My dog's eye is red, swollen, and discharging. Could it be scratched?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be due to an eye injury or conditions such as a corneal laceration, corneal ulcer, conjunctivitis, dry eye (also known as KCS), among many other conditions. There is nothing you can do at home. He needs to be evaluated as soon as possible as this is likely serious and his eye health may be in jeopardy. I highly recommend that you have Tank evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Further therapy would be based on the findings. Good luck and best wishes!

Eyes are very delicate organs. If there is an injury it is always best to have your vet check it. Eye injuries can go from bad to worse quickly and then you risk losing vision and/or the eye itself. I have not seen the eye so it's hard to give advice. It is up to you though what you want to do. If you want to try something at home you can try this eye gel. If no improvement after a couple days of treatment then he needs to see the vet. I would use it 3-4 times per day. ( https://www.amazon.com/Vetericyn-Animal-Ophthalmic-Limited-Version/dp/B07V344K6M/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=B07V344K6M&qid=1564494168&s=gateway&sr=8-1 )

It seems like your dog has a corneal ulceration, which requires an immediate check up and treatment. The check up is essential to be able to determine the depth of the ulceration and decide appropriate treatment. Eye drops versus surgery are the two treatment options. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

Ouch, poor Sam! You did the right thing by rinsing his eye immediately. The redness and swelling of his eye could be a result of irritation from the shampoo. In some cases of irritation, the cornea can also become scratched, particularly if Sam is scratching his face or rubbing it on the ground. A vet should examine Sam's eyes and will likely need to perform a fluorescein stain test to determine if any scratches are present. If there are no scratches, Sam may need a prescription for a steroid based eye medication to decrease the inflammation in his eye. However, if a scratch is present, steroids in the eye are not safe and a different anti-inflammatory medication may be needed. Make sure Sam is wearing an e-collar (cone) to prevent him from irritating his eye further. I hope that he's on the mend soon!

It sounds like this might be due to an allergy or autoimmune problem given the response to corticosteroids. Sometimes the lymph tissue associated with the third eyelid can become enlarged and I’m wondering if that is the case with the right eye, but it’s difficult to say without being able to examine in person. If the symptoms are not resolving with treatment you may want to ask your vet about referral to an ophthalmologist.

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach to address your concern. It is difficult to say for sure what the problem could be based on the pictures. From your description and the pictures, this may be an eye infection, trauma to the eye or allergies. Terramycin ophthalmic ointment is one antibiotic ointment that we do use to treat eye infections. I would say that this is safe to use but if the eye is worsening or is no better during or after the course of treatment, I would recommend having Pat examined by a veterinarian. An eye stain test and tear test should be considered. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

I would recommend that Sampson get checked out by a vet. The symptoms you have described could be caused by allergies, infection, corneal ulcer or abrasion, among a few others. You can use an OTC saline eye wash to gently flush the eyes to try to remove any dirt or debris that can be causing irritation. Sampson should also wear an e-collar or cone to prevent damage to the cornea from rubbing and itching. But if the eyes don't look better in the morning he should definitely see a vet. Eyes can heal quickly, but they can also get much worse very quickly! I hope Sampson gets to feeling better soon!