If you’ve ever had pink eye, it shouldn’t be necessary to tell you how uncomfortable and how trying of a situation it potentially is. Pink eye is a condition wherein the eye is infected with a bacteria or a virus that irritates the surface of the eye causing it to be red or pink. This is something that dogs could also contract, so it can be quite a big headache and emotional baggage for pet owners who see their beloved pooches going down and tearing up.
Aside from turning the eyes into pink or red, the organisms responsible for pink eye also causes dogs eyes’ to tear profusely. The eyes tear up as a response to the foreign body sensation that the disease causes. The eye lids often become very engorged and as a result, this forms somewhat rough surfaces on the flaps that irritate the surface of the eye. The eyes may also produce a green or yellow discharge that can cause the eyelashes and coat near the eye of the dog to mat. This can even cause the dog’s eyes to close temporarily due to the swelling involved.
If you have a puppy who has the aforementioned symptoms, here’s how you can take care of him:
- Take the puppy to the vet clinic. Go to the phone and schedule an appointment with your friendly veterinarian so you would know what day and time you could bring your pet to the clinic. The doctor there would definitely know what to do and see the symptoms for what they are. Different organisms would make the dog present with different symptoms so it’s important for you as the pet owner to know the history of the present illness so that you can tell the vet once he asks.
- Buy the medication that the vet gives and ask about how the medication is to be given. Do not hesitate to clarify the details of the treatment. Make sure that you have the drug name, dosage and brand names right.
- Use a gauze pad dampened with saline solution to clean the eyes of your puppy. This should get rid of the crusty build up that usually accumulates around the eyes of the puppy.
- Do not let the dog scratch his eyes. This may introduce more bacteria into the already infected eye and even worsen the current episode of pink eye. You may use an e-collar to make sure that the eyes won’t come into contact with anything. The e-collar can be bought at any pet store.
- At the end of the day, the prevention of infectious diseases boils down to hygiene. Make sure that your dogs are bathed regularly and they are clean for the most the part. Having dirty dogs is an invitation for disease.
Pink eye is an easily treatable disease. Just send the dog pronto to the vet clinic and he will surely know what to do. Just be attentive to his instructions and follow them to the letter.