for when caring for your eyes and you will receive further tips and tricks on this topic.
Where does eye care begin and when should you intervene as an owner?
Healthy dog eyes are clear and do not water. Of course, dirt can settle after sleeping, which we also know as the so-called sleeping sand. You should have it removed in the morning. Due to the fact that dogs’ eyes are very sensitive, you should always keep an eye on them.
Regular checks, the length of the coat and the appearance of the eyes are therefore very important. As soon as the eyes are red, too much tears or your dog blinks, you should intervene as soon as possible and help your darling.
When do dogs need to be groomed
For most dog breeds, the eyes don’t need much attention or cleaning. However, it can happen again and again that your dog’s eyes tear. In addition, some of the dogs are very susceptible to eye problems, such as conjunctivitis. No wonder, because the eyes are among the most sensitive parts of the animal’s body. For this reason, it is important that you are always careful enough.
As a rule, eye care for dogs consists exclusively of wiping the corners of the eyes in the morning after getting up. Here, the dirt that we know as sleeping sand is washed out. However, it also happens that a foreign object in the eye causes the eye to become inflamed. This can be, for example, a single dog hair, in general the fur that has grown long around the eyes, or a foreign body that the dog has caught on the way. Of course, it also happens that the dog has had too much draft and the conjunctiva becomes inflamed.
As soon as the eye is no longer clear, tears too much or is even reddened, you should intervene. However, it is important that you take your dog to the vet if it often suffers from eye problems. Even if there is a foreign body in the eye and this causes such irritation. If the foreign body is still inside, it must be removed urgently. So it can also happen that the dog, when running through the forest, gets a thorn in its eye and it is still there.
Washing out the eyes
As already mentioned, washing the eyes regularly is sufficient for most dogs. Most dog owners do this every morning when they get up. A damp cloth is best for this. Just make sure it’s a rag that doesn’t pill. Otherwise, it can happen that the lint stays in the eye and can cause irritation, so washing it out in this situation obviously has the opposite effect.
There is also the option of using a saline solution instead of warm water. These can be easily bought in the pharmacy for little money. The saline solution does not burn, but has an antibacterial effect. Many veterinarians also recommend washing the animals’ eyes with chamomile tea. This is especially true if your dog suffers from conjunctivitis. However, it is important to only use high-quality chamomile tea.
Before wetting the cloth with chamomile tea, it is important to filter the tea. This is the only way you can be sure that there are no small crumbs in the tea that would get into your eyes on this way. Chamomile tea also has an antibacterial effect and is a natural way to counteract eye inflammation.
Remove the hair around the eyes
Many dog breeds have a lot of hair growth around the eyes. This is often the case with terriers, for example. Of course, it can happen that the hair is either too long or grows crooked and thus irritates the eyes. In this case, as a dog owner, you should trim your dog’s coat. However, it is important to only use rounded scissors and to ensure that the cut fur does not land on or in the eye.
Eye infections in dogs
In addition to the little dirt after sleeping, it can also happen again and again that your dog gets an eye infection. Such an eye infection can be very painful for the animals. It is now important to determine first and foremost why the animals’ eyes became inflamed.
One reason for such an eye infection can be, for example, a foreign body that your dog has caught while walking, at home or through overgrown fur. It is now important to see whether the foreign body is still in the eye.
If you do not trust yourself to do this task, please contact a veterinarian urgently and immediately. This foreign body causes irritation in your dog’s eye, which not only causes the eye to become badly inflamed, but also causes pain. Your dog will now try to remove the foreign body in the eye itself. This can also cause injuries.
In addition, of course, it also happens again and again that your dog’s eyes have gotten too much traction. This happens, for example, when you walk your dog in strong winds. Here it depends on how bad the eye infection has already progressed.
There are also many other eye infections that have bacterial causes. All of these inflammations usually have to be fought with special medication or antibiotics. In this case, it is very important that you take your dog to the veterinarian.
Eye care especially for puppies
In puppies, it is more common that the eyes become inflamed or tear heavily. However, this is perfectly normal. It is usually not due to conjunctivitis or a foreign body in the eye. The fact that the dog is growing causes the jaw to press on the tear ducts of the eyes. As a result, tear fluid leaks out.
So don’t worry and just make sure that your little puppy’s eyes are always nice and clean. Watering of the eyes due to pressure from the jaw usually resolves within a few weeks. But here, too, you should go to a veterinarian if you are unsure. Of course, the advantage is that if you start grooming your dog’s eyes as a puppy, you get used to it right from the start.
Remove tear stone
Especially in dog breeds with light fur, the watery eyes cause brown discoloration around the eyes. Of course, many dog owners don’t like that. For this reason, some manufacturer brands have launched special eye care products for this problem with tear stones. These are used instead of the warm water, chamomile tea, or saline solution to wash the dogs’ eyes and the fur around the eyes.
This works particularly well for many dog breeds, so that the discoloration of the fur can be eliminated. However, whether the agents work as they promise depends on both the structure of the dog’s coat and the skin. So it is important that you try out the different products one by one in order to find the best care product for you.
Conclusion
While we humans usually do not care for their eyes completely, the dogs often depend on our help. Don’t be afraid to hurt your dog. Always be careful and get your dog used to washing their eyes after sleeping right from the start. So you can be sure that your darling is usually spared from eye problems. You should also always keep an eye on the fur around the eyes to intervene as soon as it gets too long and affects the eyes. Of course, if you are unsure, you can always consult your veterinarian to be on the safe side and to treat any eye infections with medication.