Why do Chihuahuas' eyes turn red? Immediate response to red whites of a dog's eyes. Contacting a veterinarian

If a person's eyes turn red, he often makes a diagnosis for himself. As a rule, this is fatigue from working at the computer, conjunctivitis or other factors that a person can usually guess about, and for treatment he uses eye drops or a popularly known remedy - tea.

If you observe red whites of the eyes in a dog, such products should not be used without a veterinarian’s prescription. This is due to the fact that such a symptom often indicates not only diseases of the organs of vision, but also diseases of the internal organs, although it is possible that your pet was not overtaken by any illness, and this phenomenon is explained by other provoking factors.

To identify them, you need to contact a specialist. If you want to at least approximately determine the provocateur of the problem, to find out why the whites of your pet’s eyes are red, you need to pay attention to the nature of the phenomenon.

If the redness is local, this may indicate the following diseases:

Diffuse redness may indicate the following conditions:

• Increased filling of conjunctival vessels with blood. This phenomenon is observed with injuries, allergies, the presence of infections in the body and the organs of vision themselves, corneal trauma, dry eye syndrome, third eyelid adenoma, impaired blood supply to the eyes, autoimmune diseases;
• Increased filling of scleral vessels with blood. This phenomenon occurs in glaucoma, autoimmune pathologies, uveitis, and tumors.

The provocateur is often conjunctivitis of varying severity.

One of the symptoms of the disease is a viscous discharge from the dog’s eyes that is light green or light yellow in color. The consistency of these secretions is adhesive. This disease is contagious because it is viral, so it is necessary to ensure that the dog does not come into contact with other animals until it is cured.

With conjunctivitis, it is important to follow the rules of hygiene. It is recommended to wash your pet's eyes, but not with tea, but with chamomile decoctions and infusions, using a clean swab for each eye. You should not prescribe drops to your pet on your own - they may not suit him, so you should consult with a veterinarian (a phone call is enough). If treatment is ineffective and the animal’s condition worsens, you should take your pet for an in-person appointment.

If a dog has red eyes, and this phenomenon is accompanied by purulent discharge from them and from the nose, snoring, high body temperature, diarrhea, vomiting, enlarged tonsils, lymph nodes, and fainting, this may indicate a very dangerous disease - pneumonic distemper. The animal stops reacting to the world around it and tries to hide from everyone. If all these signs appear, you should urgently contact a veterinary clinic. If you do not provide assistance to the animal in a timely manner, death is possible.

If, along with red streaks, yellowness appears in the whites of your pet’s eyes, this often indicates liver disease.

Another possible cause of redness is an inversion of the eyelid. This pathology is usually congenital. The pet's eyes are constantly injured by the eyelashes, which is why they become watery and red.

causes of red whites of eyes in dogs

In some cases, the pet’s overall condition does not cause concern - its body temperature does not rise, its appetite does not decrease, it behaves as usual. If so, the problem may be caused by one of the following:

Redness of your pet's eyes can be a common physiological reaction to certain phenomena:

These are not all the reasons why a dog may have red whites of its eyes, and here is why another such problem can overtake it.

If the dog was on a walk, it could fight with other animals, in particular with cats. The blows and scratches of the latter are very dangerous, since under their claws there is a huge amount of bacteria, which often provoke the development of various visual diseases in the dog. If a fight has taken place or you suspect that it could be the cause of the problem, there is an urgent need to contact a veterinarian.

helping a dog with red eyes

Before examining the animal by a veterinarian, it is necessary to create conditions for the pet in which the course of the disease will not worsen.

If your dog has red eyes, here's what to do:

• A pet can independently injure its organs of vision by scratching them. To avoid this, you need to put a special collar on your dog;
• If there is a suspicion that chemicals have entered the animal’s organs of vision, it is necessary to rinse them for half an hour. To do this, you can use either saline solution or ordinary clean water, but it should be cool;
• If your eyes are dry, you need to instill them with drops that have the effect of artificial tears. You can also put tetracycline ointment (1%) behind the eyelid.

Without a doctor's prescription, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic medications, including drops, as well as medications containing hormones, should not be used to combat red streaks or spots.

treatment for red eyes in dogs

To identify the cause of the disease, the veterinarian uses a slit lamp and an ophthalmoscope. To establish an accurate diagnosis, as a rule, additional examination is prescribed.

It could be:

The veterinarian also measures intraocular pressure, and if necessary, material is taken for cytology.

As for treatment, it depends on the final diagnosis. In some cases, it can be reduced to the use of conservative methods, but for more serious problems, surgery is usually indicated.

If you notice redness in your pet's eyes, you should not leave the problem to chance, since it can be quite serious, and in the absence of proper treatment, lead to irreversible consequences.

If your dog's eyes are red, do not rush to use the old-fashioned method - rinse with tea. Of course, this can be done, but if the symptom does not go away within 24 hours, you need to seek help from a veterinarian who will find out why the dog has red whites of the eyes.

In order to determine the cause of red eyes in a domestic dog, the owner must present the results of the observation to the veterinarian. First of all, what is important is how things are with the general condition. Perhaps the dog is depressed, constantly trying to scratch its eyes, has no interest in food, but has a runny nose and fever.

It is necessary to know the color of the discharge, whether there is pus, whether the fur around the eyes is sticking together so that in the morning the pet cannot open the eyelids. After this, the veterinarian will determine how much the eyelids are red, and whether the whites are reddened - spotwise or completely, and whether the blood vessels are swollen.

Allergy

If the eyes are red, but otherwise the animal feels normal, then the reason is stress or allergies. The latter most often occurs in spring or summer. While walking, a dog may come into contact with plants that are allergens. As a result, the animal sneezes, the eyes turn red, and tears flow.

When the pet enters a clean room, the symptoms stop. There is allergic conjunctivitis. Treatment consists of taking antihistamines and limiting contact with the allergen.

Severe stress

Redness is also possible after a fight, when the dog has experienced a strong attack and aggression. Stress can be a punishment. In this case, you should calm the animal, provide complete peace and caring attitude so that the pet can recover.

If glaucoma is suspected, intraocular pressure is measured. To prevent unnecessary movements of the dog, local anesthesia is administered. In order to detect microcracks, the eye is instilled with a special fluorescent paint, which highlights the damage when the protein is exposed to a special lamp.

If a dog has red whites of the eyes, the cause may be either microtrauma, which will heal on its own, or glaucoma, which will result in blindness without treatment. In any case, the deviation should not be ignored. It is very important to visit a veterinarian if it is noticed that the redness does not go away for more than 24 hours. Treatment at home is strongly not recommended. All that can be done as first aid to an animal is to rinse the reddened eye with saline solution.

There are many different reasons why a dog has red white eyes. To help your veterinarian make the correct diagnosis, you need to monitor your pet's general health. After all, even changes in behavior can indicate a certain disease. The following symptoms accompanying reddening of the whites should be especially alarming:

• characteristic itching in the eye area (the dog will rub its muzzle with its paw);
• clouding of the corneal surface;
• constant squinting, frequent blinking;
• general swelling of the muzzle;
• the appearance of purulent or whitish discharge in the inner corners of the eyes;
• photosensitivity;
• asymmetrical pupils.

You definitely need to pay attention to whether only one or both eyes are red. It is also important to remember whether the dog took part in a fight or had contact with cats.

5 main causes of pathology

It is absolutely inadvisable to start self-treatment of your pet, because there are dozens of diagnoses, the main symptom of which is redness of the whites. Below are the most common diseases.

Allergic conjunctivitis

The disease most often develops in the spring and summer, when the dog spends a lot of time outside and comes into contact with potential allergens. Associated symptoms (tearfulness, sneezing) usually disappear literally within an hour after the animal enters a clean room.

Treatment methods

If allergic conjunctivitis is confirmed, the dog will have to be given antihistamines. It is also necessary to find the source of the disease in order to prevent further contact of the animal with the allergen.

Corneal irritation

Another common cause of red eyes can be mechanical irritation of the cornea. For example, breeds with thin, hard hair (pinschers, griffons) often suffer from single hairs scratching their eyes. The cause may also be a foreign body entering the eye.

Treatment methods

You can rinse your animal's eyes with saline solution. And if the veterinarian confirms that the cornea is damaged by coarse hair, then you will have to take your pet to a groomer and cut off the excess hair.

Infection

Bacteria entering a scratch on the eye causes the whites to turn red. The animal may rub its muzzle on the floor and blink frequently.

Treatment methods

Intensive therapy may be necessary (washing the eyes every hour, administering antibiotics every five to six hours). You also need to treat the corners of your eyes with turunda soaked in an antibacterial solution.

Dry eye syndrome

One of the reasons that a dog has red whites in both eyes could be a blocked tear duct, or a complete absence of tear glands. Additional symptoms accompanying the pathology: swelling, cloudiness of the cornea.

Treatment methods

As a budget (but temporary) solution to the problem, the veterinarian may suggest using special moisturizing drops. But to improve the dog's quality of life in the long term, surgery is recommended.

Cancers

There are several types of cancer that can cause red eyes in dogs. The most common are lymphoma and reticulosarcoma.

Treatment methods

If cancer was diagnosed at an early stage, then chemotherapy and radiotherapy are performed. Otherwise, a course of medications is prescribed to eliminate unpleasant symptoms.

Diagnostic methods

If one or both eyes of your dog are red, you should contact your veterinarian for a diagnosis. It is especially dangerous to ignore professional help if the redness does not subside within several days. The veterinarian will carefully examine the pet's medical history and also collect anamnesis.

• When was the redness first noticed?
• Have you noticed a sharp worsening of symptoms over the past few hours?
• Has your pet's behavior changed?
• How often does the dog interact with other animals?

After receiving the initial information, the veterinarian will conduct a full ophthalmological examination. During the examination, the specialist will evaluate the condition of various parts of the eye, including the conjunctiva, cornea, tear ducts, retina and eyelids.

The Schirmer test is also performed. During the procedure, the doctor will check the intensity of tear production and confirm or rule out dry eye syndrome. There is no need to be afraid that the animal will be in pain: the specialist will simply place a small strip of paper between the eyelid and the eye. The strip will act as an irritant. The tears that appear will color the tester, which will allow you to find out the volume of liquid.

If glaucoma is suspected, tonometry is performed (measuring the internal pressure of the eye using a special device). To prevent the animal from twitching during the procedure, local anesthesia can be performed.

Fluorescein paint is used to identify microcracks. A small drop of yellow-green dye is placed on the surface of the eye. Damaged areas will be illuminated under the influence of a special lamp.

Sometimes a comprehensive blood test is also prescribed. Indeed, in rare cases, redness of the whites of both eyes may indicate dysfunction of the kidneys, liver, or hormonal imbalance.

Drug therapy and surgical treatment

Redness of the whites of the eyes is only a symptom of some pathology. Therefore, the treatment program is selected only after confirmation of the diagnosis. First of all, external agents are prescribed in the form of ophthalmic ointments, drops, and solutions. Without a doctor's prescription, you can only use saline solution, artificial tears, and bactericidal ointments (apply only to the corners of the eyes). Washing should be done 2-3 times a day, artificial tears should be instilled 5-6 times a day, but it is better not to use ointments more than twice a day.

To prevent the animal from rubbing its eyes, you need to put on a special Elizabethan collar.

If such initial treatment does not help, then it is necessary to urgently take the animal to a veterinary ophthalmologist.

The doctor will prescribe oral medications, and if there is no positive dynamics, he will give a referral for surgery. Do not ignore the recommendations of a specialist. If the cause of the problem is not addressed in the early stages, surgical removal of the eye (enucleation) may be necessary in the future.

To prevent the redness of the whites of your dog’s eyes from resulting in blindness, it is very important to receive timely veterinary care.

You can also ask questions to our site's in-house veterinarian, who will answer them as quickly as possible in the comment box below.

Red eye syndrome can manifest itself in different ways: redness of the corners, spider veins, or sclera that has completely changed its color. In a few cases, a change in the color of the eye sclera is normal, but more often it indicates a disease.

The red whites of both eyes in an albino dog are not pathological. Albinos have a common genetic feature - the absence of the coloring pigment melanin, which is why blood vessels are visible through the skin and areas of the eye sclera. It appears that the whites of the eyes of albino animals are pink.

Ingoda squirrels turn red in response to external stimuli. For example:

1. A rush of blood to the eyes occurs as a result of stress, anxiety, or an attack of aggression. Red squirrels may indicate that the dog is scared or has not yet cooled down after a fight with its fellow tribesmen.
2. The eye vessels dilate if the animal is overheated. The condition of hyperthermia is provoked by intense heat, prolonged exposure to the sun or near an open fire.
3. During windy weather, the cornea may be irritated by dust or small debris in the air.
4. It is likely that the eyes are constantly injured by improperly growing eyelashes or bristles of coarse hair. In this case, it is recommended to constantly cut off the interfering hairs.

Such conditions do not require treatment. The redness of the whites of the eyes will go away on its own after the provoking factors are eliminated.

Redness as a symptom of the disease

Red eye syndrome often indicates pathology, especially if it is accompanied by hyperemia, swelling, pain, and blurred vision.

Dry eye syndrome or keratoconjunctivitis sicca appears due to insufficient entry of tear fluid into the conjunctival cavity, which causes various inflammations of the conjunctiva and cornea to develop. This threatens with destructive changes in the eyes, ulcers, or complete loss of vision. There is both breed and hereditary predisposition to the disease.

Yorkshire terriers, cocker spaniels, Pekingese, pugs, and bulldogs are especially often affected.

In the early stages, the dog’s condition is alleviated by instilling an “artificial tear” drug. If an infection occurs, antibiotics or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used. Therapy with the drugs Cyclosporine and Tacrolimus has a good effect. They stimulate the production of tear fluid.

An allergic reaction is a common cause of redness of the eye sclera. Particularly often, hay fever manifests itself in this way - an allergy to the pollen of flowering plants or a reaction to chemicals or medications. The animal must be protected from exposure to allergens and antihistamines administered.

Traumatic injury to the eye can lead to inflammation of the sclera and reddening of the whites. Dogs with bulging eyes (Pekingese, Pugs) are especially susceptible to injury. Even blunt injuries are dangerous - the impact causes blood vessels to burst, giving the white a bright red color, sometimes lacrimation occurs, and the dog cannot open his eyes. In such a situation, it is necessary to urgently show the dog to a doctor, otherwise vision may be lost.

Infectious conjunctivitis in dogs is manifested by redness of the cornea and yellowish purulent discharge (in the initial stages it may be transparent). A sick dog must be protected from contact with other animals. The eyes are washed with fresh tea leaves or chamomile decoction, antibacterial drops Sofradex or Albucid are instilled, and tetracycline ointment is applied.

Increased intraocular pressure due to glaucoma or tumor diseases. The vessels experience strong pressure and are destroyed, which leads to staining of the sclera.

Canine plague is a very serious disease. Along with the respiratory organs, the visual organs are affected. Discharge from the eyes and nose appears, which contains pus, and tearing is observed. The general body temperature rises, intoxication occurs, and the lymph nodes enlarge. The dog hides, refuses to communicate, stops eating.

A blocked tear duct is diagnosed when reddened corners of the eyes and tear tracks on the bridge of the nose are visible. If medical assistance is not provided in time, an infection will most likely develop and inflammation will begin. As first aid, rinsing with antiseptic solutions is used. In advanced cases, surgical intervention is required - drainage of the lacrimal canal.

High blood pressure. The vessels swell and burst, which leads to redness of the sclera. In severe cases, a complication occurs in the form of retinal detachment, and this already threatens vision loss. First of all, you need to review your pet’s diet, eliminating the consumption of salt and fat. Significant physical activity, walking in cold or too hot weather, and active games are not recommended. Weakness of the vascular walls may indicate autoimmune diseases and thyroid pathologies.

Diagnostic methods

The veterinarian collects a detailed medical history. The owner should talk about the behavior and well-being of the pet recently, remember what preceded the pathology: stress, excitement, fight, illness.

Tell your veterinarian if you observe:

• itching (the dog rubs its eyes with its paw);
• corneal clouding (frequent blinking);
• inflammation, swelling in the eye area;
• discharge from the lacrimal duct, the presence of pus in it;
• increased lacrimation;
• asymmetry of the pupils;
• nature of the pathology (vascular network, redness of the eyelids, ulcerative lesions).

Pay attention to the general condition of the dog: body temperature, activity, appetite.

During diagnosis, a veterinarian-ophthalmologist examines the dog, assessing the condition of its eyelids and eyeballs. If glaucoma is suspected, tonometry is performed, measuring eye pressure.

The Schirmer test helps to exclude dry keratoconjunctivitis. It is designed to determine the amount of tear fluid secreted. The presence of microtraumas is also checked using a special fluorescent lamp.

To identify or exclude infectious pathologies or hormonal imbalances, a general blood test is performed. If necessary, an ultrasound examination is prescribed, which allows you to determine the presence of organic changes and complications of the disease (clouding of the lens).

If retinal detachment is suspected, an examination of the fundus and the condition of the optic nerve is performed - ophthalmoscopy.

Treatment

First aid consists of washing the eyes with strong tea, instilling an antimicrobial drug (Albucid) or applying tetracycline eye ointment. If severe itching is observed, a collar should be placed around the neck to prevent scratching.

The main therapy is selected by the attending physician only after a final diagnosis has been made. Depending on the nature of the pathology, these or other medications may be used:

1. Antibiotics for general or local use depending on the severity of inflammation. They are indicated for conjunctivitis, blepharitis, keratitis, dacryoadenitis and other infectious diseases.
2. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs help relieve inflammation and relieve pain.
3. Glucocorticosteroids are used strictly according to indications. They are prescribed for the treatment of complicated ophthalmological pathologies when other anti-inflammatory drugs are ineffective.
4. Antihistamines are necessary to relieve allergic reactions.
5. Antiseptic agents are used in solutions for washing the conjunctival cavities and lacrimal openings, as an auxiliary antibacterial therapy.
6. Vitamin complexes help strengthen the condition of the eye structures.

Surgical intervention is indicated mainly for traumatic eye injuries. If the redness is caused by blockage of the tear ducts, then it is surgically cleared. If necessary, the salivary glands are transplanted into the conjunctival cavity to restore the process of hydration of the ocular cornea.

Timely consultation with a doctor, early diagnosis and treatment for ophthalmological pathologies is the key to returning your pet’s vision.