Why do dogs have red eyes?

Eye redness is one of the top reasons for visiting a veterinarian. This ailment even received the name “Red Eye Syndrome”.

The eye turns red because the vessels of the circulatory system overflow with blood. This condition is called hyperemia. Hyperemia is arterial (inflow of arterial blood) and venous (poor outflow of venous blood).

The dog may have reddening of the eyelids or the whites of the eyes. Redness can occur without accompanying symptoms or be accompanied by discharge from the eyes, swelling, sneezing, pet anxiety, refusal to eat, and other signs of malaise.

Whether redness is dangerous, whether it needs to be treated and how to do it, depends on the cause of the inflammation. There are a lot of them. Let’s take a look at the main ones. For convenience, we will divide them into those that do not require urgent treatment, and dangerous, directly threatening health and life.

Causes that do not require urgent treatment

• Genetic predisposition

If you have an albino dog, red eyes are a common thing for her. If there are no other symptoms, this is not a pathology.

There are breeds that are prone to inflammation of the eyes: these are, for example, bulldogs, basset hounds and sharpei. In their cases, redness of the eyes is usually not dangerous. But the owner should regularly maintain the hygiene of the pet’s eyes so that complications do not start. Discuss with your veterinarian how to care for your dog’s eyes and how to quickly and safely relieve the first symptoms of inflammation.

• Reaction to weather conditions: wind and dust

Eyes can redden on a walk from exposure to wind, rain, road dust and other irritants. Rinse your dog’s eyes with warm, clean water or eye lotion. After that, the redness usually disappears quickly.

• Reaction to too bright light

Bright light is another cause of fatigue and redness of the eyes. Avoid walking your dog in direct sunlight. And if your dog has sensitive eyes (like bobtails), don’t trim the fur above their eyes. Do not worry: the coat does not prevent the dog from seeing, but on the contrary, it protects sensitive eyes from irritants.

• Fatigue, lack of sleep, stress

Here everything is like people. If we get tired and don’t get enough sleep, our eyes may turn red. It’s the same with dogs. Fatigue and stress factors can lead to eye irritation. Moisten the dog’s eyes with a special tool, provide calm conditions for the pet and rest – and the eyes will quickly recover.

Don’t let your guard down. If your dog’s eyes turn red often, you need to consult a specialist. Frequent inflammation can lead to deterioration of vision, and in severe cases to its loss.

Dangerous causes: eye diseases

Above, we analyzed the causes that do not require urgent treatment. Now let’s move on to common eye diseases that cause redness. The sooner you start treating them, the better.

• Conjunctivitis

The most common eye disease. This is an inflammatory process that can be caused either by a foreign body entering the eye or by an infectious disease. With conjunctivitis, the eye turns red, swells, strong discharge appears, and the eyelids can stick together.

• Cataract

A cataract is a clouding of the crystal of the eye that can occur at any age. Sometimes it is accompanied by an increase in intraocular pressure and, consequently, redness of the eye.

• Glaucoma

Glaucoma is an increase in intraocular pressure. As a result, the eyes turn red, watery and increase in size.

• Inversion and eversion of the eyelids

This problem is specific to some breeds of dogs, but can occur in any pet. Torsion is the curvature of the eyelid towards the eyeball. In this case, there is constant friction and irritation of the cornea of ​​uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe eye. If the problem is not corrected, over time it will lead to visual impairment.

An eversion of the eyelid is when the mucous membrane “falls out” and becomes defenseless against infectious diseases.

• Third eyelid prolapse (prolapse)

Prolapas is when the nictitating membrane “floats” on part of the eye in the form of a reddish film. This condition greatly worries the dog. She can’t close her eyes. There is dryness, irritation, redness of the protein, inflammation. The eye becomes open to infections. In most cases, this is a hereditary disease.

• Blockage of the lacrimal duct.

Other dangerous causes leading to redness of the eyes

• Mechanical injury: a dog can easily injure an eye by running into a bush or getting into a dog fight on the playground
• Allergic reaction: can occur to any irritant, to a new food or to your hairspray
• Infection with parasites: toxoplasmosis, chlamydia, various helminths
• Malignant and benign diseases
• Infectious diseases: e.g. distemper
• Diabetes.

To establish the true cause of redness and begin treatment, you need to contact your veterinarian as soon as possible. Do not self-medicate: it is very dangerous.

If redness of the eyes is caused by weather conditions, dust in the eye, bright light, stress and fatigue, it is enough to rinse the eye with warm, clean water or a special lotion for cleaning and moisturizing the eyes. After that, provide the dog with comfortable, calm conditions for rest, eliminate irritants – and a healthy look will quickly return to the eyes.

But if the cause of the redness is not clear, if the redness is accompanied by discharge (severe tearing, purulent or bloody discharge), the eye is swollen, the eyelids are in an unnatural state, and if there are any other symptoms of the dog’s malaise, you should contact your veterinarian as soon as possible.

Usually, with redness, the dog feels discomfort and tries to scratch the eye. This can worsen the situation and injure already irritated eyes. To prevent this from happening, put a protective collar on your dog.

Prevention of eye diseases is the right care for your pet. Regular vaccinations, parasite treatment, hygiene, preventive examinations by a veterinarian, proper feeding, pet protection measures (walking in safe places, prevention of heat and sunstroke, prohibition of contact with stray animals, etc.). If your dog is prone to eye problems, talk to your veterinarian about how to care for them.

Most importantly, contact your veterinarian if you suspect any discomfort. You are responsible for the health of your ward, and it will never be superfluous to play it safe.

We wish your dogs good health. Take care of your friends!