My senior dog has blood in her eye, but acts normal. What's wrong?

Hyphema (blood in the front chamber of the eye, in front of the iris and pupil) can be caused by a number of different things including trauma to the eye, an eye infection, retinal detachment, or a systemic problem such as a clotting disorder or even some types of cancer. This is always a concerning sign, and should be checked out by a veterinarian as soon as possible to find out what's going on and see what kind of treatment is needed.

I would highly recommend taking her to a vet as soon as possible. Bleeding in the eye can be due to local trauma to the eye but also can be connected to underlying disease like toxin (rat poison), bleeding disorders, cancer, high blood pressure or infectious disease. I would be very concerned in an older dog with enlarged spleen that the blood in eye is related to this. I would recommend x-rays of the body and blood work to look at organ function and platelet count. Also, taking sassy to an ophthalmologist would be in her best interest

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is quite concerning. This may be due to hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, a coagulation issue meaning that she is not coagulating her blood well enough which is concerning, among many other reasons. I highly recommend that you consider having her evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for these possibilities and treat her accordingly. She could quickly become anemic which is why this is important and needs to be taken care of now. I am hoping for a speedy recovery!

I'm working under the assumption that autocorrect changed hyphema (blood in the anterior chamber of the eye) to hyphens. If Penny does hyphema, this can be a result of a number serious underlying conditions, including severely elevated blood pressure, blood clotting disorders, trauma, among others. To answer your question, yes, hyphema does require urgent veterinary attention. Feel free to ask another question or request a consultation if I misunderstood your initial concern about Penny's eye. I hope that all goes well for Penny!

Hey there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. What you are seeing is a condition called Chemosis (swelling of the conjunctiva). This can be caused from trauma, insect bites, allergic reactions, etc. If this does not resolve after 24 hours, I would have Charlie examined by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. 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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I’m not surprised at the progression in Gracie’s eye- the cloudy spot is likely a clot from the blood. Based on location I’m guessing this was trauma (whacked her head playing or running, fighting with another dog, etc etc). However, it’s impossible to tell without an eye exam exactly which compartment of the eye that clot is in. My concern is that if it’s in the front chamber of the eye, it could signal uveitis- which in turn can hint at serious systemic disease (fungal infections, tick borne diseases, etc.). Long story short, I’d have the vet check it out to make sure it’s not something we should be more worried about. Best of luck to you and Gracie!

I would recommend taking Princess in for a veterinary exam. Eyes tend to heal quickly or get bad quickly. The one picture looks similar to a scleral hematoma, but the other picture looks like something is going on in the cornea. The cornea can be an emergency situation if there is an ulcer present. The veterinarian will do some diagnostics like an eye stain and prescribe appropriate medications for her. Eye injuries are painful, so she might need pain meds. There are not safe and effective over the counter pain medications for dogs. Thanks for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!