Excessive, Sticky Dog Eye Discharge: Possible Causes

Dear pet owners, if you've noticed that your furry friend has an excessive amount of sticky eye boogers, is frequently tearing up, has bloodshot conjunctivae, and is constantly trying to scratch at their eyes, and they seem a bit lackluster, it's important to address this promptly. Left untreated, these symptoms can lead to a proliferation of bacteria, potentially causing conjunctivitis, keratitis, corneal ulcers, and in severe cases, even blindness.

But take heart, these issues are not insurmountable. Let's dive into some practical steps to help your pup feel better.

Understanding Your Dog's Normal Eye Discharge

Just like humans, dogs naturally produce a small amount of eye discharge. It's a normal part of their physiological metabolism, especially noticeable in the morning. This discharge can be white, yellow, or brown, and it's usually soft and dries up over time. You can easily clean it away with a nonalcoholic wet wipe or a cotton ball soaked in saline solution.

What Causes Excessive Eye Discharge in Dogs?

If your dog's eye boogers are more than usual and very sticky, it might be due to heatrelated issues. Common causes include:

Insufficient water intake

High salt content in dog food

Regular consumption of leftovers or highsodium snacks

Feeding on goat's milk, which can be heatinducing

In addition, dry eyes, eyelashes that grow inward, foreign body irritation, or eye inflammation can also lead to these symptoms, such as excessive tearing, eye boogers, persistent blinking, eye scratching, redness, and difficulty opening the eyes.

How to Properly Address the Issue

Firstly, if the excessive eye discharge is due to heat, your dog might also exhibit symptoms like red eyes, dry stools, yellowish urine, and a strong urine odor. In such cases, you can use a petspecific product like Shanjing (Jinyinhua Eye Cleanser) to clean the eye secretions and soothe any dryness or discomfort. Pair this with an oral cooling medicine like Kawaning (Qingwen Baidu Tablets) to cool the body and prevent eye inflammation.

Ensure your dog drinks plenty of water and consumes cooling fruits and vegetables, such as steamed cabbage, apples, bananas, pears, etc. Remember to remove the seeds from fruits.

Lastly, if your dog's eyes are red, swollen, difficult to open, sensitive to light, and the conjunctiva is red and inflamed, these are signs of eye inflammation. After cleaning the secretions daily, you can try using Bailangming (Sulfamethoxazole Eye Drops) to inhibit and eliminate bacteria.

Remember to put an Elizabethan collar on your dog to prevent them from scratching their eyes. If home treatment doesn't improve the situation or if your dog has cloudy eyes, it's crucial to seek veterinary care immediately.

Lastly~

Some viral infectious diseases can also cause dogs to have sticky, purulent eye discharge, such as canine distemper and canine infectious hepatitis (an acute septicemia caused by canine adenovirus type 1, CAV1).

If your dog hasn't been fully vaccinated and shows symptoms like repeated fever, coughing, runny nose, sneezing, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, and other symptoms, it's essential to take them to a veterinary hospital for a checkup and treatment right away.