Eye issues are one of the most common concerns among pet owners. As with almost anything involving our furry friends, it can be difficult to tell when an issue warrants a doctor’s visit or when it can wait – especially as our animals cannot tell us what the issue is on their own. With a little more information, you should be able to better determine what the next steps are for your pet.
Color and Consistency of Discharge
Watering eyes can be an indicator of anything from allergies to a more serious issue. Generally, clear discharge is less serious, as it could be an example of an temporary irritant or allergies to something. Yellow or green discharge can indicate a possible infection. Pink discharge would likely mean that there is some blood involved, while a darker red would be actual blood and indicate a serious emergency. Any other color is a strong indication that something is seriously wrong and you should contact your vet as soon as possible.
Consistency of discharge can also be important to note. A watery texture, more akin to tears, is less concerning in most cases than a thick or mucous-like texture. However, this does entirely depend on the potential cause of the issue. If the watering eyes were due to a foreign body, that would be a more serious concern than a potential infection, especially if the issue was going on a couple of days with no improvement.
Typically, allergies will present with clear, runny discharge from your pet’s eyes. Allergies in animals can be an ongoing battle, especially if you do not know what the cause of the irritation is. Allergy testing can be an option for your pet to determine the exact cause and how best to treat for it with your lifestyle. You can also try an elimination plan, eliminating different possiblities one by one to see which one may be the culprit for any allergens. Treatment options can range from as simple as getting a humidifer for your home to monthly injections. It is best to talk to your vet about what options may be best for your dog or cat.
Redness or Swelling
A different coloration to your pet’s normally white eye can be alarming, but is not always a cause for immediate concern. Animals can scratch their eyes just as humans occasionally do – perhaps even more so as they have longer nails. However, when coupled with other symptoms, redness can indicate a more serious issue, such as an ongoing infection that has irritated the sclera or a foreign body that has embedded itself beneath an eyelid. If redness or irritation is not accompanied by any other symptom, once the eye has healed it may go away on its own. It should always continue to improve, so if your pet’s eye ever seems to be getting worse, please reach out to your vet.
Noticeable swelling in your dog or cat’s eye should be attended to with more immediate concern. If the cause of swelling is an allergic reaction, it may be something you can monitor at home or treat with an antihistamine. Swelling in the eye or eyelids that is accompanied with any other symptoms, such as discharge or redness, should be seen by a vet with more urgency. When swelling continues to prolong without any improvement, it may become more of an emergency.
Squinted or Closed Eye
It can be difficult to tell what is going on with your pet when you cannot see their eye clearly. In this instance, other indicators may be able to tell you more about the severity of the issue. Yellow or green discharge, swelling or any irritation of the eyelid could indicate a possible infection. With more severe infections, the eye may even be crusted closed due to build-up of discharge. Clear discharge could indicate that a foreign body is lodged in the eye, or that the eye has been scratched by something and is very painful.
When your pet is squinting or closing their eye, trying to open it to see the condition of their eye can be helpful when relaying symptoms to your vet. Applying a warm wet washcloth gently can help with coaxing the eye open, depending on what the issue stems from. However, if you are fighting to open their eye or if their eye is so crusted over that a washcloth does not help, please do not try to force your pet’s eye open. In such instances, it is better to get your cat or dog in to a vet to have it seen before doing anything else.
What is Vs What Isn’t An Emergency
When it comes to concerns about the eye, we generally recommend having your animal seen either same day or the next. By the time you are noticing more obvious symptoms, the issue that has been bothering your pet could be further along that you’d expect. Generally, symptoms that are more urgent warrant a visit to your vet as soon as possible. These can include:
- Swelling of the eyelid or surrounding area
- Squinting or not opening an eye altogether
- The eye is bulging or removed from its socket
- Anything unusual protruding from the eye (or if you know something has punctured the eye)
Symptoms that warrant vet intervention, but do not require an immediate visit, can include:
- Discharge that is yellow, green or another unusual color
- Redness of the eye that does not appear to be improving
Unlike in people, tears are not a normal reaction for our furry friends. While one symptom in your pet can potentially stem from several possible causes and each case can be different, we hope to provide you with knowledge to better understand when your pet needs to be seen, and how quickly.
This is not meant to be in place of medical advice from your vet. Please always call your veterinarian with any concerns you have for your animal.
