Is light sensitivity common for my 8-week-old German Shepherd puppy?

Hello and thank you very much for your inquiry. Bailey sure is a handsome fella. I appreciate you sending pictures very much, however I am unable to really get a good look at the eyes. There are so many ocular disease is that German Shepherd‘s can acquire and most of the clinical signs of that disease are things like squinting, tearing, and scratching at the eyes. But there are very few things related to the eye it’s self that makes an animal look sleepy. I am courage you to take him in to the veterinarian as soon as possible so that they can do a thorough ophthalmic examination. The veterinarian may want to do a full physical examination as well to make sure that he doesn’t have anything else going on that would causing him to act sleepy. Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope I have given you some helpful information.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is not necessarily a sign of a fever. This could be due to an eye injury or conditions such as a corneal laceration, corneal ulcer, conjunctivitis, dry eye (also known as KCS), allergies, among many other conditions. I highly recommend that you have Bear evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Further therapy would be based on the findings. Good luck and best wishes!

Puppies vision develops gradually between 2 - 7 weeks of age and it is very hard to tell at this age how this will improve, The eyes do appear a little hazy and I recommend a vet check to rule out any infectious or inflammatory cause which may improve with treatment. Conjunctivitis, ulcers and certain viral infections can cause 'blue eye' and a full health check is recommended

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. In general I find German Shepherd's to be pretty physically tough but every dog is different. For the running - do remember that at 5 months, Sweety is an uncoordinated teenager who's legs are growing faster than she can keep up! It is natural for her to miss her steps sometimes while running and to scuff herself up in the process. I expect this to improve with age. As for the gums, she is about the right age to be losing the last of her puppy teeth which often come out during tug of war games and may have minimal bleeding for a few minutes. I am not very concerned about this. I do find German Shepherds to be a little overrepresented in terms of sensitive skin and stomachs. But regardless of breed, almost every dog who eats mud/rocks is going to vomit and/or have diarrhea. Sometimes this part will improve with age, sometimes the only solution is to prevent her eating those things either by keeping her indoors and under close supervision outside, or by means of something like a basket muzzle. All in all, Sweety sounds about normal for a dog of her age. Best of luck to you both!

Common causes of redness or irritation around the eyes like this include bacterial infection, mites (like demodectic mange), allergies, fleas, among others. Since this area is so close to the cornea of the eyeball, I recommend that she be evaluated by a veterinarian so that appropriate medications can be used. Any topical ointment that can be used on skin needs to be safe for eyes. If she is not on flea preventative, start that as soon as possible. Your vet may recommend diagnostics like a skin scrape to look for mites, cytology to look for bacteria, or recommend antihistamines based on their physical examination.

Hi there. I'm so sorry to hear about Cailbur's eye issue! Let me see if I can help. Sometimes, when dog's have an eye infection, it can be secondary to trauma to the surface of the eye called the cornea. In this case, we can get a scratch on the cornea, and over time, if not treated appropriately, it may turn into a large corneal ulcer. The ulcer can make the eye look cloudy. Sometimes it can be after it heals, or sometimes it can happen if the ulcer is very deep. In this case, Calibur would need to go to a veterinarian so they can check for an ulcer, and then get some antibiotic ointment or drops to apply. Another condition german shepherds can develop in the eyes is called, pannus. This is an autoimmune disease, and although we are unsure of the direct cause, it is controlled by daily eye medications. There are several other eye issues that I can think of, but these are the two most common that I see in a dog of Calibur's age and breed. Again, I would make an appointment for her to see her veterinarian as soon as you can so they can check her eyes and get her on an appropriate treatment plan for her condition. Here are some links on the subjects I touched on in my answer... https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=6292624 https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951434

This is definitely suspicious for hereditary blindness, which is occasionally seen with this breed. It's best to have a vet to examine him and determine if he's blind. Since Toby is old enough for his first shots, this can be done at the same time. I hope that helps and all is well with Toby.