What to do if my dog has stringy discharge or something in her eye?

It sounds like Lucy has an eye infection at the very least. There are many knock on issues that can occur in eyes so it would be best to have her examined by a vet in case there is any serious damage. In the case of infection she will need to have the eyes gently cleaned with sterile water then antibiotic eye drops applied. I would urge you to speak to a local vet regarding this though.

I would take some sterile saline and flush Riley's eye out. Move the eyelids around and see if you can dislodge and wipe out whatever that is. If worms are present, they will be found WITHIN the eye, not on the outside. So you will not be able to dislodge them. If you cannot dislodge the object, then take him into the veterinarians. You can;t use too much saline and use something soft like a cotton ball to gently wipe the corners of the eye. Hopefully its just hair surrounded by mucus. Monitor the eye for any redness or squinting. I hope this helps Riley!

A little mucousy discharge is not alarming. It is also not a sign of worms. If the mucus starts looking like pus or if she starts squinting her eyes or if the conjunctives turn red, then you should take her to your veterinarian for an eye exam. However if she gets a little mucousy eye discharge once in a while without those signs, it is nothing to worry about.

Poor girl. White discharge from the eyes can indicate either a dry eye conditon or the beginning of an allergic conjunctivitis (allergies causing inflammation of the eyes). If she is also sneezing and rubbing her eyes from irritation, then chances are she has allergic conjunctivitis. You can discuss with your vet about trying some over the counter or vet prescribed antihistamine medication to try and help with this. Your vet may want to examine her first just to make sure we are on the right track with her diagnosis and treatment recommendations. In the meantime I would continue to apply warm compresses on her eyelids (while holding them closed) and Henry cleansing the discharge as needed to prevent irritation around her eyes. I hope that Sofeta feels better soon. Best wishes with her eyes and take care of that fur baby.

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!

If you just need to remove the eye discharge, you can put warm water on a cotton ball and gently wipe the inside corner of the eye. If the discharge quickly returns or you notice discharge in the eye as well, you can use any sterile saline eye wash made for humans. If the discharge is not resolving after a couple of day or is getting worse at any point, then I would have your veterinarian recheck the eye and determine if any medication is needed to resolve the problem. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

That is pretty significant discharge that Nola has around her eyes. This is likely secondary to an infection (eye or upper respiratory) or even an allergy. It would be best to have Nola examined by a veterinarian because she may need medicated eye drops or even an oral antibiotic to treat the eyes. It's always better to have a dog seen if there are eye issues going on as it can progress to more serious issues quickly. You may use a sterile saline solution to rinse Nola's eyes but I don't think that will resolve the issue. So again, it's really the best idea to have Nola evaluated by your veterinarian. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope Nola is feeling better soon!