Eye Injuries in Dogs: Buzz’s Story of a Sore, Red Eye

Canine eyes are incredibly vulnerable, and even the smallest injury can lead to serious trouble.

When your dog injures their eye, it is always a reason for concern and reason to consult with a veterinarian.

Causes of eye injuries in dogs include scratches, blunt force, foreign bodies, abnormally growing eyelashes, or abnormal eyelids. Jasmine had to have her renegade eyelash removed surgically–that’s how much havoc it was causing. Brachycephalic breeds are particularly vulnerable to eye injuries, but it can happen to any dog.

Symptoms of eye injuries in dogs include:

  • redness
  • excessive blinking
  • excessive tearing/discharge
  • squinting
  • keeping the eye closed completely
  • cloudiness
  • pawing at the eye

Further information: Eye Injuries in Dogs

Eye Injuries in Dogs: Buzz's Story of a Sore, Red Eye. Canine eyes are incredibly vulnerable, and even the smallest injury can lead to serious trouble.

Buzz’s story

Buzz is an active, energetic Lurcher who enjoys his country lifestyle full of outdoor adventure. Sprinting through the countryside is his favorite activity.

Unfortunately, the more active a dog is, the more likely they are to get themselves in trouble sooner or later.

Buzz’s first symptoms

One afternoon, Buzz’s mom noticed that his right eye looked bloodshot. The eye didn’t seem to bother him–perhaps it was just some minor irritation?

Buzz’s mom cleaned his eye with sterile water and cotton pads. Flushing an unhappy eye with sterile saline solution can sometimes help, particularly if the culprit is a minor foreign body. It did not help in Buzz’s case, though.

The eye is getting worse

Buzz’s eye kept getting worse. His mom switched to sterile saline but that made no difference. The eye became sore enough that Buzz’s mom decided it was time to see a veterinarian.

At the veterinarian

Eyes are highly sensitive and can deteriorate quickly to damage that is irreversible and even blindness. All that why the dog is in potentially extreme pain.

Buzz didn’t think that an opthamologist exam was the best idea and didn’t want to cooperate. Further, by this time, there was some much swelling that it was difficult to see the eyeball. Eventually, though, his veterinarian was able to have a good look.

Special dye didn’t show any scratches or ulceration of the cornea. The veterinarian concluded that Buzz that what likely started as an irritation, turned into severe conjunctivitis.

Conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye, is an infection of the membrane that covers part of the eye as well as the eyelids. Such infection can become quite severe.

The treatment

Fortunately, Buzz’s treatment was simple–medicated eye drops and pain relief. Buzz was lucky that a bacterial infection was all there was to it. Conjunctivitis can have more complicated causes including immune-mediated disorders, dry eye, other eye disorders, even tumors

The next morning, Buzz’s eye already looked happier, and he wasn’t squinting at all.

Source story:
Buzz the Lurcher Developed a Sore Eye

Related articles:
A Primer On Conjunctivitis
Eye Discharge in Dogs: What Is That Goop In My Dog’s Eyes?
Bulging Eyes in Dogs: When Your Dog’s Bulging Eyes Are Not Normal, And You Should Be Concerned
Causes of Cloudy Eyes in Dogs: What’s Happening To My Dog’s Eyes?

Further reading:
Eye Injuries in Dogs
Conjunctivitis in Dogs (Pink Eye)

Categories: Conditions • Conjunctivitis • Dog health advocacy • Eye diseases • Eye injuries • Eye redness • Eye redness • Eye swelling • Pink Eye • Real-life Stories • Symptoms

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Jana Rade

I am a graphic designer, dog health advocate, writer, and author. Jasmine, the Rottweiler of my life, was the largest female from her litter. We thought we were getting a healthy dog. Getting a puppy from a backyard breeder was our first mistake. Countless veterinary visits without a diagnosis or useful treatment later, I realized that I had to take Jasmine's health care in my own hands. I learned the hard way that merely seeing a vet is not always enough. There is more to finding a good vet than finding the closest clinic down the street. And, sadly, there is more to advocating for your dog's health than visiting a veterinarian. It should be enough, but it often is not. With Jasmine, it took five years to get a diagnosis. Unfortunately, other problems had snowballed for that in the meantime. Jasmine's health challenges became a crash course in understanding dog health issues and how to go about getting a proper diagnosis and treatment. I had to learn, and I had to learn fast. Helping others through my challenges and experience has become my mission and Jasmine's legacy. I now try to help people how to recognize and understand signs of illness in their dogs, how to work with their veterinarian, and when to seek a second opinion. My goal is to save others the steep curve of having to learn things the hard way as I did. That is the mission behind my blog and behind my writing. That is why I wrote Symptoms to Watch for in Your Dog, which has turned out being an award-winning guide to dog owners. What I'm trying to share encompasses 20 years of experience.

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