Why is my dog's eye swollen and crusty? Benadryl isn't working.

He could have a bacterial infection and need an antibiotic to treat. Since the Benadryl is not working, he should be examined by a vet for treatment. Your vet can prescribe an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory, if needed, to treat.

Poor guy. She does have a lot of tear staining, but I don't appreciate any purple bruising there. This looks very suspicious for a tooth root abscess. If your pet is an older dog and never had a teeth cleaning, then the teeth can get really infected and cause swelling and infection through the cheek bone. If this is the case, then a short course of antibiotics will be needed, as well as extraction of the infected tooth through your vet. Another possible cause is a localized reaction or allergy. I would highly recommend taking your pet to the vet within the next few days to have her teeth checked and to be fully assessed. Until you can get her in to be seen, continue to give the Benadryl every 12 hrs since it did seem to help. Also you can do warm compresses on the area for 3-5 mins twice daily if it seems to be causing her pain. I hope that your pet gets this swelling issue resolved soon! Best wishes and take care.

Swelling directly under the eye is often an indication of a tooth root abscess. This occurs when there is severe dental disease and the tooth root becomes infected and created the pus pocket. Treatment for this is a dental cleaning with an extraction of the affected tooth. I would recommend a trip to your vet to check out the mouth and see if this is the problem. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Hello. It looks like an infection or some inflammation has become seated in the tissues under that eye. It is impossible to say if it has anything to do with the dentistry, but comparing the 2nd photo to the first, it does look like the swelling has gone down a bit. If the swelling does not seem to be bothering Penny at all, I would first try just applying a very warm compress to the swelling 2-3 times a day for 10 minutes at a time. This may help to resolve things over the weekend. If not, have her looked at by your vet incase antibiotics are needed . Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I would add that I think it's unlikely for a tooth root abscess to cause the eye to actually pop out (Proptose) however without definitive treatment the problem (the bulging and the infection) are going to get worse. Having that pocket of infection in the gum will likely cause the bacteria to translocate to the bloodstream, where it could cause other problems, including with the heart and the liver. I would consider seeking another opinion, perhaps of a veterinary dentist. I have anesthetized many, many older dogs for tooth removal, and my personal opinion is that removing diseased teeth is necessary. If Enzo has blood work prior to surgery, and possibly even a chest x-ray to check his heart and lungs, in the hands of a qualified veterinarian who is confident with anesthesia and dentistry he will likely do fine. If you don't have the tooth removed, your only other alternative is using antibiotics in a "pulse" fashion, such as 3 weeks on antibiotics, followed by 1 week off. Clindamycin is sometimes used in this fashion, but again, results are suboptimal and the infection within the root pocket will never completely resolve - it may improve, but it won't resolve.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Based on the swelling's location, this is possibly due to a tooth root abscess. This is something your veterinarian could check for on an examination and treat if confirmed. This is something that is treated with local therapy including drainage, debridement and antibiotics. Good luck and have a great day!

You can use a hot compress on the area to see if you can get the infection to drain. That should help relieve some of the pain. While I prefer to use specific dog pain medications you can give aspirin to help with the pain. I give it with a meal. There is a section on this website with information about common over the counter medications that you can give and the recommended dosage. The veterinarian will probably put Chico on antibiotics and schedule a dental cleaning with an extraction if needed. I’m glad you are taking him in soon as this is quite painful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Chico.