With careful management, your dog can fight diabetes but some diseases occur commonly when your dog is already diabetic. Eye diseases are one of them. So when you notice diabetic dog eye discharge, pay attention!
What does diabetic dog eye discharge mean?
It’s scary knowing how Diabetes can affect your dog’s eyes. Most dogs with diabetes develop eye conditions within the first few months. This proves a strong link between diabetes and eye problems. So If your dog is having an eye problem go check for diabetes too. Many owners don’t know their dogs have diabetes until another disease pops up.
Eye discharge means, your dog is suffering from eye diseases. There could be multiple eye conditions that can affect your diabetic dogs. If your diabetic dog is having eye discharge he may have
- Cataracts
- Glaucoma
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Uveitis
- Keratopathy
- Entropy
- Epiphora
or other diseases causing an eye discharge.
There will be other dog eye symptoms too of course. Like your dog may suddenly start hesitating about involving in activities or he is bumping into furniture quite often and having watery eyes. Also, diabetic dogs with eye discharge can show symptoms like lethargy and not eating properly. Eye diseases cause blurred vision and can make your dog blind if not treated on time.
Let’s have look for some of the eye conditions in dogs that can cause eye discharge.
Diabetic dog eye discharge due to cataracts
Eye cataracts are common in diabetic dogs. Almost more than half the population of diabetic dogs suffer eye cataracts within one year of diabetes. Eye cataracts make the vision blurry and cloudy.
Cataracts usually appear as white or grey cloudy areas within the lens and it could occupy the whole lens causing vision loss. Also, the diabetic dog may get eye cataracts in one or both eyes.
Most adult diabetic dogs are more prone to eye cataracts however in young puppies the condition is mostly inherited. Your dog has eye cataracts when he has
- White foamy area in the lens
- Blurred vision
- difficulty seeing at night or in dim light
- Irritation in eyes
- Sticky Eye discharge
- Watery eyes
- Change in eye color
- Hesitant to activities like playing, jumping, Climbing
- Not Recognizing familiar places or people
- Prefer sitting alone rather than involving in situations
- Walk unevenly and could not judge bumps on roads (also read puppy front leg shaking)
Diabetic dog having eye discharge because of Glaucoma
Glaucoma in diabetic dogs happens when the normal eye drainage is blocked due to diabetes or another disease. Due to blockage the pressure builts up. It causes pain and migraine so your dog will become restless and may yelp and bark with painful sounds.
Glaucoma can cause permanent damage to the optic nerve causing vision loss.
If your dog is having
- Swelling in eyes
- Eyes are bulged out
- The size of the cornea is different in each eye
- The dog is blinking eyes more than normal
- Having irritation or redness in the eyes
- Eye discharge
he may be suffering from glaucoma.
As glaucoma causes blockages in eye fluids, it may build up pus causing eye discharge.
Diabetic Dog green eye discharge
Green eye discharge could be a symptom of Conjunctivitis in dogs. This happens due to inflammation in the eye lining. If your dog is pawing continuously in the eyes, having red eyes, or keeps the eye closed most of the time, he is maybe suffering from conjunctivitis.
This condition is treatable. Washing dog eyes with saline water will help ease the dog’s pain and irritation. Also removing the irritating foreign material from the eye will help the dog to get better.
Diabetic Dog smelly eye discharge
This could be due to a condition called epiphora or excessive tearing. Due to excessive tearing the dog’s eyes and surrounding skin will get wet and moist which may cause smell and infection. This condition could happen due to allergy, cornea damage, ulcers, infection, or even abnormal eyelashes.
Antibiotics are given to dogs to treat excessive tearing. In some cases, steroids also help. If left untreated, The infection can grow to cause damage to the tear duct and may require surgery.
Diabetic dog yellow eye discharge
Yellow eye discharge is usually pus. It builds up in the eye due to conditions like glaucoma and dry eye. Without eye lubricant, even blinking can cause severe inflammation and irritation in the eyes. The infection can turn into pus causing yellow eye discharge. Along with antibiotics, Dogs may be induced artificial tears to treat this condition.
Diabetic dog watery eye discharge
Mostly this is due to corneal ulcers. Many diseases from simple inflammation to dry eye can cause Corneal ulcers in dogs. Symptoms of corneal ulcers include
- Irritation in eyes
- Your dog rubbing the eye with paws
- Red eyes
- Watery eyes
- Discharge
- A thin film over the eye
Diabetic dog bloody eye discharge
when your diabetic dog has blood in the eyes, this condition is called hyphema. It is caused by hemorrhage in the eyes due to corneal damage. This could be a result of blockage caused by dry tears, Inflammation due to any eye disease, cancer, eye surgery, or high blood pressure.
A mild hyphema may go on its own but complicated conditions may require eye surgery to drain out excessive blood.
Does the Diabetic dog breed has a link with his eye discharge
Certain breeds are prone to eye diseases anyway. Mostly these breeds include flat-faced dogs or dogs who have prominent eye sockets. If your diabetic dog belongs to breed like pugs, Pekingese, boxers, and bulldogs he is more likely to get eye diseases sooner than other diabetic dogs.
Also, hounds, spaniels, terrors, and other dogs who have loose facial skin are prone to eye infections causing eye discharge.
Is diabetic dog eye having eye discharge is serious?
Well, if your dog is having any colored eye discharge, this is usually serious. Colored eye discharge usually results from pus or serious infection.
Eye discharge can come with other symptoms like fever, running nose, etc. Diabetic dogs already have enough on their plate. Unnecessarily delaying eye treatments can make them blind. Take professional help as soon as you notice any problem in your eyes.
Even if it’s a simple eye discharge due to allergy or foreign material in the eye, you will have to treat your dog. So that it doesn’t cause serious damage to its eyes. The body healing powers slow down in diabetes, so it’s better to treat the condition before it gets worsen.
Treating diabetic dog eye discharge with home remedies
With a few home remedies you can control the severity of eye condition for some time but we still recommend seeing a vet. In diabetes, the worse condition can multiply within hours and recovery takes more time than normal dogs. For home remedies
Use Saline water
The best home remedy is keeping the eye-clean.
Use saline water for this. It’s antiseptic and cleanses the eye well. You can buy saline water or make it at home. To make saline water at home
- Take one bowl of warm water
- Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- Mix well
To apply saline water to the dog’s eye
- Take cotton or non-irritant fabric
- Dip in saline solution
- Gently rub on dogs eye
- Repeat the process two to three times a day
This will ease irritation.
Cleansing eye discharge with Warm wet clothes
You can gently cleanse the eye with a warm wet cloth or wipes. This will cleanse the discharge and will ease the pain too. It’s like a warm compress to the eyes.
Treating eye discharge with Aleo-vera
Aloe vera is a natural antiseptic. It cleanses the eyes and helps fight bacterial built up in the area. We suggest you may apply aloe vera directly to the dog’s eye or mix aloe vera gel in water and wash the eye with it.
Using silver colloidal
Silver colloidal is antibacterial and can be taken orally or applied outside the skin. Wash the eye area with silver colloidal to keep bacterias at bay.
Always keep your dog face clean
Even if your diabetic dog is normal, keep its face clean.
- Use wipes or wet cloth to cleanse your dog’s face regularly.
- Avoid using lotions, shampoos, or substances with chemicals on the dog’s face. They can be irritant and may worsen eye inflammation.
- Groom the dog’s face hairs and cut down abnormal or long lashes. (Also read dog whiskers pulled out)
- Cut the nails regularly. Sometimes dogs can cause severe damage to the eyes while rubbing the eye with their paw.
What to do if dog eye discharge is due to foreign material in the eye?
If eye discharge is due to foreign material in the eye, we suggest don’t remove it yourself unless it is very safe to do so. Sometimes, while removing it unprofessionally you can cause damage to the dog’s eyes. Again we will say this is not a good idea to cause injury or wounds in diabetic dog’s eyes. If your dog is having watery discharge due to foreign material, take a vet appointment.
Conclusion
Diabetic dog eye discharge could be a result of any eye disease. In diabetic dogs, even simple-looking conditions must be treated on time. If not treated on time, this can cause blurred vision, permanent damage to the eyes, and even brain damage.