Surely many dog owners have encountered such a problem as conjunctivitis. The pet’s eyes turn red, become inflamed, and this condition requires immediate treatment 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 from the side, the condition will only worsen.
How common is
Each owner should be ready for this. Despite the conditions of detention 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 also be divided into subspecies, and they have peculiar symptoms and signs, which is why you can not engage in self-medication if you encounter such an ailment as conjunctivitis in dogs. Treatment should be comprehensive and optimal for your case.
Causes of occurrence
Surely you are interested in learning what leads to the development of this formidable disease. It 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 environment, and microbes are constantly in the conjunctival sac. Any decrease in immunity can lead to the fact that they begin their violent activities. The result is inflammation. The conjunctiva also reflects inflammatory as well as degenerative processes in the body. These can be various diseases of internal organs, metabolic disorders, as well as various infectious diseases.
However, veterinarians know what causes chronic conjunctivitis in a dog. The treatment of mechanical injuries and various irritations of the organs of vision is almost never carried out. But such situations happen all the time: foreign bodies, acids and alkalis, gases, and pyogenic microorganisms that have fallen into the conjunctival sac cause irritation. So any, even the most minor, inflammation and redness needs treatment. In addition, it is recommended that the eyes be washed daily with a weak broth of chamomile.
Symptoms
Each owner must know them in order to be able to provide first aid and consult a veterinarian on time. Let's now look at what constitutes conjunctivitis in dogs. The treatment covers the whole lifestyle of your pet as a whole, so we will also consider this topic. Let's start by identifying catarrhal conjunctivitis in dogs. Symptoms, causes, treatment - this is all important information that can be very useful 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, edema leads to the fact that the conjunctiva protrudes from under the roller of the eyelid.
The chronic form is slightly different. In this case, you do not observe a sharp clinical picture. Discharge from the eyes is not plentiful, they are purulent in nature, thick, white. The conjunctiva is dry and red, with a long course of the disease, it changes its color, becomes cyanotic.
Treatment of a 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 treatment at home can you provide your pet with? Good results are obtained with aqueous solutions of chloramphenicol (0.25%), kanamycin (1%), sodium sulfate, which can have a concentration of 10, 20 or 30 percent, and depending on the severity of the disease. They are all prescribed in the form of drops, 2-3 drops 4-5 times a day.
In addition, it is necessary to use eye ointments. Diethracycline, oletetrin and hydrocortisone ointments are laid 3-4 times a day under the lower eyelid.
The chronic form of the disease has less pronounced symptoms, but needs no less treatment. In this case, a solution of zinc sulfate (0.5%), as well as a solution of silver nitrate 1%, is instilled into the conjunctival sac 3-4 times a day. Tissue therapy is also recommended, in which case the vitreous is used.
Purulent conjunctivitis
This is the most severe form, which requires a long and complex treatment, often leading to complete blindness. Let's look at how such conjunctivitis occurs in dogs. The main symptoms and treatment are provided for informational purposes only, because in no case should you self-medicate.
Clinical signs are photophobia and severe pain when touching the eyelids. With the naked eye, severe hyperemia and swelling are visible. Discharges 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, glue 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 vision partially or completely.
How to help your pet
Of course, you can’t sit back, you must help. However, without wasting time, try to take your pet to the veterinarian so that he gives his recommendations. First of all, general and local antiseptic treatment is necessary. Rinse well with eyes. This will require 3% boric acid, furatsilin, ethacridine lactate. After the eye is completely washed, it is necessary to begin treatment. In severe cases, anesthesia may be necessary to allow the dog to perform cleansing procedures.
Purulent conjunctivitis treatment
After washing, it is necessary to lay antibiotic ointments, eye drug films under the lower eyelid. This procedure is performed 3-4 times a day. Subconjunctival administration of the mixture, which includes an antibiotic (10000-20000 units of kanamycin), 1 ml of novocaine solution, 0.1 ml of hydrocortisone, is very effective. Very often, the doctor suggests performing a blockade of the cranial cervical sympathetic ganglion. Be sure to inject antibiotics intramuscularly, 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. His treatment 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. On it is an accumulation of lymphatic follicles. As a result, the third eyelid resembles a bunch of small grapes. In dogs, it strongly goes to the very surface of the eyeball. In this case, the disease is accompanied by severe redness and the release of pus from the eye. It becomes difficult for the animal to even simply blink, as this causes painful sensations. Enlarged follicles can injure the cornea.
At risk
Interestingly enough, are all dogs susceptible to the development of this form, or is there a link to the breed. In fact, it often develops in mastiffs and the like conjunctivitis. In dogs, the causes, symptoms, treatment need to be studied, all this is important information for the owners, so below we will continue to consider this topic. Paying attention to the condition of your pet’s eyes is a must if you have a Labrador, Rottweiler or Bulldog.
The 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 in the medicine cabinet you will constantly have to keep special medications and carry out preventive measures, as relapses will occur regularly. Treatment depends on the severity of the disease, i.e. the degree of follicular development. The treatment is almost identical to that we gave when we talked about the treatment of purulent conjunctivitis in a chronic form. However, only by laying down medicines you will not get rid of the chronicle, therefore it is very important to take time and the general condition of the pet's body. Strong immunity will allow you to more likely to avoid such 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, to cover the bed with clean cloaks. In second place is nutrition. The better the diet, the better the immunity will work. This plays a particularly large role when it comes to feeding a puppy. A poorly inspected puppy (with a poor diet) is much more prone to inflammatory eye disease.
The third point is preventive care for the eyes of the pet. Every day, it is recommended to wipe them with cotton pads moistened with chamomile broth or weak tea. It is also important to isolate your pets from dogs with conjunctivitis. This disease is very contagious, so you should 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 show the pet to the veterinarian so that he can assess his condition and prescribe treatment.