Why does my senior dog have chronic, slow-growing eye irritation?

I recommend cleaning this daily with a hot warm cloth to remove the discharge. Then when you have the area clean apply a thin film of antibacterial ointment on the area below the eyes. That will help heal the skin and stop the discharge from sticking to the skin and fur. I would have Babygurl's eyes checked by your veterinarian. This looks like she has dry eyes, which is a decrease in normal tear production. With this condition the eye discharge is thick and sticky like this. There is medication for dry eyes which will increase the tear production. Dry eyes can be painful and she may irritate the corneas causing reduced vision without treatment, so please have her checked soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Babygurl.

This is most likely a skin infection from the skin being moist all the time and unable to dry out. I would try using some medicated wipes twice a day in that area. I like dechra's miconahex wipes. This will help to dry the area out and get rid of the bacteria. If it isn't improving, I would have your vet take a look at him. He may need some oral antibiotics and a low dose of steroids to help clear it up. I hope this helps!

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would recommend Diamond get a skin scraping and fungal culture from her veterinarian to rule out demodex mites as a cause and a fungal infection such as ringworm. Both can be treated with medications when diagnosed. Of course, it could be due to another cause such as allergies, but I would start with a skin scrape and culture first. I hope this helps and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I can see how the skin is red in the folds on his face under the left eye. It is not unusual for pugs, frenchies and bull dogs to get a facial fold dermatitis. Moisture builds up in the wrinkles and an infection can occur. There are wipes you can get to to wipe the affected areas. I like Mal-a-ket wipes or Douxo chlorhex wipes. Your Vet should carry them Good luck!

Hello, thanks for reaching out! Dogs tend to get these bumps on their eyelids and they can cause irritation. In some cases, they aren't an issue, but in others, they can cause serious damage to the eye. Since your dog does seem bothered by it and is already rubbing at it, I would have it checked by a vet. In most cases, they are easily removed. Good luck and feel free to consult with me privately if you have any follow up questions or concerns!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on the pictures and your description, I suspect that Maverick is dealing with a condition known as keratoconjunctivitis sicca (dry eye). This is a condition that will not improve unless treated with eye medication such as Tacrolimus or Optimmune. This condition is localized destruction of the tear gland from the immune system and these eye medications suppress the immune system at the level of the eye to help try and stimulate tear production. I would recommend having the veterinarian recheck Maverick's eyes and perform what is called a Schirmer Tear Test to assess the tear production. If the eyes are below 21mm on the tear test, this is indicative of dry eye and needs to be treated appropriately. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

That is concerning. If the spots are oozing or smelly I would be concerned there is an underlying infection going on which is causing that. Since this is different than the contact dermatitis, or a worsening of it, I would have your vet take another look. They may recommend taking a sample for testing at a lab to see what the cause is (yeast, bacteria, fungus, etc) so that a tailored treatment can be given. Your vet may also prescribe antibiotics if the area is infected. Until you can get to the vet, keeping the affected areas clean and dry and using an Elizabethan (cone) collar on Boomer can help keep him from licking which can help with further irritation.