My Shih Tzu has pus-like eye discharge. Is a vet visit needed?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. There is quite a bit of dry discharge around that left eye. Based on the pictures, I suspect that Willow may have an eye infection or dry eye. I would recommend having Willow examined by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. She may need antibiotic eye drops / ointment or dry eye medication. I would recommend that the vet stains her eye and checks to see if she has dry eye by using a Schirmer Tear Test. 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.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Red or inflamed eyes and discharge can be indicative or irritation or infection, or a condition called dry eye. Shih Tzu's are unfortunately prone to many eye problems, just based on the conformation of their faces. Chloe may have an aberrant eyelash that could be irritating the cornea, or she could have a bacterial or viral infection affecting her eye. Dry eye is a condition characterized by inadequate tear production, so the eyes dry out and excessive mucoid discharge is produced to try to lubricate the eyes. If her clinical signs do not resolve in 24 hours, I recommend having Chloe seen by a veterinarian. They can perform an ocular exam to look closely for evidence of distichia (abnormal eyelashes), a cornea scratch or ulcer, infection, or decreased tear production. I hope this is helpful!

Poor Molly! Yes, you should take her to the vet if she is having eye discharge and seems to be rubbing her eye. Molly may have a corneal ulcer, uveitis, or even just allergies causing these issues. Eyes are fairly delicate structures and problems can progress rapidly, so it's better to be safe than sorry in these cases. Until you can get to the vet, keep an e-collar (cone) on Molly to prevent further rubbing or scratching of the eye, as this could make matters worse. I hope that she feels better soon!

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. At this point given she has not improved, I would recommend you consider having her evaluated by a veterinary ophthalmologist who can recommend further. Further therapy would be based on the findings. Good luck and best wishes!

Poor guy. It sounds like Neko has an eye infection. The only way to clear this up is to get prescription eye medication through your vet. Schedule an appt within the next day or two so that this is taken care of quickly. Until you can get Neko in, its best to apply a warm compress on the outside lid and remove any build up of discharge to help prevent irritation around thee eyes. But please get this looked at soon to help prevent permanent damage to the eye. I hope that your furry friend Neko resolves his eye infection soon! Best wishes and take care.

Hi there, It is possible that Jackson has an eye infection. I also worry about older Shih Tzu's developing dry eye, or keratoconjunctivitis sicca. This causes redness and green discharge from the eye. It does require life long eye medications. The redness in the eye and the squinting is a sign of pain. I think this likely has nothing to do with his collapsing trachea or bronchitis, but I suppose a seasonal allergy component is possible here if his eyes are truly infected and it's not dry eye. I would recommend getting Jackson to a vet sometime in the next two days, and going to a different vet clinic if that's what you need to do to have him seen and his eye pain controlled. Many veterinarians are unfortunately overwhelmed with appointment requests in the pandemic. I hope this is helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This is a sign of conjunctivitis. It may have developed from allergies or an eye irritant like smoke or pollen. You can wipe the discharge from the eyes with a warm wet cloth, and use sterile eye drops to flush out the discharge. Since the discharge is pussy Pepper has an infection that would clear up more quickly with prescription eye ointment. I recommend an exam with your veterinarian. They will examine the eyes and may stain them to check for a corneal injury and also will check to see if Pepper has normal tear production. Dogs with dry eyes can be more prone to conjunctivitis. Once they have a diagnosis they can prescribe the correct medication to treat her eyes. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Pepper.