Conjunctivitis in dogs: treatment, causes and main symptoms

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

Surely many dog owners have encountered such a problem as conjunctivitis. The eyes of a pet become red, inflamed, and this condition requires immediate treatment in order to prevent deterioration. Today we want to talk in detail about such a problem as conjunctivitis in dogs. Treatment may vary depending on the symptoms and severity of the disease, but without intervention, the condition will only worsen.

How common

Every owner should be ready for this. Despite the conditions of housing and nutrition, there is no guarantee that you will not encounter such a problem as conjunctivitis in dogs. Treatment will depend primarily on the form of the course of the disease. It could be:

• catarrhal clinical form;
• purulent;
• follicular.

Each of these species can be further divided into subspecies, and they have peculiar symptoms and signs, which is why it is impossibleself-medicate if you are faced with such an ailment as conjunctivitis in dogs. Treatment should be comprehensive and optimal for your case.

Causes of occurrence

Surely you are interested to know what leads to the development of this formidable disease. This is also important from the point of view that, knowing the enemy in person, you can take preventive measures and prevent the development of pathology. So where do conjunctivitis in dogs come from? Veterinary medicine answers this question quite streamlined. The fact is that the conjunctiva is in contact with air and the external environment, and microbes are constantly in the conjunctival sac. Any decrease in immunity can lead to the fact that they will begin their violent activity. The result is inflammation. The conjunctiva reflects both inflammatory and degenerative processes in the body. These can be various diseases of internal organs, metabolic disorders, as well as various infectious diseases.

However, veterinary practitioners know what causes chronic conjunctivitis in dogs. Treatment of mechanical injuries and various irritations of the organs of vision is almost never carried out. But such situations happen all the time: irritation is caused by foreign bodies that have got into the conjunctival sac, acids and alkalis, gases, as well as pyogenic microorganisms. So any, even the most insignificant, inflammation and redness needs treatment. In addition, it is recommended to wash the eyes daily with a weak decoction.daisies.

Symptoms

Every owner should know them in order to be able to provide first aid and contact the veterinarian in time. Let's now look at what is conjunctivitis in dogs. Treatment covers your pet's entire lifestyle, so we'll cover that topic as well. Let's start with how to identify catarrhal conjunctivitis in dogs. Symptoms, causes, treatment - these are all important information that can be of great use to you.

There are two forms of this type of disease. Acute catarrhal conjunctivitis affects the epithelial layer. You can observe lacrimation, serous-mucous discharge, hyperemia and edema. In the most severe cases, swelling causes the conjunctiva to bulge out from under the rim of the eyelid.

The chronic form is somewhat different. In this case, you do not observe a sharp clinical picture. The discharge from the eyes is not plentiful, they are purulent, thick, white. The conjunctiva is dry and red, with a long course of the disease, it changes its color, becomes cyanotic.

Treatment of the catarrhal form of the disease

In fact, this knowledge will be useful to you in any case, whatever the conjunctivitis in dogs. What kind of home care can you provide for your pet? Good results are obtained with aqueous solutions of chloramphenicol (0.25%), kanamycin (1%), sodium sulfate, which can have a concentration of 10, 20 or 30percent, and depending on the severity of the course of the disease. They are all prescribed in the form of drops, 2-3 drops 4-5 times a day.

In addition, eye ointments must also be used. Ditetracycline, oletethrin and hydrocortisone ointments are placed under the lower eyelid 3-4 times a day.

The chronic form of the disease has less pronounced symptoms, but needs treatment no less. In this case, a solution of zinc sulfate (0.5%), as well as a solution of silver nitrate 1%, are instilled into the conjunctival sac 3-4 times a day. Tissue therapy is also recommended, in this case the vitreous body is used.

Purulent conjunctivitis

This is the most severe form, which requires a long and complicated treatment, often leading to complete blindness. Let's look at how such conjunctivitis in dogs proceeds. The main symptoms and treatment are given for informational purposes only, because in no case should you self-medicate.

Clinical signs are photophobia and sharp pain when touching the eyelids. Severe hyperemia and swelling are visible to the naked eye. Allocations of purulent exudate change their character over time. At first, they can be liquid, similar to mucus, and then they become thick, greenish in color, stick together eyelashes and accumulate in the corners of the eyes.

The dog constantly rubs the affected eye. Often there is clouding and ulceration of the cornea. The eye may lose some or all of its sight.

How to help your pet

Of course, you can't sit idly by, you must definitely help. However, without wasting time, try to take your pet to the veterinarian so that he can give his recommendations. First of all, general and local antiseptic treatment is necessary. Wash your eyes well. This will require 3% boric acid, furacilin, ethacridine lactate. After the eye is completely washed, it is necessary to begin treatment. In severe cases, anesthesia may be needed to allow the dog to perform cleansing procedures.

Treatment of purulent conjunctivitis

After washing, it is necessary to lay antibiotic ointments, eye medicinal films under the lower eyelid. This procedure is performed 3-4 times a day. Very effective is the subconjunctival administration of a mixture that includes an antibiotic (10,000-20,000 units of kanamycin), 1 ml of novocaine solution, 0.1 ml of hydrocortisone. Very often, the doctor suggests performing a blockade of the cranial cervical sympathetic ganglion. Be sure to intramuscularly administer a course of antibiotics, the duration depends on the initial condition of the patient. In addition to them, sulfa drugs are prescribed.

Follicular form of the disease

This is another form of the disease that requires attention and long-term treatment. In fact, it is very difficult to confuse it with something else. Let's look at what is characterized by follicular conjunctivitis in dogs. Treatmentit is also very long, so it is very important to be patient.

So, in this case, the inner surface of the eyelid completely changes its appearance. It contains a collection of lymphatic follicles. As a result, the third eyelid resembles a bunch of small grapes. In dogs, it strongly extends to the very surface of the eyeball. In this case, the disease is accompanied by severe redness and discharge of pus from the eye. It becomes difficult for the animal to even just blink, as this causes pain. Enlarged follicles can injure the cornea of the eye.

At risk

Quite interesting whether all dogs are prone to developing this form, or whether there is a link to the breed. In fact, mastiffs and the like often develop conjunctivitis. In dogs, the causes, symptoms, treatment need to be studied, all this is important information for the owners, so we will continue to consider this topic below. Paying attention to the condition of your pet's eyes is a must if you have a Labrador, Rottweiler or Bulldog.

Development of the follicular form of the disease

This is a chronic form of the disease. If once your pet has a similar deviation, then you will always have to keep special preparations in the first-aid kit and carry out prophylaxis, since relapses will occur regularly. Treatment depends on the severity of the disease, that is, the degree of development of the follicles. The treatment is almost identical to the one we gave when we talked about the treatment of chronic purulent conjunctivitis. However, only by laying down medicines you do notget rid of the chronicle, so it is very important to devote time and the general condition of the pet's body. A strong immune system will make you more likely to avoid these complications.

Nutrition and maintenance as a way to prevent conjunctivitis

The room in which the dog lives must be dry and clean. It is very important to observe basic hygiene, cover the bed with clean capes. Second is food. The better the diet, the better the immune system will work. This is especially important when it comes to feeding a puppy. A poorly looked after puppy (with a poor diet) is much more susceptible to inflammatory eye disease.

The third point is preventive eye care for your pet. Every day it is recommended to wipe them with cotton pads moistened with chamomile decoction or weak tea. It is also very important to isolate your pets from dogs with conjunctivitis. This disease is highly contagious, so be vigilant.

The first redness of the eyeball should be a signal that it is time to take action. It is recommended in this case to connect chloramphenicol drops. You can not stop there, when the first symptoms receded. Be sure to take your pet to the veterinarian so that he can assess his condition and prescribe treatment.