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My dog's eye is swollen shut and he's scratching a lot. What to do?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Boxer | Male | unneutered | 3 years and 4 months old | 55 lbs

I have a four year old male Boxer whose eye is swollen shut. He been scratching at it and rubbing it on the carpet and his bed. He also has been scratching at his under arms to the point where his fur is gone

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on January 25th, 2018

He looks to be generally itchy. I'm suspicious of allergies causing this, but it could be due to mange, fleas, or other causes. The eye may be a separate problem, or related to the allergies. Without seeing it, it's difficult to tell the cause of this, or the severity, but the fact that it's swollen shut warrants a visit to the vet. I recommend having him seen by a vet within the next 24 hours to prevent serious complications with the eye. The vet can also help narrow-down the cause of the itch and provide medication to help give him some relief.

One thing you can do for itchy skin, is give a bath with cool water using an oatmeal or aloe shampoo. You can get these shampoos at the pet store.

For now, you can flush the eye with normal saline. Saline flush can be bought at the pharmacy, or supermarket in the eye care section. Flush the eye 3-4 times daily and gently wipe away the discharge with a warm/moist cotton or cloth. Below is a link to a good video that demonstrates how to flush the eye.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lXVNMcPzhs

I hope that helps and Roscoe gets better soon.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on December 24th, 2018
Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concerns! It is difficult to say for sure what the problems are based on the photo you provided but I can see that there is some inflammation / blood on the sclera of the right eye. If the eye appears to be swollen and Mack has itchy ears, I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look at him so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. He may have an ear / eye infection and the eye may be due to him scratching at his face because his ears are bothering him. 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.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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