Dog Eye Injury

by | May 10, 2019 | Ask A Vet, Eye Issues | 0 comments

Do I need to get treatment for this eye injury, or is it something that will heal itself?

I think my 9 month old German Shepherd/Lab mix got a whap in the face from our cat (she does tend to chase the cat and I have seen the cat give her some swipes in the past). I believe it happened yesterday, because yesterday I noticed that the eye seemed a little red in the white area.

Today, sometimes the eye looked fine and just a little red, but this evening the third eyelid seems to be covering more of the eye at times. She did have a little bit of “eye goop”.

She is definitely reluctant to have me inspect it, and she is skittish already, so I do not want to stress her out with a trip to the vet if they are just going to say “keep an eye on it.”

When I returned home this afternoon after being gone a few hours, she was extremely exuberant and happy to see me, and she ate her dinner as usual. This morning we went on a nice long walk without issue. But this evening she has gone in her crate (somewhat unusual) and is laying down inside. When I took a gauze bandage and wiped the area gently with water and 1/4 teaspoon salt, she tried to get away and afterward left to go hide.

The attached photo is the worst that it looks. Frequently, it looks relatively normal.

Thank you for your advice.

Comments for Dog Eye Injury

Aug 06, 2010My Online Vet Response for Dog Eye Injury
by: Dr. Carol Jean Tillman


Hello!

Yes, you should take her in to a veterinarian for an exam as soon as possible.

Even though for the ‘majority’ of the time she seems to look ok, if the cat scratch irritated the cornea or introduced some bacteria into her conjunctiva, she needs to have the eye flushed out with saline ‘behind’ the third eyelid and to have the cornea stained to determine if there has been a scratch. She would need to have a topical anesthetic drops into her eye to do this.

Young, large breed dogs are very active and somewhat uncoordinated and she may have run into a bush and introduced some foreign body into her eye. So, if it wasn’t from a cat scratch, she would still need to have her eye examined.

I usually recommend a holistic veterinarian, but this is a semi-emergency since it happened over 24 hours ago, so whichever veterinarian is able to examine her first would be fine.

Please keep us posted by coming back to this page and clicking the ‘click here to add your own comments’ link below.

Take care,
Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

DISCLAIMER: The above should never replace the advice of your local veterinarian, as they have the ability to evaluate your dog in person.

Related Pages:
– Dog Eye Problems,
– Ask a Vet Online Library – Dog Eye Problems Section

May 10, 2012eye injury
by: David W.

The same problem with my dog. She had a small red nodule by her cornea. I think either the cat got her back, or she got a palm frown in it. Regardless I took her to the Vet immediately, and they aenesticised her eye, and stained it. They found nothing, and told me the third eyelid was the problem, not the eye itself. They gave me antibiotic eye drops. This is her second day, and her eye seems to be about the same still. But I am trying to keep her calm, til it gets better, or worse. I am keep a close eye on her.

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