Different dog breeds may have watery eyes. This depends on certain features and leads to the appearance of tear tracks, which are impossible not to notice in dogs whose coat is light in color.
If you suddenly find wet tracks on your Spitz’s face, you cannot ignore it. Corrective measures must be taken. The severity of the problem depends on the type of discharge, its color and how much it is produced.
Why are they tearing up a little?
There are many reasons why a Spitz may have watery eyes:
- thick hair that is located next to them irritates the mucous membrane;
- Due to their short stature, dust or debris may get into their eyes when walking. Wind and heat also cause tearing;
- eyeball injury;
- heredity;
- allergic reaction to feed additives;
- an ear infection that affects the eye canal;
- dust getting on the eyeball and improper care of the pet lead to the development of infections that take a long time and are difficult to treat;
- poor nutrition.
Clean, shiny and clear eyes are an indicator of a dog's health.
If there is no pus, and only tears flow from the eye, then it is possible that the Spitz’s hair is simply not growing properly. Reference! Tearfulness may increase after a walk and sleep; this reaction is considered normal, so there is no need to worry about it.
It's not scary if the discharge is not strong. It is necessary to take action only in cases where they begin to increase. Moist areas under the eyes become an excellent breeding ground for bacteria that can cause more serious harm to your pet's health.
How to know when to see a doctor
Having noticed frequent tear discharge in a dog, it can be difficult to independently identify the cause of this deviation. To understand when to contact your veterinarian for help, you need to check:
- Duration of lacrimation. You should be concerned if you experience tearfulness for a long time.
- The nature of the discharge. A healthy animal's tears are transparent. If the discharge is thick or contains pus, then the dog exhibits pathology.
- Leaks. When the disease occurs, the area under the lower eyelid and in the corner of the eye surface is constantly wet, and the smudges change color.
- The mucous membrane of the eyelids. In its normal state, it is moist and pale pink in color. Redness is a deviation from the norm.
- General condition of the eye. It becomes red, itchy, cloudy and swollen, the dog begins to see worse. This indicates a disease.
- Presence of damage. If scratches, swelling, or blood are noticeable, then the pet is injured.
Additional Information! With serious eye diseases, the animal’s general condition worsens. The dog begins to feel unwell.
If a careful examination of your pet reveals at least one abnormality, you should immediately contact a veterinarian. It is difficult for the owner to determine why the dog’s eyes are very watery. Only a doctor can make a correct diagnosis. He will diagnose and prescribe the necessary treatment so that the dog gets better quickly.
What's the problem if it's severe?
If your Spitz's eyes are very watery, this is a sign of a bacterial infection. Only a veterinarian can make an accurate diagnosis, so if there is severe lacrimation, immediately take your pet to a specialist.
Tobacco smoke also affects and worsens lacrimation, causing severe irritation to the eyes. Never smoke near your pet.
Changing teeth, as well as their diseases, cause profuse tears in the Spitz.
Severe lacrimation is caused by diseases such as entropion of the eyelid and inflammation of the lacrimal sac.
Districhiasis
Another problem with the eyes of Pomeranians is that the eyelids may grow an extra row of eyelashes or they may be abnormally positioned. The disease is called districhiasis.
Hairs have an impact on the cornea, causing irritation, redness, lacrimation, and discomfort. Most often, incorrectly growing eyelashes are found on the upper eyelid.
There are several treatment options:
- Removal with tweezers. However, there is no guarantee that they will not grow again.
- Laser burning of hairs and bulbs. The procedure is performed under anesthesia.
- If there are a large number of eyelashes – surgical removal.
What you absolutely cannot do is try to solve the problem yourself.
What to do?
Unless there is a specific reason, try not to use medications.
When tears are caused by debris, it must be removed as carefully as possible using a cotton swab. Then you should rinse the eye from the outer corner to the nose.
If lacrimation occurs due to the fur on the face, then grooming is necessary.
Important! Don't forget about eye care! Wipe them daily for your pet with a cotton pad soaked in warm water. The water must be boiled.
You can also use silver water for care. It is easy to prepare. Place any silver item in a glass of distilled water and let it sit for a day before you start using it.
It is not advisable to use folk care products. For example, you should not rub your eyes with tea bags. It is better to use Chamomile lotion. Its antimicrobial properties will eliminate redness and reduce swelling. They can also be used for preventive purposes.
Before a walk, put in special drops that will help prevent tearing from weather conditions.
Analyze your pet's menu. It is necessary to exclude sweets from it, which are very harmful for dogs. Fatty and fried foods should also be excluded from the diet.
If the discharge does not go away after a few days, take the animal to the doctor. Sometimes even the simplest situations without timely intervention from a specialist can lead to clouding of the cornea and loss of vision.
Attention! Before showing your Spitz to the doctor, do not rub his eyes with medications that contain antibiotics.
Eye care
If dark stains have already formed, you can get rid of them. Breeders recommend the following algorithm:
- Trim dyed hairs. Wash the stained area with cosmetic foam for dogs, for example, from the SPA Lavish Your Pet cosmetics series. Rinse off. You can use leave-in foams or lotions. Such products are available in Italian cosmetics Baldecci. Dry the wool. Apply salicylic-zinc paste along the tear tract with a cotton swab. The product dries and disinfects. Apply special powder. It can be any brand: Eye Envy, Baldecci,
The Spitz breed requires special care . Constant monitoring of the condition is required.
In some cases, this will help prevent certain diseases . For example, tears act as a natural eye cleanser, but increased fluidity is not the norm.
Reasons for a puppy
Puppies and adult dogs of the Spitz breed are characterized by increased lacrimation when compared with other breeds.
Reasons why puppies become teary when sweating:
- dust and debris in the eyeball;
- food or allergic reaction;
- colds, ear and bacterial infections;
- dry cornea, impaired tear flow;
- severe infestation with ectoparasites.
During the period of change of teeth from milk to permanent ones, the lacrimation of the visual organs in puppies increases, because at this time a change in development occurs. Chew toys are necessary for puppies during such a difficult period in their lives.
The presence of such unpleasant insects as fleas and ticks in the house brings many problems to your pet, including causing harm and causing tears.
Stress often causes tearfulness in this breed. Long travels, changes in ownership, moving, and physical punishment from the owner can lead to them.
Treatment
Such situations require special care and attention from the owner. It is necessary to promptly remove streaks and crusts from tears using a cotton pad or cotton napkin.
If you notice that the discharge has become purulent and increased, contact your veterinarian immediately. If the cause is infection, inflammation or injury, the doctor will prescribe the necessary medications.
When the cause is an allergic reaction, a review of the diet and a special diet are prescribed. If you have a chemical allergy, it is recommended to choose only hypoallergenic pet care cosmetics for your dog.
What to do if your Spitz's eyes are watery?
Having discovered that your dog has watery eyes, the problem should not be left to chance. First of all, you need to get rid of the cause that caused the pathology. If your Spitz's eyes are running due to allergies, you need to change the food and carefully ensure that your pet has the right diet. An allergic reaction can also be caused by cosmetics, floor cleaners, and air fresheners; you must stop using them if you purchased a new brand of these products.
You need to regularly monitor the condition of your pet's fur. Hair that interferes with the eyes should be cut with scissors with rounded ends. Every morning you should perform eye hygiene - wipe from the outer corner to the nose with a cotton pad moistened with warm distilled mineral or boiled water. You can also use any lens liquid for this purpose; this product fights bacteria very well.
It is worth purchasing eye drops from a veterinary pharmacy that relieve inflammation and normalize the condition of the cornea. You should use the product before long trips and walks in the wind or in the heat.
If you need to hide tear tracks that occur with excessive tearing, you can buy special crayons, powders and lotions, the choice of which is huge in pet stores.
If your Spitz has watery eyes for a long time, or there is foreign discharge, such as pus, or the tear ducts are red-brown in color, you should immediately consult a specialist at a veterinary clinic, as this may be a symptom of an infection. In this case, you need to treat with antibiotics, which can only be prescribed by a veterinarian.
Even if the reason why a Spitz puppy’s eyes are watery was identified independently, to avoid complications, before taking therapeutic measures, it is better to consult a specialist.
Suitable eye drops
Many dog owners are interested in the question of how to treat excessive tearing of the eyes at home. The most popular remedy is special anti-inflammatory drops, which are divided into several types. Sometimes veterinarians prescribe ointments that are less popular because they are not very convenient to apply.
The list of the best drops includes the following drugs:
- Tsiprovet. They eliminate gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria and are prescribed for keratitis, conjunctivitis, blepharitis and other pathologies.
- Diamond eyes. The product is intended for daily preventive and therapeutic care of the eyelids; it helps remove dried particles of discharge from the corners of the eyes. Used for age-related changes, cataracts, eyelid damage.
- Tobrex. They are used for eyelid infections affecting external and internal tissues caused by various pathogens.
- Leopard. An anti-inflammatory drug used for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes. Helps with keratitis, eye injuries, blepharitis and other pathologies.
- Optimmune. This product is available in two forms, drops and ointment. It is prescribed for dry eye syndrome, keratitis, keratouveitis and other eye diseases in animals.
If your dog's eyes are running, you can help him with special drops.
Preventing eye discharge in dogs
Every day, examine your pet's eyeballs for redness, inflammation, irritation, and observe your pet's behavior. It is recommended to wipe your eyes with a weak infusion of chamomile or furatsilin. It should be remembered that treating the eyes is very troublesome and expensive, and therefore it is recommended to control the discharge from the eyes of the dog. They can be of different colors, which will also eloquently tell you about the reasons for the discharge.
What do the different colors of discharge mean? The dog's eyes are running.
An attentive owner may notice that discharge from a dog’s eyes can have a variety of shades, from brown to transparent. Each color of discharge can tell a knowledgeable person about a certain disease:
1Transparent is nothing more than lacrimation caused by the entry of a foreign body or inversion of the eyelids, during which the animal’s eyelashes come into contact with the mucous membrane. In this case, tear tracks appear. 2Discharge of a reddish or gray hue is a harbinger of diseases such as conjunctivitis and glaucoma. These diseases should never be neglected, as this can lead to complete blindness. Why start it if you can currently get qualified help from veterinary staff? 3Purulent discharge - is a symptom of quite serious diseases, for example plague, but this is also complemented by other symptoms. That is why it is important to have at hand the telephone number of a qualified veterinarian who can help in a timely manner and prescribe adequate treatment. Remember that the lack of competent treatment can lead to blindness of the animal, and this will sharply worsen its quality of life.
First aid for purulent discharge from a dog's eyes
It is clear that the life and health of a pet directly depend on the actions of the owners. However, it is not always possible to see a doctor immediately. For example, owners are on the road or live far from the nearest clinic. How to help your pet before visiting the veterinarian?
1. Prepare a solution of furatsilin: for 250 ml of boiled water, you will need 1 tablet. It must first be crushed to a powder. Fill with warm water only. Dissolve the crushed tablet thoroughly so that there is no sediment. Strain the solution before use.
2. Divide the liquid into 2 portions. Each eye should be washed separately.
3. Soak a cotton pad in the furatsilin solution and carefully wipe the animal’s eyelids (gauze is not suitable for this purpose - it literally crumbles in your hands). Start from the outer corner.
4. Remove excess liquid with a dry cloth. Moisture is an ideal environment for the development of bacteria.
5. Place tetracycline ointment behind the lower eyelid. Pay attention to the concentration: you need 1%. After the procedure, gently massage your eyelids to distribute the medicine.
6. Don't let your dog rub his eyes. You can use an Elizabethan collar.
How to wash a dog’s eyes and what hygiene products can be used at home – read more in our article.
Remember that first aid should not replace full diagnosis and treatment. In any case, you should visit a veterinarian, since purulent discharge from the eyes is a sign of incipient inflammation.
