Eye Maintenance for Dogs
Taking care of our pets’ eyes is an important part of our regular eye care for dogs routine, ensuring their health and wellness. The best part is, the more often you do it, the easier it is for you and your dog. Let’s first talk about why eye care for dogs is so important to help our fur buddies with this task, and then we’ll go through some tips and tricks to make this a pleasant experience for you and your pet.
Why is eye attention so important?
Dogs, like humans and many other animals, have secretions that can build up at the eye corners and around the eyes. These secretions (along with any dirt and debris that can collect around the eyes) need to be gently wiped away to prevent build-up. If discharge is allowed to accumulate, this build-up can cause irritation, infections, and can become a breeding ground for more serious health problems.
In addition to preventing build-up, check your pets’ eyes for:
Redness
Discolored discharge
Extreme discharge
Crusting around the eyes
Seeping
Swelling
Cloudiness
Bad odor
If you see or your pet experiences any of these above symptoms, make sure to reach out to your veterinarian immediately.
In addition to cleaning build-up, regular eye care for dogs can also help prevent staining around white and light-colored dogs’ eyes. Some level of staining is normal, as dogs excrete waste products through their tear ducts (and saliva), which, due to the chemical makeup of this waste product, creates a rusty-colored staining at the location of these secretions. (Interesting note: if you see this discoloration on other parts of your light-colored dog, it may mean that your pet is licking that area and the secretions in the saliva are discoloring the coat.) But be aware that excessive staining around the eyes can be a sign that your pet is possibly experiencing allergies or some other health concern leading to excessive tear production. Talk to your veterinarian about possible solutions for proper eye care for dogs.
Eye Care is a bit “extra” for our furry-faced friends
Although the primary health concerns that require regular attention are the same for all breeds and coat types, our pets with furry faces require a bit of extra attention to keep their eyes clean.
Dogs with coat on their faces and around their eyes are particularly susceptible to having eye secretions build up into a rock-like formation in front of the eye that is very difficult and usually painful to remove. What typically happens is that the secretions collect on the coat in front of the inner eye corners. If not wiped away regularly, these secretions keep building up now that they have a “landing pad” created by the unwiped secretions. As this ball is building up, it can become entwined in the pet’s hair and start to harden in layers. This hardened build-up can be very difficult to remove as well as cause the skin underneath to become sore and raw.
The best method to prevent this type of accumulation for your furry-faced friends is to keep your own eyes on their eyes on a regular basis and follow the steps below.
Pet Eye Care
Level #1 – Check your pet’s eyes daily
When giving your pet their morning greeting, take a look into their beautiful eyes and check if there is any build-up around the inner corners of the eyes.
Level #2 – Wipe as necessary
If you see any minor discharge or build-up, use a clean tissue to wipe around the eyes. Use a separate tissue or use the other side of the same tissue when switching between eyes to avoid passing bacteria.
Level #3 – Wipe with washcloth and water or Eye Wipes
If wiping with a dry tissue is not enough to remove any build-up around the eyes, it is time to kick it up to a cotton washcloth moistened with clean, warm water. Always remember to use a different part of the washcloth or a new washcloth when wiping each eye. You can also use pre-moistened eye wipes, again following the same rule to use a clean wipe for each eye.
Level #4 – Remove excess build-up with a comb
For build-up that has already begun to accumulate and harden at the front eye corners, a small comb, typically referred to as a “flea comb” comes in very handy for picking out build-up in fine hair. Flick gently with the comb to break apart any debris and comb through until it is clean. Follow up by wiping with a washcloth moistened with warm water.
Level #5 – Soak around the eyes in the bath
For extreme build-up, professional groomers will first attempt to soak around the eyes using a warm, wet compress around the eyes to break up the discharge. If the discharge begins to loosen (and the pet is patient during this process), groomers will employ the use of a flea-comb and face wash to remove moderate to heavy accumulation.
Level #6 – Remove extreme buildup with a detail clipper (ADVANCED)
If build-up becomes extreme, and soaking around the eyes in the bath is not possible, professional groomers may use a detail clipper on a ~1.5mm setting to clip away the build-up in front of the eyes. This is an advanced procedure, as the techniques for approaching eyes with a clipper, as well as preparing for treatment of likely raw and sore skin underneath the build-up takes practice and training. If you are new to working with a clipper around the eyes, consult with a groomer or your veterinarian regarding the removal of excessive buildup.
The best news?
Even if you and your pet are at Level 6 and you are dealing with extreme build-up in front of the eyes, the great news is that once you are back to Level 1, all you need is to keep it up daily. A big secret to winning at pet grooming is to deal with issues before they accumulate. Check daily, and your pet’s peepers are on their way to perfection.
