My dog can't open his eyes. What over-the-counter eye drops help?

Unfortunately, there are no safe OTC eye drops for pets. That's because a pet's eye reacts differently to human eye drops than a human eye, and giving them human drops without veterinary supervision can cause harm. The eye is such a delicate and important structure that any eye problem should be considering an emergency. Leaving it untreated can lead to vision loss. I would take Coochie into a vet now to his eye examined and treated.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I would discuss starting an eye drop called Zaditor (ketotifen fumarate) that can help with allergies. This is an over the counter medication and can be safely used in Lucky's eyes for allergies. Again, I would discuss this with your veterinarian first prior to using it. Please let me know if you have any other questions and I would be more than happy to help further!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! These are used in dogs. However, I do not recommend using any eye drops without consulting with a veterinarian who can examine Iker and decide what would be best depending on what is going on. Best of luck!

Poor Blaze! I'm sorry to hear that he's having a problem with is eye. Squinting, excessive draining, and a "glazed" look can be caused by an eye infection, or by an injury to the eye such as a corneal scratch or ulcer. He will need an eye exam by your vet to diagnose the problem, and will probably need prescription meds to treat it effectively - so it's good that you're planning to take him in for a visit when you can. In the meantime, I would not recommend using any type of ointment or medication in th eye until you can see the vet to find out what's wrong - eyes are delicate, and you can accidentally make the problem worse by treating with something inappropriate. You can use plain saline eye wash to gently rinse his eye, if he'll let you, and use a warm washcloth or cotton ball to wipe away the discharge if it seems to be bothering him. This will not treat the underlying problem, but may help to make him a bit more comfortable until you are able to see the vet.

Unfortunately, without seeing Buddy in person, I cannot legally say if it's safe or not to use on Buddy. I wouldn't recommend it, however, as it may not be the correct drug for his eye problem even though you are seeing what may be the same symptoms. By giving him these eye drops, you may accidentally do more harm than good. I would give your vet a call first thing in the morning to see if they think it's safe to give him, and make an appointment to get into the vet ASAP. The eye is such a delicate and important structure that any eye problem is considered an emergency. That's because leaving it untreated can lead to vision loss.

Cedar is exposing her third eyelid. This can have several different causes, including head or neck trauma, something stuck under one of the lids, corneal ulcer or abrasion, infection, among others. If the medication was prescribed for Cedar and DOES NOT contain a steroid, it should be safe. Steroids could interfere with healing in some cases and should not be used until after evaluation by a vet.

Nothing over the counter, I'm afraid. The only safe medications for a dog's eye is from the vet. Any eye problem needs to be checked out by a vet promptly, as leaving it untreated can lead to vision loss. I would take The Coach into the vet in the morning. Best of luck.