My old chihuahua has a hard eye lump. Why can't he open his eye?

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Swelling in this area is often related to tooth root abscess. It may be allergic reaction too, but it would be less likely. Lethargy and lack of appetite could be caused by fever and discomfort from the swelling. Please, take Taco to your nearest open vet for an appointment. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, your vet will recommend treatment, it will likely be a course of antibiotics and pain relief.

Lumps in this area tend to be tooth root abscesses though a foreign body under the skin or in the mouth or a skin tumor are possible. I recommend to have Chance examined by the veterinarian today. Tooth root abscessed require treatment. I hope this helps.

It is difficult to appreciate any swelling or lump from the pictures provided. However, in general lumps can be due to an insect bite, an allergic reaction, an abscess, a fatty deposit or a cancerous mass. Your veterinarian will be able to test the mass by performing a fine needle aspirate to diagnose what it is. Treatment will depend on the cause of the mass.

If you are talking about the swelling underneath the eye I would be concerned about a toothroot abscess. When they have an infection in one of their teeth they can present like this. I would highly recommend bringing Sweety to a veterinarian. If you are talking about the growth on her eye this would need to be surgically removed if it is causing Sweety some discomfort. Thank you 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.

I recommend taking Brody to your veterinarian for an exam. The lump could be an infection or it could be a tumor. Tumors can be benign or cancerous. Your veterinarian can take a sample of the area and decide if an infection is present or if it is something that needs to be removed surgically. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope the issue resolves quickly for Brody!

I am sorry to hear about Brody! While impossible to say without seeing Brody in person it looks like this could have been a small wound or insect bite that got infected. I would recommend cleaning it with a mild soap or an antiseptic such as hibiclens (available at most drug stores), and applying a topical antibiotic such as Neosporin several times a day. If the area isn't improving within a few days or it starts to get larger in size then a trip to the vet is needed to examine the area and be sure there isn't a foreign object stuck in the skin or that he doesn't need oral antibiotics.