What to Know About a Dog Eye Injury – Causes and More

Dog eye injuries are common among dogs, regardless of their breed. Though some breeds are prone to this injury more than others, it’s a reality that can affect any dog. These injuries are caused in various ways, from playing too hard to an outside fall.

Not all eye injuries are apparent, but fast blinking, squinting, or pawing can indicate visual injury. Below will discuss what you should know about these injuries. We’ll highlight the causes, treatment, healing mentions, and more.

Dog Eye Injuries Causes

An eye injury happens when something comes into contact with your dog’s eye and causes harm. A dogfight or fight with another creature, a dog’s foot swipe, or a kick from a horse can all harm a canine’s eye. Meanwhile, tree branches, bug bites, and soil scratches can harm or aggravate the external piece of the eye.

Canines that look down out of the vehicle window are in danger of garbage flying at them, causing a disturbance. Synthetic substances splashed or spilled close to your canine can cause a reaction in the eyes. Short articles like furniture corners, fence parts, fishhooks, and appliances can be a danger to the fragile tissue of the eyes and the encompassing region.

Bothersome eyes because of sensitivities can prompt eye injuries assuming your canine is pawing at the eyes. If this conduct proceeds, an ulcer or scratch can shape around the cornea.

Main Causes

• Fight with another dog.
• Fight with another animal.
• Tree branches
• Grass
• Bug bites
• Garbage
• Allergic reactions
• Scratching at the eye
• Furniture corners
• Fence parts
• Fishhooks
• Appliances

How to Tell if a Dog Eye Injury is Serious

If your pet doesn’t appear to be in temporary pain, it’s most likely fine to watch them intently over the next couple of hours. Recall that the eye is one of the quickest healing portions of the body and that gentle wounds to the area resolve without extra aid. However, immediately contact your vet if any of these severe symptoms appear:

• Extreme pain and refusal to allow examination of the eye
• Changes in shading in any piece of the eye
• Dislodging of the eye
• Draining inside the eyeball
• Anomalies in eye shape and significant swelling
• Lethargy, no appetite, absence of thirst
• Discharge, blood, or different liquids overflowing from the eye

How to Treat a Dog Eye Injury

If your canine has an eye injury, call your veterinarian. Do not wait to treat it at home without talking to the vet. The vet will request the injury details, with a few eye tests to check the condition.

If a vet tells you to treat the eye at home, that’s good news. A vet might recommend flushing out the eye or applying an excellent ice pack. Upon suggestion, utilize a clean saline solution to flush out your canine’s eye.

A straightforward treatment of eye medicine and a following test are standard. In any case, serious injuries might require careful treatment, prompting a visit to a veterinary ophthalmologist (expert in diagnosing and treating conditions involving pets’ eyes). In extreme cases, careful extraction of the eye (enucleation) may occur, though this is typically avoided unless necessary.

How Long Does a Dog Eye Injury Take to Heal

Corneal abrasions heal within three to five days. A drug is utilized to forestall bacterial diseases (ophthalmic anti-microbial drops or ointment) and relieve pain (ophthalmic atropine drops or treatment).

More severe cases can take weeks to months to heal, especially if surgery. Complete healing takes between six weeks and four months upon the surgery type.

Most Common Breeds that Are Injured

Dogs with enormous eyes tend to be more at risk for eye injuries than dogs with smaller eyes. The same is said with hyper dogs, as opposed to non-hyper dogs. As for eye issues, some dog breeds are more prone to these issues, regardless of whether they do something to injure it. The breeds include:

• American Cocker Spaniel
• Labrador and Golden Retriever
• Siberian Husky
• Poodle
• Collie
• Boston Terrier
• Entropion
• Great Dane
• Shih Tzu

Dog vs. Cat Eye Injury

Similar to dogs, cats are prone to eye injuries. Though cats aren’t as high-risk to get eye injuries outside, they’re can easily get injured from their claws. A vet may give your cat an e-collar to forestall digging, and medication or eye drops to prevent infection. Severe wounds require a medical procedure to fix your cat’s eye.

Cat Eye Injury Symptoms

• Blurred cornea
• Extra blood in the eye
• Distorted pupils
• Visible object in the eye
• Eye discharge
• Swelling or aggravation of the eye
• Pawing at the eye

Types of Eye Injuries in Dogs

Symptoms of Eye Injuries in Dogs

• Recognizable injury
• Powerlessness to open eye
• Ragged looking eyes
• Yellow or green discharge
• Eye cloudiness
• Pupil enlargement
• Light sensitivity
• Squinting, jerking, or spasming of the eyelid
• Pawing at the eye region
• Fast squinting
• Excessive tearing

Red Eye

A physical issue causes red eye, an unfamiliar object in the eye, allergies, severe medical conditions like glaucoma (a disease that causes blindness), conjunctivitis (inflammation or infection of the eye), and dry eye.

Cherry Eye

Cherry eye occurs when a tear in a canine’s third eyelid becomes inflamed. While it’s generally not too painful, a canine will sometimes rub it, potentially making it worse.

Scratched Cornea

A scratched cornea can happen in various ways, including external objects like sticks and twigs. Fights with different animals can prompt the issue, so try to arrange with the vet as quickly as possible. On the off chance that infection spreads, eye health isn’t the primary concern.

Other Eye Irritations

There are plenty of dog eye injury causes, ranging from playing outside too aggressively to an allergic reaction. Your best bet is to talk to your vet to see the issue, so you know what to do, even if it seems minor.

• Scratched eye
• Allergies
• Inflammation

Conclusion

Hopefully, this article gave you more than enough information to know the specifics of dog eye injuries. Regardless, visit us at Gateway Veterinary Centre if you live in or around Edmonton, AB, and need a vet. We’re open seven days a week and offer various services for dogs and other pets.