Teary and gooey eyes

[porkchop]

I've been reading some of the past posts on Cherry eye, but cannot coorelate those posts exactly with my little girls eyes. She does constantly have teary eyes, and always upon waking up has the eye crud that needs to be cleaned. Now she does have a little redness in the inner corner of her eye but nothing is protruding out at all. I don't know if by my excessive wiping of her eyes that I've attributed to an infection, or if these are the early signs of a larger potential problem, cherry eye?:( Im looking for some feedback on others past experiences with this situation, as I want to be aware and nip this in the bid before it becomes a larger issue. Thanks!!!

[gmacleod]

You're right to be concerned - runny, goopy eyes are never 'normal' and can signal problems that can have serious consequences later (i.e. damage to eyes).

Have you let a vet take a look yet? I ask because there are many, very different, things that might cause a problem like this. Conjunctivitis is certainly one possibility. In other possibilities, sometimes runny/goopy eyes are caused by allergies. When those are inhalent allergies, there isn't always a lot you can do about it. But when they're food-related, you have a lot of control. Food ingredients that often seem to cause this problem are sugary things like beet pulp or molasses (check treats too ;)), and grains like corn and wheat. Generally low quality foods, for example things with lots of by-products, also seem to contribute. So there's one avenue to explore - maybe the food you feed could make a difference.

Other times, the problem is a physical deformation. This could be blocked drainage ducts (tears should drain into the nose - that's why your nose runs if you cry, or get something in your eye that causes tears). Obviously, if the ducts are blocked, then there's only one place for liquid to go, and that's spilling over the top. OR it can be the sort of physical problem that causes excess tears to be produced in the first place. This sort of thing can include entropion or distichiasis. Those are two very different conditions, but they have the same effect - they cause the dog to be constantly poked in the eye by his eyelashes (distichiasis is when the eyelashes are growing in the inner surface of the eye rim, entropion is when they're in the right place, but the eye rim rolls inward - so different problems, but the same effect). Actually this is a serious problem, that may require surgical correction. It's serious, because being constantly poked in the eye is likely to cause eye ulcers, and can lead to loss of sight.

Soo - there are a number of possible causes of this problem. You really need a vet to take a look and to adjudicate on the cause in your dog's case. Since it's both eyes, an allergy (hopefully food) might be quite likely - but it is only a vet who can check for and confirm/deny a physical problem.

[French Queen]

Hi Pork Chop (great name) - Shape & set can sometimes be the problem, especially with this breed, pups who start off with minor ailments in the eyes often grow out of them once the skull develops.

This is what happened to our Arran he had terrible teary eye's & a lot of discharge, never had one as bad as him before, it was a full time job keeping his wrinkles dry too. I think he was around 10/11 mths old before his eyes stopped running. I use eye makeup removal pads to clean their eye's, I never wipe I always pat the eye's so they don't get sore.

Their wrinkles are likely to be wet too, keep them dry as they hold moisture which can cause itching, irritations & sometimes infections. Toilet tissue is ideal for drying them it's best to pat dry these too & then put a thick layer of barrier cream on . Sometimes if you don't dry their faces they will do it themselves with their paws or rub their heads into the carpet, dog beds or anything really they can get a hold off, the side of the sofa is particularly appealing causing more problems.

Some pups have extra discharge & excess tears whilst they are teething too.

Even though I thought there was nothing to worry about with Arran I still had him checked out, I never mess around when it comes to eyes. Sometimes when you think it's something trivial it could be the early early stages of something more serious it's always better to be safe than sorry.


Queenie & the little clowns:)