How to wash a cat's eyes at home: a review of drugs, features of use, advice from veterinarians

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Sometimes small and adult pets have eye problems. For example, a cat has too much lacrimation, the eyelids stick together and slightly redden, and purulent discharge begins. The animal often covers its eyes from light with its paw.

The reasons for this condition are different: trauma, breed characteristics, foreign objects, infection, virus, helminths, allergic reaction, age, torsion of the eyelid. Even a common cold or the consequences of a draft provoke a disease. But not everyone knows how to rinse the eyes of a cat at home.

Features

Before starting treatment, it is necessary to consult a veterinarian - a person with medical education and experience will be able to correctly determine the cause of the animal's ailment. After all, even the presence of a foreign object in the eye can sometimes be detected only with the help of special equipment.

You can not wash the cat's eyes as a preventive measure. This is detrimental to the cat's he alth. Without visible signs of illness, veterinarians categoricallyit is not recommended to “climb” into the eyes of the animal at all.

Need for procedure

It is not enough to figure out how to rinse the eyes of a cat at home. You also need to understand when it is necessary:

1. I got an infection and it is necessary to clear the organ of vision from purulent discharge for subsequent treatment. In this case, it is better to consult a doctor to know for sure than to wash the eyes of a cat from pus.
2. Some breeds have a need for flushing due to the structure of the tear duct. Persians, Scottish Folds, Sphynxes and British Shorthairs do need regular grooming.
3. A small foreign object got into the cat's eyes and provokes irritation of the mucous membrane.
4. Eye injured.
5. The animal is allergic to pollen or other substances that may have entered the eye. Then it makes sense to wash off the irritant.

Recommendations

No action needed before rinsing - eye injury or infection may occur.

Between rinsing the eyes and applying medicated ointments or other remedies, you need to wait 10 minutes so that the active substances do not react.

How to wash your eyes

Means can be prepared at home, bought at a regular or veterinary pharmacy, but before use, you need to make sure that the medicine is safe for the organs of vision. It is better to consult a specialist.

Most people have no idea how to wash a cat's eyes. According to experts, the procedure with Chlorhexidine will bring the best effect. Thisantiseptic is suitable for first aid for any disease. Eye-safe concentration is 0.01%. An increased content of the active substance leads to irritation or burns of the mucous membrane.

Answering the question of how to rinse the eyes of a cat at home, veterinarians often recommend a solution of "Furacilin" - it gives a good result. But with an incorrectly calculated concentration, it can cause burns of the mucous membrane and cornea. It is better to use a drug that is sold ready-made. Only a doctor can prepare a solution of the desired concentration on his own.

If the animal does not have wounds, skin lesions and bleeding, "Boric acid" can be used for washing. It is necessary to dissolve a teaspoon of powder (5 grams) in 200 milligrams of distilled or chilled boiled water.

Saline solution is also suitable for such purposes. It can be prepared at home, but it is difficult to keep the proportions, so it is best to buy it in a pharmacy.

A solution of potassium permanganate is suitable for washing eyes at a concentration of 1:50000. The liquid must have a very faint pink tint or chemical burns will occur.

Veterinarians do not recommend experimenting with the above drugs. After all, there is a product specially developed for the treatment of eye diseases in cats called "Diamond Eyes". It contains succinic acid, taurine and chlorhexidine. This medicine is also suitable foreye wash.

Home care products

Many do not know how to wash the cat's eyes at home. First aid is a procedure with tea. It should be infused for about 12 hours, without any chemical additives, including sugar.

Decoctions of various herbs are also suitable for washing: chamomile, sage, elderberry, linden, string, yarrow, calendula or others that have an anti-inflammatory effect. The concentration of the decoction should be weak: 1 teaspoon per cup of boiling water. The infusion is carefully filtered and cooled to room temperature. Too hot or cold tea will not cure, but will only aggravate the disease.

Many breeders are interested in how to rinse the cat's eyes at home. Experts note that boiled or simply distilled water at room temperature is perfect for these purposes, especially for allergic reactions.

Things to remember

When washing eyes, it is very important to observe safety conditions:

1. The concentration of the solution should not exceed the norm.
2. The fluid temperature should not be too high or too low.
3. A solution or decoction should not aggravate the situation.

If washing does not bring relief, then the product needs to be changed or still consult a veterinarian.

How to wash your eyes properly

Quality washing relieves pain, relieves itching and greatly alleviates the conditionanimal. This opens up access to wounds or damaged areas.

The procedure must be carried out with clean medical gloves.

Flushing steps:

1. Fixing the animal. You can use a helper to hold the cat, or wrap the animal in a strong cloth such as a towel.
2. Simultaneously with the solution for washing, you need to prepare cotton swabs, and preferably sterile bandage swabs. You can use a syringe without a needle. Each eye is flushed with a new swab. As it gets dirty, it is also changed to a new one.
3. The swab is soaked with a liquid that is squeezed over the eye. If the pus has dried up, you can get your eyes wet without making strong pressure. The more liquid, the better effect.
4. To remove soaked crusts, pass over the eye with a gentle movement in the direction from ear to nose, removing all unnecessary. If the eyelids are stuck together, you need to move in the opposite direction. Treatment should not be started until the eyes are completely clear.
5. Touching the cornea is very unpleasant for the animal. These actions should be avoided whenever possible.
6. After the eyelids open, the liquid is poured onto the cornea. It is convenient to do this with a swab. If there is a foreign object in the eye that cannot be washed out with liquid, it should never be removed by yourself. This should be done by the veterinarian with tools.
7. After the procedure, the remnants of pus are wiped off with a dry swab or cotton pad. The cornea cannot be touched, only the area of the upper and lower eyelids. Plain cotton wool leaves lint and is not recommended.
8. After the solution has entered the eye, close the eyelids with your hands to allow the medicine to evenly distribute over the mucous membrane.

Vet Tips

Each disease dictates its terms of treatment. If the cat's eyes are simply watery, it will be enough to rinse them with boiled or distilled water. This will solve the problem of allergies, wash out particles of sand or dust that got into the eye.

If purulent discharge forms in the cat's eyes, then the situation indicates an infection. In this case, it is necessary to use anti-microbial agents. Veterinarians recommend using Tetracycline Ointment, Levomycetin drops or Hydrocortisone Ointment.

The opinions of many experts differ about the use of "Chlorhexidine" and "Furacilin". The only common solution is that the concentration of "Chlorhexidine" should not exceed 0.01%, and "Furacilin" - 0.02%. In cats, individual intolerance to the components of "Furacilin" is very often noted, so before using it, you need to check the reaction of the animal.

When there are doubts about the causes of discharge, herbal decoctions can be used. These funds will not bring harm, and it is allowed to use them in case of illness, injury and ingress of foreign objects.

If the eyes of little kittens turn sour, the babies should be placed in a room with subdued light for the duration of treatment.

The inflammatory process may occur due to the presencehelminths or other parasites. If the cat's cornea becomes inflamed and reddened, this indicates a disease with chlamydia or mycoplasmosis. This problem cannot be solved with home remedies. Only a veterinarian should prescribe a course of treatment.

Now you know if you can wash your cat's eyes at home. Let us only remind you that if your pet shows any signs of illness, it is better to visit a veterinarian.