Whether your dog has big, brown eyes or tiny blue ones, it is important to keep them clean. This is a task that should be done carefully though, since his eyes are just as sensitive as yours, and he has to be able to see to look out for you.
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Is it Dirt or an Infection?
If you’re particularly concerned about cleaning your dog’s eyes, there is probably a good amount of discharge in or around them. The first thing you should do is ensure that this “gunk” inside them is not caused by a medical problem. While it’s true that many dogs simply have excessive eye discharge, it can also be a sign of something more serious.
A few telltale signs that your dog has an eye infection or other serious disorders are if the eyes display:
- Redness
- Cloudiness
- Inflammation
If any of these symptoms are present, or you notice any bleeding in the eye, see your veterinarian as soon as possible – and do not attempt to clean your dog’s eyes yourself until your vet gives you a proper treatment plan.
Cleaning Tear Stains on Light Fur
If your dog’s fur is white or very light blonde, he may be susceptible to tear stains, which occur when a build-up of water from the eyes discolors the fur beneath them to a brown or red tint. This is common in many toy breeds, including poodles, cocker spaniels and shih tzus.
These breeds are susceptible to excessive eye-watering due to the fact that their coarse hair often irritates their eyes. It’s important to remove these spots as soon as possible because they can be a breeding ground for bacteria if they remain damp for too long.
In order to remove tear stains, you can use a mixture of equal parts corn starch and peroxide. Mix them together into a fine powder and apply the solution to your dog’s fur. (Make sure that this solution does not make contact with your dog’s eyes! You do not want to irritate them further.) If you’re not comfortable using peroxide on your dog’s face, you can try a mixture of boric acid powder and cornstarch instead, but be careful to avoid the eyes with this mixture as well. Let the mixture dry for at least a couple hours and then rinse it thoroughly with lukewarm water.
Once you’ve removed your dog’s tear stains, you should focus on prevention. There are many products available that you can add to your pet’s food to prevent the formation of tear stains in the future. You can consult your vet for information about products specific to your dog’s needs.
Muck Removal
If your dog doesn’t have tear stains, just run of the mill muck in his eyes, you should be able to clean them by gently wiping the edge of the eye with a clean cloth or tissue. Remember to wipe around the eye, never directly on the eye’s surface. You can also buy eye wipes made specifically for dogs, but these are usually not necessary.
However, if there is dirt or debris directly inside your dog’s eye and not just in the corners, you will need to flush it out with an eyewash. Don’t go up to the bathroom and grab the Visine; be sure to consider your dog’s safety and comfort by purchasing an eyewash just for him. Canine-friendly solutions, such as EyeClens are available at most any pet supply store. They may also be found at your vet’s office.
To use the eye wash, put the bottle near, but not in, your dog’s eye and squeeze the bottle gently. Be sure that the bottle is angled downward, so that gravity will assist you in flushing out the debris. Give your dog a treat afterwards, as this can be quite stressful for him.
Keeping Your Dog’s Eyes Clean
If your pet has tear stains, he will require ongoing treatment. However, if you just need to keep your dog’s eyes free from gunk, there are several ways to reduce the risk of eye irritation:
- Keep your pet away when you are mowing the lawn, dusting or doing other activities that cause an excessive amount of debris or particles in the air.
- Don’t let your dog hang his head out the car window. Sure it looks like fun, but the wind can carry objects that could cause serious infection or damage.
- Secure all household chemicals where your dog will not be exposed to them, such as on a high shelf or in a cabinet, and keep your dog outside when you are using toxic cleaners, such as bleach and ammonia.
- Trim your pet’s fur if it is getting into his eyes regularly. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, seek the assistance of a professional groomer.
Eye-cleaning is a fairly simple process and there is no set schedule of how often it should be preformed. Just keep on eye on your pet and his behavior and sit him down for an eye-cleaning on an as-needed basis.
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It helped
We have a New 3 year old German Shepard and cleaning the light color fur with your solution. Did the Job. Thank you!
Thank you!
I was going nuts trying to think of what to use without hurting my pup, I didn’t know they sold special wipes!
How long does the cornstarch/peroxide solution have to stay there? My dog started scratching her face after a few hours so I took it off. Didn’t seem to do much. Maybe I had the consistency wrong?
Dry eye Infection mucousy Gunk
Our dog has had an ongoing what we think is a bacterial eye infection but what the vet calls chronic dry eye and lack of tear production. She has had tear production testing and staining for ulcers. Came up neg. for ulcers and is at 0 production on tear ducts. We have been to the vet 5 times, cont. to repeat treatment that isn’t working and vet belives it is chronic and she will have forever. Her eye is inflamed, clouded over and filled with mucous daily. She has taken cyclosporine, tacrolimus, art. tears, and some misc. things with no more than short term (3-4 days at most). Any natural suggestions colloidal silver, eye flushing solutions or anything that might give her relief?
What if the “muck” sticks to their fur, and these solutions didn’t quite get all of it off since it is sticking to their fur really close to their eyes.
Emily,
Try putting a TINY bit of hair conditioner on your finger and then dab onto the stubborn gunk. Give the conditioner a minute to soften the gunk and then massage the gunk gently with your finger to help loosen it from the hair and skin. Give it another minute to do it’s work. Then, approach the area very gently with a fine tooth plastic comb. It should come right out. Keep in mind, the conditioner has oil in it. When it settles into the warmth of your dog’s skin, it will probably travel to the eyes – so you owe it to your dog to remove every trace.
Next: Use a dry facial tissue and pat the treated area to remove any residual conditioner around the dog’s eye. Then apply a TINY bit of a mild/soap-free/tear-free cleanser to a paper towel dampened with warm water. Gently apply to the treated area and work it in with your fingers. Use additional warm & wet paper towels to remove the cleanser. Finish up with a dry one and provide an immediate treat. I have been doing this routine for years with “Fluffy Puppy” shampoo. Any oatmeal conditioner formulated for pets is fine for use around the tender eye area. Bio-Groom makes one and so does John Paul Pet (Paul Mitchell). Let us know how it worked for you!