My dog's eyes have drainage and crusty fur. Should I see a vet?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I would recommend having a veterinarian examine the eyes to check for any trauma and to see if she has adequate tear production. Dry eye can cause crusting and discomfort and could lead to serious corneal damage if not addressed early on. If there is an eye infection, the veterinarian can prescribe antibiotic eye drops to help treat this as well. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Knuri. It could be he has an eye infection. Any eye problem needs to be checked out by a vet, as leaving it untreated can lead to vision loss. I would take him into a vet today to have his eye examined, diagnosed, and treated. Best of luck.

It sounds from your description that Frankie Bean is having increased tear production and staining on the hair near the inside of her eyes. Common causes for this include allergies (which can be seasonal), conjunctivitis, blocked tear duct, corneal ulcer or abrasion, chronic dry eye, etc. You can use a saline eye wash to gently flush her eyes to get out any debris, and an eye lubricant like Dechra Paralube is safe for eyes. As for the crusties on her hair, use a warm wet washcloth 1-2 times per day to gently clean this away. Occasionally dogs with excess tearing can develop secondary bacterial or yeast infections that may need prescription medications to clear up. You may discuss use of anti-histamines or changes in food to help with potential seasonal allergies. Your vet may also recommend bloodwork to find a cause for her weight loss and lethargy. Arthritis is a common cause for soreness in the morning or after prolonged periods of rest.

Hello. Other than cleaning the discharge as it appears each day with a little warm water, you can flush the eyes with artificial tears to remove any allergens that may be affecting the cornea. This is not a cure, so if the discharge persists, worsens, or Iker shows any signs of pain or discomfort in his eyes, redness or conjunctival swelling, please see your veterinarian at your earliest convenience. Iker may have mild allergies, but he may also be developing conjunctivitis so do not let it go on too long without following up with your veterinarian. Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This may be dry eye or a wider, immune mediated condition similar to pemphigus. I strongly recommend you get her assessed as soon as possible by a vet to investigate her tear production in both eyes and possibly to sample to wound beds on her nose/face to identify the underlying condition and rule out infections in the damaged skin also

Hi there and thank you for posting your question! Eye discharge can be caused from many things. Allergies, dry eye, eye trauma, infection, foreign material, etc. It sounds like the eyes have been improving, so this may have been more of an allergy or irritation than anything. If the discharge continues, I would have your vet take a look at Izzy to determine what the cause is. Your vet will likely stain the eye and do a tear test to determine if there is eye trauma or dry eye present. Dry eye would require a more specific treatment and won't improve with over the counter eye drops. If it is allergies, a great allergy eye drop you can safely use in dogs is called Zaditor (Ketotifen Fumarate). You can administer 1-2 drops in both eyes twice daily to see if that helps with the eye discharge. Again, if the eyes are not improving or worsening, then I would have Izzy seen by her vet. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any further questions / concerns you may have. I am also available via consultation.

With the eyes squinting I worry that they are painful. I would encourage you to have him evaluated by your veterinarian as soon as possible. In the meantime using a warm water compress to clean the crusts from around the eyes may be helpful and provide some comfort. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.