Eye Infection Can Be Serious for Pets

Pet owners want the best for the pets and that includes keeping their pets healthy by trying to prevent diseases and illnesses and treating them when they occur. Unfortunately eye infections are fairly common in pets. They can crop up on their own or occur when something lodges in the eye. They can also occur when the surface of the eye, called the cornea, gets scratched.

    The common warning signs to look out for that your pet has an eye infection are: eye discharge, squinting, redness, cloudiness, and trying to rub and scratch the eye. Rubbing or scratching of the eye can make things worse for your pet. One of those cone shaped instruments that covers the head will prevent your pet from rubbing their eyes and further irritating the condition.

    Eye discharge may be ugly, but it's a valuable warning sign that something is wrong. This is important because infections can progress very quickly and even in some cases cause permanent eye damage. Discharge is a telltale sign of infection and will often be thick, yellow, gray, or green. Any off-colored eye discharge that persists for longer than 48 hours without improvement should be seen by a vet.

     Infections of the eye and surrounding structures are common in pets and usually involve the conjunctiva, leading to conjunctivitis or "pink eye." Causes of infections include various bacteria, viruses like the Herpes virus, foreign material or irritants in the eye and even Lyme disease. Eye infections may become chronic if not treated and can cause permanent damage such as blindness if neglected.

    Some dog breeds are more likely to get eye infections than others. Before you get a dog, research its breed to see if they are more prone to eye infections. If you think your pet has an eye infection, you should get them examined at the Vet for a test, treatment, and to prevent permanent damage from occurring.

    Vets often recommend applying an antibiotic ointment made especially for the eye. Other treatments besides an ointment are eye drops and all natural herbal treatments. Medications can be received from the Vet and there are also many websites, such as this one, that offer medications for dog and cat eye infections, some being homeopathic or all natural medications. If you want to save money, you can usually get medications cheaper online than at the Vet.

    To sooth the painful side effects of an eye infection, there is a product called Newtons Homeopathics Eye Irritation. It relieves pain, itching, dryness, swelling, redness, tired eyes, pink eye, and thick yellow discharge of the eyes. Sometimes your pet will get an eye infection no matter what. You just can't prevent it. However, there are steps you can do to help prevent your pet from getting an eye infection and to maintain optimum eye health.

The steps are:

  Always keep your dog head inside moving vehicles
  Check your dog's eyes on a regular basis
  Make sure its annual veterinary checkup includes a thorough eye exam.
  Keep your dog's eyes clean by wiping away any discharge that may accumulate.

There is a product called Halo Herbal Eye Wash which will keep your pet's eyes clean, open tear ducts, and sooth irritated tissue. I have used this with great success on my own pets and always keep some handy.