If you notice your dog squinting and eye(s) tearing it can be a sign of an eye injury or infection.

In my case my girl had a scratched cornea.  The vet does a die test and uses a black light to see the scratch.

If you have ever had a scratched cornea you know how painful it is.

According to my vet, while a human will heal very quickly from this, dogs take much longer.  Often 4 or more weeks.  This is because the blood flow to the cornea is not as efficient as it is in humans.

The treatment is a triple antibiotic ophthalmic ointment along with another ointment for pain.

My vet prescribed the antibiotic 2-3 times a day for 2 weeks and the pain ointment every 3 days.

A recheck in 14 days showed she was healing but needed more time.

We continue treatment for another 2 weeks and do a recheck again.

You can use a human antibiotic ointment for eyes if your vet will give you a prescription.

Note:  Be careful what the pharmacist gives you.  Make sure the ointment does not contain any type of steroid (some human forms do) as this should never be used with a cornea injury according to my vet.

Note: as the eyes are connected to the sinus and mouth, the pain meds can cause drooling or foaming at the mouth because they are bitter tasting.

Dogs can also get conjunctivitis and you would usually see a yellow to green discharge indicating infection and it needs to be treated by your vet.

It is contagious so be sure and wash your hands after treating your dog.  I also believe it can be passed to humans but check with your vet.

According to my vet a white or beige discharge is most likely allergies (but should be checked by your vet).  For that I flush the eyes 2x/day with warm “sea salt” water and it usually clears up in about a week.

Patty

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