Dealing with Dog's Excessive Tears and Discharge: What

It's generally normal for dogs to occasionally have a few tears or a small amount of eye discharge. However, if your furry friend's tears and eye boogers suddenly increase, or if they're accompanied by symptoms like red, swollen eyes, pain, photophobia, or difficulty opening their eyes, it might indicate some underlying health issues. In this article, we'll delve into the common causes and solutions for excessive tear and eye discharge in dogs.

Common Causes of Excessive Tear and Eye Discharge in Dogs

1. Physiological Causes:

Dogs with a high metabolic rate may experience increased tear and mucus production from their eyelids and tear glands, leading to more eye boogers and tear overflow.

An improper diet, such as excessive salt intake or overly greasy foods, can also trigger an increase in tear production.

2. Pathological Causes:

Ectropion: Eyelashes growing inward can continuously irritate the eye, causing it to tear and become infected, resulting in more eye boogers.

Eye Infections: Conditions like conjunctivitis or keratitis can lead to red, swollen eyes, increased discharge, tearing, and photophobia.

Duct Obstruction: Impaired tear drainage can cause eye boogers to accumulate and lead to severe tear stains.

Infectious Diseases: Illnesses such as canine distemper, infectious hepatitis, and canine cough often come with additional symptoms like coughing, decreased appetite, and lethargy.

Other Causes: This includes conditions like eye worm infections, allergic reactions, and fungal infections, which are less common but still worth considering.

What to Do About Excessive Tear and Eye Discharge in Dogs?

1. Cleaning the Eyes:

Gently wipe your dog's eyes with a medical cotton ball or gauze soaked in a small amount of physiological saline to remove eye boogers, tear stains, and dirt, preventing bacterial growth.

For severe tear stains, mix 80% boric acid solution with 20% physiological saline and wipe the stains daily, followed by a tissue to absorb any excess moisture.

Regularly trim the hair around your dog's eyes. If you notice severe ectropion or entropion, you may need to consult a veterinarian for surgical intervention.

2. Adjusting Diet:

Feed your dog a lowsodium, bland, and easily digestible diet, such as a firereducing dog food with a duck and pear formula.

Avoid feeding your dog greasy, spicy leftovers or human snacks, as these can increase tear production.

Offer your dog cooling and firereducing foods like duck, pear, winter melon, mung bean soup, cabbage, and cucumber to help reduce eye boogers and tear production.

3. Medication:

If your dog shows signs of eye infection, you can use antibiotic eye drops or ointments, such as Bayromin (Neomycin sulfate eye drops), applied 3 to 5 times a day, one to two drops per day. If home treatment is ineffective, it's crucial to take your dog to a veterinarian for an eye examination to ensure timely detection and treatment of potential eye issues.

In summary, when dealing with excessive tear and eye discharge in your dog, don't panic. Start by cleaning their eyes with physiological saline, then keep a close watch. If there are signs of inflammation, use antibiotic eye drops as needed and continue to monitor the situation. If symptoms persist, seek the help of a veterinarian promptly.