Symptoms of Eye Problems in Dogs

Symptoms of eye problems in dogs can indicate a serious medical condition or virus. According to the ASPCA, several conditions and viruses can affect the health of your dog's eyes including conjunctivitis, dry eyes and epiphora. Epiphora causes an overflow of tears to stain your dog's fur around its face. Other conditions such as conjunctivitis (pink eye) need medical attention or blindness can set in if the dog's body is not able to control the infection on its own.

  1. Discharge

    • Discharge is a common symptom seen in dogs with eye problems. The discharge often looks like pus, but it is also crusty at times because the pus can dry around your dog's tear ducts and other areas of the eye. Depending on the cause, discharge may or may not be serious. Sometimes allergies cause discharge, but other times it is a sign of an eye infection or other eye problem. Take your dog to the vet if its eyes don't clear up with a week so your veterinarian can diagnose the problem. He may prescribe allergy eye drops to give to your dog or another type of medication depending on what is actually causing the symptom.

    Redness

    • Redness is often a sign of an infection or irritation, but redness can also indicate other eye disorders. Pink eye is a virus that can cause extreme redness and irritation. Your dog may scratch this area and cause the virus to spread. Most dogs need to wear a plastic funnel around their head to prevent scratching. Without medical attention, the virus can take over the entire eye and result in blindness. Take your dog to the vet immediately if you suspect that it has pink eye.

    Cloudy Eyes

    • Cloudy eyes often indicate that your dog is suffering from some type of medical condition such as glaucoma or cataracts. This is common in older dogs, but only a veterinarian can properly diagnose the cause. The MedicineNet website says that glaucoma can cause cloudiness because of the increase in pressure on the eyeball. Dogs who suffer with these symptoms often display signs of impaired vision as well. Without proper treatment, the symptoms can get worse over time.

    Dry Eyes

    • Dry eyes are another symptom associated with eye problems. Dry eyes can occur when the eyes are irritated or inflamed from an infection. Tear production can also stop or decrease from medical conditions such as distemper or simply plugged tear ducts. Take your dog to the vet to find out the cause and prevent any permanent damage. Moistening eye drops can help, but sometimes additional treatments are necessary.