The dog has a swollen eye: what can you do to help the animal?

Why are a dog's eyes swollen: causes and symptoms

First, you need to clearly define the terminology so as not to confuse the concepts of “tumor” and “edema.” A dog’s eyes, or more precisely, eyelids, can swell for various reasons, including this symptom is characteristic of certain types of neoplasms, i.e. tumors. And yet, much more often, this kind of swelling is explained by simpler problems that do not require not only long-term treatment, but even professional medical care.

Important! Edema occurs as a result of the accumulation of excess fluid in tissues or organs,
while their structure does not change, while a tumor is a transformation of tissue at the cellular level. When using symptomatic first aid methods, swelling may disappear within a few hours, but tumors resolve rarely and very slowly.

Injuries and foreign objects

Redness and swelling of the eyelid is a standard reaction to traumatic damage to the cornea, including as a result of its contact with a branch, plant spine, grains of sand or other small particles that enter the dog’s eye during a walk. Sometimes such a foreign object remains behind the animal’s lower eyelid, causing it serious discomfort. Over time, thanks to a tear-like secretion, the foreign body can be washed out from under the eyelid without outside help, but if you rinse your pet’s eyes with purified warm water, the problem will be solved much faster. The same method should be used in the event that a chemical reagent of not very high toxicity gets into the dog’s eye - liquid soap, hairspray, washing powder, air scenting agent, etc.

If the dog owner was not present when the animal received an injury or a foreign object (substance) got into the eyes, you can guess that it was this kind of incident that caused the sudden swelling and redness of the eyelids by some features of the pet’s behavior.

Often in such situations the dog experiences:

• increased and rapid blinking;
• copious discharge of clear fluid from the eyes (the animal seems to be crying);
• squinting, twitching eyelids;
• an attempt to rub the eye with a paw or scratch it on some object (for example, the corner of furniture);
• keeping the injured eye closed;
• asymmetrical shape of the muzzle (due to swelling);
• bloody spots on the outer shell of the eyeball;
• unnatural depression or convexity of the sclera.

Did you know? A careful look into the eyes of your counterpart to search for the necessary information in them is the destiny of only two living creatures on the planet: people and dogs. At the same time, dogs use this technique exclusively in the process of communicating with a person.

In addition, an animal injured in the visual area may also exhibit photophobia, lack of pupil reaction to light, clouding of the iris, and a change in its color. In combination with the symptoms listed above, these phenomena are a normal reaction to stress and pain, but in themselves they should be alarming, since they are also characteristic of some more serious ophthalmological diseases.

Conjunctivitis

Conjunctivitis is any inflammatory process affecting the thin transparent membrane covering the back surface of the eyelid and the outer eye area - the conjunctiva. It is conjunctivitis that is the most common cause of redness and swelling of the eyelids, in fact, this is exactly how this condition manifests itself. However, such a formulation does not explain anything, since conjunctivitis is not a disease, but rather a symptom of a particular problem.

In particular, inflammation of the conjunctiva in a dog can occur:

• as a result of injury, damage to the cornea, burn;
• due to the presence of a foreign body on the iris or under the eyelid;
• as an additional symptom of some ophthalmological diseases (for example, keratitis, blepharitis or uveitis);
• with an acute infectious process occurring in the body (bacterial, viral, fungal);
• as an allergic reaction;
• due to a decrease in the general immunity of the animal.

Depending on the duration of the inflammatory process, acute and chronic conjunctivitis are distinguished, and according to the degree of damage to the conjunctiva and symptoms, the pathological condition can go through three stages - from the mildest to the most severe:

• catarrhal, characterized by lacrimation, redness of the mucous membrane and sclera, slight swelling of the eyelids;
• purulent, accompanied by discharge from the eyes of a viscous yellow or greenish substance with an unpleasant odor, sticking of the eyelids, severe itching, hyperthermia;
• follicular, affecting, in addition to the conjunctiva, wider areas of tissue, which is manifested in the appearance of dense red formations (follicles) in the third eyelid, while the general condition of the animal noticeably worsens, photophobia, loss of appetite and other signs of very poor health are observed.

Barley

Another type of inflammatory process, due to which a dog’s eyelids can become swollen, has the scientific name hordeolum, but is popularly known as stye. From the point of view of etiology, this condition is an acute and purulent lesion of the ciliary follicle (hair follicle of the eyelash) or the Zeiss sebaceous gland (located near the ciliary bulb), and externally it looks like a small spherical body appearing under the skin on the outer (less often - inner) side of the eyelid and causing swelling due to dilation of the conjunctival vessels.

Important! Despite the fact that barley is not usually considered a serious pathology, in some cases, especially if the owner acts incorrectly (squeezing pus out of the “ball”, etc.), the disease can cause such dangerous complications as thrombosis of the cavernous sinus of the dura mater, damage to the subcutaneous tissue or meningitis.

In the vast majority of cases, the cause of stye is a bacterial infection, usually staphylococcal. There are, however, factors that significantly facilitate the proliferation of pathogenic microflora and, thus, increase the risk of developing hordeolum.

These include, in particular:

• bacterial or viral eye diseases (for example, herpes);
• fungal skin infections (for example, lichen);
• trauma to the organs of vision, contact with a foreign body on the conjunctiva;
• suffered stress;
• allergic reaction;
• hypothermia;
• consequences of a serious illness that has caused general weakening or intoxication of the body;
• poor nutrition (vitaminosis), poor care;
• weak immunity, etc.

The clinical picture of barley usually leaves no doubt regarding diagnosis. However, in addition to the characteristic follicular formation in the corner of the eyelid, as well as its redness and swelling, the external symptoms of hordeolum are:

• poor eye mobility;
• drooping eyelid;
• discharge of pus and particles of dead tissue from the head of the barley after its opening (about 3-4 days after the onset of inflammation).

Allergy

The cause of swelling of the eyelids in a dog can also be an allergic reaction to irritants such as pollen, tobacco smoke, household chemicals, etc. In addition, a special type of allergy is also the body’s autoimmune response to the bite of a poisonous insect (mosquito, fleas, wasps, etc.), ticks, spiders or snakes. This type of reaction is called insect reaction. Dogs are also prone to food, drug and infectious allergies (the latter occurs against the background of a bacterial, viral, fungal disease or damage to the body by helminths and other types of protozoan endoparasites).

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Allergy is characterized by the fact that it can appear instantly after contact with an irritant or accumulate gradually, which, of course, makes diagnosis much more difficult. Allergy symptoms can be general and local, but are always individual.

In particular, the animal may experience:

• distinct signs of itching (the dog licks its paws, rubs against objects, scratches its ears, etc.);
• watery discharge from the nose or eyes;
• hearing impairment (due to swelling of the ear canal);
• cough without signs of a cold;
• rash and redness on the skin, dandruff;
• hair loss, bald spots;
• peeling and discoloration on the delicate areas of the skin between the toes, as well as on the pads;
• increased sweating;
• frequent urge to have bowel movements, sometimes without signs of diarrhea (stool consistency remains unchanged).

The most effective method of combating allergies is to immediately eliminate contact with the irritant. Usually this is enough for the animal’s condition to stabilize. However, in difficult cases (for example, a reaction to a bite or a potent medication), swelling of the eyes can quickly spread to the entire face and affect the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, and this condition poses a real threat to the life of the animal.

Keratitis

If the inflammatory process covers the cornea area, the dog is said to have keratitis. From the point of view of the main causes, the development of this condition is similar to conjunctivitis and hordeolum; in addition, keratitis often accompanies the following systemic internal pathologies:

• diabetes;
• disruption of the endocrine system;
• Kare's disease (distemper);
• liver infection (hepatitis);
• inflammation of the small intestine (parvovirus enteritis).

Find out the symptoms and treatment of eyesore in dogs.

Characteristic symptoms of keratitis, in addition to swelling, are:

• tearfulness;
• constant blinking, trying to rub your eyes with your paws;
• purulent discharge from the eyes, accumulating in the corners of the eyelids in the form of dried and sticky lumps, as well as dark streaks;
• increase in local body temperature in the visual area;
• formation on the inner corners of the eye;
• redness of the whites;
• loss of transparency and smooth structure of the eye membrane, appearance on the cornea of ​​cloudy areas and light spots of different colors - white, yellow, gray, pearlescent (occurs within a few hours after the onset of the disease);
• progressive photophobia;
• manifestation of anxiety or, on the contrary, depression and apathy;
• in complicated cases - ulcers and cracks on the cornea.

Depending on the causes of occurrence, characteristics of the course and symptoms, it is customary to distinguish several types of keratitis in dogs - purulent, parenchymal, punctate, ulcerative, phlyctenulous.

Blepharitis

The next type of eye inflammation that causes swelling is called blepharitis. In this case, the infection affects the eyelids - usually only their outer layers, but sometimes the infection spreads to the inside of the eyelid, conjunctiva and cornea. Thus, blepharitis, keratitis and conjunctivitis can occur simultaneously. Like the other inflammatory eye diseases listed above, blepharitis can develop against the background of an infectious disease, as a result of injury, an insect bite, or as a special type of allergic reaction.

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In addition, the causes of blepharitis are often a hereditary predisposition, congenital eye pathologies (for example, entropion, trichiasis, distichiasis, etc.), some common diseases (diabetes mellitus, Cushing's disease, dermatitis, food poisoning), as well as neoplasms - tumors arising in the meibomian glands (adenomas or adenocarcinomas).

Finally, there is a special form of inflammation of the eyelids, the etiology of which remains unclear. In such cases they talk about idiopathic blepharitis. The inflammatory process of blepharitis can affect one or both eyes.

The clinical picture of the disease is characterized by:

• redness and swelling of the eyelid;
• severe itching at the site of the lesion;
• rapid blinking, pronounced squinting of the eye (so-called blepharospasm);
• tearing or purulent discharge from the eyes;
• peeling of the skin of the eyelids, the appearance of dry crusts or small ulcers on it;
• loss or lightening of hair in the form of “spectacles” on the face (with prolonged blepharitis).

Oncological tumor of the eyeball

Fortunately, neoplasms in the visual area in dogs do not appear very often. As a rule, such pathologies develop in animals older than 7 years. And yet, despite the fact that tumors are not always malignant, they can still have a serious negative impact on the visual function of the pet, change the shape of the eyeball, disrupt its structure, etc.

Important! According to statistics, of all neoplasms registered by veterinary clinics in dogs, the eye area accounts for no more than 3%. Of these, in turn, the ratio of benign and malignant tumors is approximately equal.

Long-term observations allow us to identify the following characteristics of eye tumors that are most common in dogs:

• by location - eyelids (less often - intraocular and retrobulbar neoplasms);
• according to the clinical form - nodular;
• according to the macroscopic configuration - oval, regular in shape.

Speaking about specific types of tumors, a dog can be diagnosed with:

Typically, the older the animal, the more often the tumor diagnosed is malignant, although this pattern is not absolute. Also, malignant tumors more often occur inside the eye, while tumors on the eyelids are more likely to appear and develop as benign.

Other diseases

In addition to the pathologies listed above, swelling of a dog’s eyelids can also be caused by:

• blockage of the tear duct;
• dacryocystitis (inflammation of the lacrimal sac);
• glaucoma (a disease characterized by increased intraocular pressure);
• uveitis (inflammation of the choroid of the eye);
• inversion or inversion of the eyelid;
• dislocation of the eyeball;
• Horner's syndrome (retraction of the eyeball);
• other ophthalmological diseases.

However, sometimes such an alarming symptom has a simpler reason, for example, a dog’s eyelids may become swollen if the animal has eaten too many sweets, received a portion of fatty food, or eaten something else tasty, but very harmful.

The dog has a swollen eye: inflammation of the conjunctiva

Not an independent disease, but a symptom. Caused by a cold, eye infection, or injury to the cornea. Accompanied by purulent discharge and (or) tearfulness. You should act differently in different situations.

Injury

While walking or playing, dust, small debris and stones could get into the pet's eye. Small objects come out with tears, but if the pet is restless for a long time and tries to scratch the eye, you need to examine it yourself.

• It is important to put a special collar and muzzle on your head: the inspection will be unpleasant.
• Before doing this, wash your hands and put on gloves.
• If the foreign body is small and accessible, carefully remove it or wash it with clean water at room temperature.
• For prevention, apply tetracycline ointment or rinse the eye with special antibacterial drops.

Advice

If the object is large or stationary in the eye, then immediately contact a specialist. Since the organ is mobile, the body can injure the cornea with a sharp edge or cause an infection.

Conjunctivitis and its types

The mucous membrane of the eye turns red and secretes pus - this is a bacterial form of the disease. First you need to remove the pus with a solution of furatsilin: 1 tablet. per glass of water. Ciprofloxacin, Ciprovet or Tobramycin (antibiotics) are dripped into the lower eyelid 2-3 times a day, and tetracycline ointment is applied in the morning and evening. Additionally stimulate the immune system.

Other forms of conjunctivitis - catarrhal, dry eye, follicular - are treated differently. Catarrhal appears due to eye injuries, follicular - inflammation of the follicles, often a chronic form. Dry cornea appears due to pathologies in the structure of the organ, so the cornea is not moisturized as it should be.

Eye infection

It is called blepharitis. If a dog has swollen eyes and eyelids (lower and upper at the same time), then most likely there is an infection. Signs:

• swelling;
• severe itching;
• pain;
• frequent blinking - blepharospasms;
• purulent or mucous discharge;
• crusts or scales on the eyelids.

Treatment includes warm compresses for 5-15 minutes, removal of purulent discharge and antibacterial ointments. If the disease does not subside, immune support is prescribed. Sometimes blepharitis is a congenital disease due to pathology of the eyelids or due to a genetic predisposition of the breed. Then a doctor's consultation is indicated; surgical intervention may be required.

How to help your dog before visiting the veterinarian

Of course, there can be no talk of any independent treatment of diseases associated with the organs of vision. But if the swelling of the pet’s eyes obviously has a traumatic, allergic or acute infectious, but at the same time completely understandable nature (for example, after suffering from a cold, the dog showed signs of conjunctivitis), providing first aid to the animal at home is quite acceptable. Moreover, such measures are quite enough for the animal’s condition to quickly stabilize and in this case it is not at all necessary to contact a veterinarian.

Important! Almost the only way to combat inflammation of the eyelids in a dog without establishing an accurate diagnosis is to wash the eyes with clean water, heated to a warm state. Any eye drops, antiseptics or folk remedies can cause burns, allergies or other negative consequences.

The washing procedure is carried out using a cotton pad, and you need to take a fresh one for each eye. During the manipulation, be sure to soak and remove any discharge from the eyes; this will help prevent the eyelids from sticking together and alleviate the animal’s condition.

To quickly relieve an allergy attack, a single use of antihistamines is permissible (for example, Suprastin - at the rate of 1 mg per 1 kg of weight), however, if the swelling does not subside, it is better to consult a specialist for diagnosis and selection of the appropriate drug.

Causes

Often the problem turns out to be insignificant and goes away quickly. In order not to panic, it is recommended to familiarize yourself with the main reasons why a dog develops eye swelling.

Correct diagnosis helps choose the right treatment.

Physiological

If after a walk your pet becomes restless and tries to scratch its eyes, you should examine it carefully. The first signs of physiological effects can be noticed immediately.

Main reasons:

• mechanical injury – the dog could have pricked its eye on a bush branch while walking;
• ingestion of a foreign body (litter, dust) causing itching;
• bite of an insect (wasp, bee, tick, spider), another dog or snake.

Due to such reasons, only one eye of the animal swells, which is damaged. Trauma sometimes provokes the development of blepharitis, a disease accompanied by photophobia. Then the swelling spreads to the second eye, affecting the muzzle and larynx.

Diseases that cause swelling

If a dog's eyes are swollen, the reasons are not always mechanical. A pet can get sick, and the focus of the pathology is not always in the eyes.

Animals, like humans, can develop cancer. If such a tumor has formed in the eye, it will manifest itself as swelling.

Sometimes the eyelid swells sharply. There are diseases that manifest as inflammation of the cornea of ​​one eye, for example, keratitis. This pathology develops quickly, seemingly for no apparent reason.

The disease can be triggered by helminths entering the organ of vision, eye injury and infection, but they do not cause severe swelling. But allergies give such a reaction.

Allergic manifestations

If your pet has a sensitive body, then it will react inadequately to various factors:

• a new product in the diet;
• plant pollen;
• tobacco smoke;
• household chemicals;
• a bite of an insect.

An allergic reaction is manifested not only by swelling. The dog begins to sneeze and itch. The mucous membranes become inflamed, so it flows not only from the eyes, but also from the nose.

If measures are not taken in a timely manner, the problem can develop into anaphylactic shock, which results in the death of the animal.

At the first alarming symptoms, the dog must be immediately taken to a veterinary hospital . But first, the owner must provide first aid to the animal by giving it antihistamines (Suprastin, Loratadine, Diazolin, etc.). If it is possible to give an injection, the effect will come faster and the pet will feel better.

Treatment for swollen eyes in dogs

Since a dog’s eyes can swell due to a variety of pathologies, in order to prescribe adequate treatment it is necessary to establish the cause of the swelling, and not to fight the external manifestation of the disease. This is precisely the main task of a veterinarian.

Based on the diagnostic results, the animal may be prescribed the following groups of medications:

1. Antihistamines and mast cell stabilizers - for the symptomatic treatment of pathological conditions of an allergic nature. Can be used as tablets, powders, injections or ointments (topically). The most common options are Suprastin, Zodak, Tavegil, Diazolin, Prednisolone, Allervet, Khifenadine, etc.
2. Antibiotics - if the inflammatory process is of a confirmed bacterial nature. They are often prescribed in the form of eye drops - Tobrex, Maxitrol, Levomycetin, etc., or ointments - Tetracycline, Hydrocortisone, Erythromycin, but it is also possible to use broad-spectrum drugs orally, subcutaneously or intramuscularly.
3. Corticosteroids (usually local) are indicated for allergic forms of pathology, along with antihistamines.
4. Vasoactive drugs (for example, Irifrin) are used for symptomatic relief of swelling.
5. Anti-inflammatory eye drops and ointments (Floxal, Ditetracycline ointment, Dexamethasone) - for stopping acute infectious processes.
6. Sulfonamides are antimicrobial and antiseptic agents.
7. Nonsteroids (Caprofen, Meloxicam) are systemic anti-inflammatory drugs.
8. Midratics (for example, Atropine) and analgesics are used to relieve pain and spasms.
9. Carbonic anhydride inhibitors (Brinzolamide, Dorzolamide) - block the synthesis of fluid secreted from the eyes.
10. Immunosuppressants (Azathioprine, Cyclosporine) are specific drugs prescribed, for example, for uveitis or idiopathic blepharitis.
11. Antiparasitic, antiflexible, antiviral drugs - for infectious eye lesions, depending on the nature of the pathogen.

If the cause of swelling of the eyelids is a tumor, the only possible treatment is surgery; sometimes the animal has to completely remove the eyeball (enucleation).

First aid for swelling

There are often circumstances when it is impossible to quickly seek help from a specialist. You must have minimal knowledge of first aid for your pet.

Perform visual diagnostics:

1. Where is the swelling located: on the left, right side of the muzzle, affecting the larynx, tongue, eyeballs and gums;
2. How the pet breathes: normally or often with signs of asphyxia;
3. Presence of visual damage: bites, lacerations or other deformities;
4. Are swellings diagnosed: allergic rash, other purulent or ordinary rashes;
5. How dense is the swelling: uniform or with the presence of different compactions;

Determine what caused the fluid accumulation:

• Changing your diet;
• Walks in the fields or in the forest;
• Possible contact with dangerous insects or snakes, fights with other pets or predators;
• Taking pharmacological agents or an injection.

Studying and analyzing the information will allow you to determine the cause of the problem and choose a treatment method.

Dog's face is swollen after vaccination

There are no options to vaccinate or refuse it. This is the only way that will protect your dog from a contagious disease that affects the nervous system, infection with other viral or bacterial infections. During immunization, active viral strains are introduced into the animal's body.

Complications may appear in the first few days after administration of the drug; a post-vaccination reaction is observed. Therefore, in order to prevent the development of dangerous complications, it is worth monitoring the general well-being of your pet for the first 7 days.

Dogs tolerate artificial immunization well. Immunobiological products that are supplied to the market, in exceptional cases, provoke negative reactions. But, it is not recommended to rule out that after the administration of even a high-quality drug, if all the rules are followed, the dog may experience consequences, which are conventionally divided into local and general.

The reaction to the drug appears half an hour after its administration (in rare cases, after 24 hours). It all depends on the personal characteristics of physiology.

Swelling of the muzzle is not a classic reaction to immunization, and is diagnosed in 10 percent of cases. In addition, respiratory function may be impaired and heart rate may change. Without first aid, swelling will spread down the throat and can lead to suffocation. If the animal is not helped quickly, the swelling will be fatal.

The injection site of the immunological drug must be washed with water and an antiseptic applied. The most common peroxide or chlorhexidine will do. Veterinarians, before carrying out all planned manipulations, give the animal antihistamines.

The animal's muzzle is swollen after a bite

During summer walks, the animal may be bitten by various insects, stray dogs or wild animals. A mosquito bite can cause hives or swelling of the face. It is important to give your pet any antihistamine (one that the person is taking can also be used).

Swelling can be of varying complexity. Depending on the condition of the pet, such medications are recommended.

If the swelling has not spread to the pharynx, then active substances are recommended: suprastin, fenkarol, tavegil, diazolin, furosemide, dehydratin. If the swelling has spread to the pharynx and the animal has asphyxia, then effective measures are necessary. It is better to give the animal an injection:

• Prednisolone or its analogue from the class of corticosteroids. The drug is administered intramuscularly;
• Atropine under the skin;
• Urgently take the animal to the veterinarian.

A symptom characteristic of an angioedema allergic reaction leading to asphyxia. The development of edema occurs rapidly and is of genetic origin, the aggravation of which occurs as a reaction of the body to the penetration of an allergen.

Treatment

Experienced breeders know what to do in such situations. Beginners still have to master the technique of providing first aid to their pet. Basic therapy takes into account the cause of swelling.

But there are also general rules that are worth taking into account:

• the dog should not be allowed to put its paws in its eyes - for this purpose a special collar is put on the animal;
• swollen, watery eyes should be washed with cooled boiled water;
• A compress helps reduce swelling: tie a plastic bottle or heating pad filled with cold water to the dog’s eye;
• Provide your pet with plenty of fluids.

If there is a suspicion of an allergy, the dog’s diet is reduced to a minimum. In all cases, treatment of swelling should be comprehensive, when medications are combined with traditional medicine.

Medications

Medicines will be needed when swelling is caused by an allergic reaction. Antihistamines can also be used in the form of drops. But before putting drops in your dog’s eyes, the product must be diluted with water.

Inflamed conjunctiva is treated not only with Levomycetin; other antibiotics (Kanamitsit or Erythromycin) can also be used. Ophthalmic ointments and drops help well.

To alleviate the animal’s condition, it is recommended to apply Tetracycline ointment behind the eyelids and distribute it over the eye membrane. The procedure is carried out at least 5 times a day until the swelling subsides.

You can also instill a solution of Novocaine (2%) or Lidocaine into your eyes. But using local anesthetic for more than 5 days is not recommended.

If your dog has a dry, hot nose, you will need an antipyretic (Carprofen, Vedaprofen). It is given once a day, administered orally. The dosage is calculated taking into account the pet’s body weight.

Traditional medicine

At home, folk recipes are used to treat conjunctivitis.