Your dog's eyes are irreplaceable, so dog eye care is very important. Prevention is better than repair. It is very important to begin treatment immediately for any dog eye problems.
You should make sure to have your veterinarian check your dog's eyes twice a year for good eye health. However, in the intervening months, you should also make sure your dog's eyes are healthy. Look for cloudiness or scratches in his eyes when you complete your weekly grooming routine.
Also, be aware of sudden increases in eye matter or redness. These symptoms can be important indicators of eye infections or even eye injuries.
To help prevent dog eye injuries, make sure your dog's nails are clipped. Don't allow your dog to run through brush and wooded areas, since a twig can cause permanent damage. If your dog's eye is injured, take him to the veterinarian immediately. Some eye injuries can be improved with eye ointments that speed the healing process.
What happens if your dog has an eye disease? Some of these diseases are easily curable. Conjunctivitis can be caused by something as simple as dirt or another type of foreign matter getting into your dog's eyes. Keep a bottle of saline solution on hand so that you can wash his eyes to provide immediate relief. However, be sure to consult with your vet, as well, since there could be a more serious problem. Your vet may want to give you a tube of ophthalmic ointment to apply to your dog's eyes to help heal them faster.
Other eye diseases are congenital, which means the dog was born with them. Some of these diseases are cherry eyes, where the dog has an extra eyelid, Dictichiasis, where the dog has extra eyelashes that grow the wrong way, and cataracts, which is cloudiness that develops in the eyes. Although dogs with these symptoms should never be bred in case the congenital defect is also hereditary, they can still lead full and happy lives.
Dogs with cherry eyes can be helped with a simple surgical procedure. Make sure your veterinarian has done this procedure before, but if he has experience with the surgery, it should be trouble free. Dictichiasis can also be corrected with surgery, but it is not always necessary. Consult with your veterinarian if the eyelashes begin to irritate your dog's eyes. Although surgery for cataracts is possible and can improve your dog's vision, it is expensive and time consuming. Ask your veterinarian to discuss the pros and cons of using surgery to help your dog with this eye disease.
While it would seem that the most serious problem with dog eye health is an eye tumor, most eye tumors are actually benign. If your dog has an eye tumor, your veterinarian can do a biopsy to see if it is benign. Benign tumors are not a problem unless they grow too large and cause pain to your dog's eyes. Cancerous tumors will need to be removed for your dog's health.
Remember to take care of your dog's eyes, since preventing eye injury is easier than curing it.
You should make sure to have your veterinarian check your dog's eyes twice a year for good eye health. However, in the intervening months, you should also make sure your dog's eyes are healthy. Look for cloudiness or scratches in his eyes when you complete your weekly grooming routine.
Also, be aware of sudden increases in eye matter or redness. These symptoms can be important indicators of eye infections or even eye injuries.
To help prevent dog eye injuries, make sure your dog's nails are clipped. Don't allow your dog to run through brush and wooded areas, since a twig can cause permanent damage. If your dog's eye is injured, take him to the veterinarian immediately. Some eye injuries can be improved with eye ointments that speed the healing process.
What happens if your dog has an eye disease? Some of these diseases are easily curable. Conjunctivitis can be caused by something as simple as dirt or another type of foreign matter getting into your dog's eyes. Keep a bottle of saline solution on hand so that you can wash his eyes to provide immediate relief. However, be sure to consult with your vet, as well, since there could be a more serious problem. Your vet may want to give you a tube of ophthalmic ointment to apply to your dog's eyes to help heal them faster.
Other eye diseases are congenital, which means the dog was born with them. Some of these diseases are cherry eyes, where the dog has an extra eyelid, Dictichiasis, where the dog has extra eyelashes that grow the wrong way, and cataracts, which is cloudiness that develops in the eyes. Although dogs with these symptoms should never be bred in case the congenital defect is also hereditary, they can still lead full and happy lives.
Dogs with cherry eyes can be helped with a simple surgical procedure. Make sure your veterinarian has done this procedure before, but if he has experience with the surgery, it should be trouble free. Dictichiasis can also be corrected with surgery, but it is not always necessary. Consult with your veterinarian if the eyelashes begin to irritate your dog's eyes. Although surgery for cataracts is possible and can improve your dog's vision, it is expensive and time consuming. Ask your veterinarian to discuss the pros and cons of using surgery to help your dog with this eye disease.
While it would seem that the most serious problem with dog eye health is an eye tumor, most eye tumors are actually benign. If your dog has an eye tumor, your veterinarian can do a biopsy to see if it is benign. Benign tumors are not a problem unless they grow too large and cause pain to your dog's eyes. Cancerous tumors will need to be removed for your dog's health.
Remember to take care of your dog's eyes, since preventing eye injury is easier than curing it.