My senior Pomeranian has crusty eye gunk and peeling facial skin. Why?

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.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I would recommend having a veterinarian examine the eyes to check for any trauma and to see if she has adequate tear production. Dry eye can cause crusting and discomfort and could lead to serious corneal damage if not addressed early on. If there is an eye infection, the veterinarian can prescribe antibiotic eye drops to help treat this as well. 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.

It sounds like he could have a bacterial skin infection. You could bathe him with a medicated dog shampoo but he may also need an antibiotic. Have your vet take a look at him to determine the exact cause and prescribe medications to treat. He may need an antibiotic, anti-histamine, or corticosteroid to help.

Poor guy. If the discharge is a yellow or green color and his sclera (white part of the eye) is red and irritated then he probably has an eye infection and is in need of topical antibiotics prescribed by your local veterinarian. This breed is also high risk for "Dry eye" (KCS-keratoconjunctivitis sicca) which will result in clear or white discharge initially, that can later turn to an infection. This condition is diagnosed with a simple tear production test through your vet and then Bear would need prescription medication (i.e. Cylclosporine) +/- artificial tears to treat this. If Bear has other symptoms (i.e. vomiting, decreased appetite, etc) and eye discharge, then this is probably a weepy eye that is secondary to another underlying condition. More information would be needed to know what other conditions may be the cause of his illness. So it is best to schedule an appointment for Bear so that you can get him properly diagnosed and treated for his current eye condition. I wish Bear the best moving forward with his eye issues and hope he gets some relief soon.

Depending on the breed and eye conformation, some dogs will have tears that spill over the inside corner of the eye instead of draining down the tear ducts as they should. If this has been a life-long problem for Ziggy, then it may be due to his body conformation. However, there are some skin complications that can come from the crusting on the fur and some treatments that can either improve the eye draining or help prevent skin problems from the fur crusting, so I do think it would be worth having your vet examine Ziggy Stardust to see if there is anything you can do about this situation. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

She could have an infection or possibly an auto-immune disease. Since this has been going on for 2 weeks, she should be examined by a vet to determine the cause and treat. She may need an antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, and other medications to help treat.

It looks like Max may have a corneal defect such as an ulceration. He should be taken to the veterinarian as soon as possible as this requires medical treatment and can lead to permanent damage if not addressed promptly.