Why Are My Dogs Eyes Red?

Hello there readers, it is Doctor Phillip Paws here, helping to answer your human questions about us dogs. I’m a trained dog eye specialist, or you may know me better as a paw-tician! 

In today’s article, I will be covering some of the reasons why your dog’s eyes may be red.

I will be talking you through a handful of different reasons why this can happen, and the steps you can take to resolve this issue. 

If you are concerned about your dog’s eyes, you should always take a visit to my lovely veterinarian colleagues so that they can find a suitable treatment for your four-legged friend. 

Is it normal for dogs to have red eyes?

In general, is it not normal for dogs to have red eyes. A healthy dog will have eyes that are free from any redness, discharge, or discomfort. Red eyes are often a sign of illness, infection, or irritation.

There are several different reasons why your dog may have red eyes. Here are a few of the most common reasons:

Conjunctivitis – This is usually accompanied by a green or yellow discharge. This is an infection, and can potentially spread to your dog’s other eye. This will need to be treated by a veterinarian.

Foreign Object – Even the smallest of objects, such as a grain of sand can cause discomfort and redness in your dog’s eye. If you think about how painful it is when you get something stuck in your eye, the feeling is the same for us dogs too. 

Injury – The redness could potentially be caused by trauma or injury to either the eye or the area surrounding it. This is quite dangerous and you should always ensure that your dog is thoroughly checked over by a veterinarian. 

Uveitis – Uveitis is an inflammation that can occur inside the eye. This will need to be checked over and treated by a veterinarian.

Allergies – Just like when humans suffer from allergies or hay fever, dog’s eyes can become itchy and red too. Things such as dust or pollen can cause discomfort and redness to the dog’s eyes. 

These are just a few causes of redness in a dog’s eyes. Other illnesses can cause this too, such as glaucoma, corneal ulcers, and cataracts.

As all of these causes are varying in their severity. If your dog is in discomfort and the redness persists, it is always best to consult your veterinarian.

While the redness may not be caused by something overly concerning, it is certainly not a normal occurrence and serious illness should always be ruled out first. 

How do I treat my dog’s red eye?

The answer to this question is not always straightforward. This is because as I have mentioned above, dog’s eyes are sensitive, and there several different reasons why we may be suffering from red eyes. 

Depending on the cause of red eyes, the treatment can be vastly different. Given this, it is always best to pop to the veterinarian to have a clear diagnosis of the cause of red eyes. 

For example, if the eye is red because there is a foreign object lodged, the treatment for this would usually be to flush out the eye with dog eye drops or a saline solution. However, if the redness is caused by conjunctivitis, this will need to be treated with medicated eye drops. 

The more serious cases of red eyes that are caused by health problems such as glaucoma will need further treatment. This is why it is better to try and prevent solving the issue yourself, especially if it is recurring. 

While you may think that you are helping your dog, you may be causing more harm and irritation which could have been avoided. 

While you may assume that your dog’s eye will get better on its own this is not the case. As soon as you notice any redness, you will want to pop to a veterinarian as soon as possible.

How can I treat my dog’s red eye at home?

As I have mentioned above, you will always want to consult your veterinarian before treating your dog’s red eye. Once you have a diagnosis of the cause, you may be required to treat the infection or redness at home. 

For issues such as allergies, or conjunctivitis, your dog will usually be given eye drops that you will need to administer at home. In addition to this, eye drops may be required after a foreign object has been removed.

If the redness is caused by an ongoing health problem, there may be an additional treatment you will need to administer to your dog too. 

While it may seem tempting, you should never treat redness in the dog’s eye at home without first consulting your dog’s vet. This can lead to further problems potentially and will increase discomfort for your dog.

Only a vet can accurately diagnose what is causing the redness in the eye. 

Will a dog eye infection go away on its own?

In the vast majority of cases, redness in your dog’s eye will not go away on its own. In fact, the longer it is left, the worse it can become and the more problems it could potentially cause.

Given this, as soon as you notice any redness, you should consult a paw-tician, like me, as soon as possible. 

Summary

I hope that I have helped to answer your questions and concerns regarding why your dog’s eyes may be red.

As you can see, there are many different causes for this, and it is not always as straightforward as it may seem.

Given this, if you notice any redness, you should always pay a visit to the vets as soon as possible to ensure your dog gets the correct diagnosis.

The vets can then advise on the best way to treat the redness. You should do this as soon as possible and avoid treating this problem at home without consulting a vet first.