Inflammation & Scabbing on Dog’s Eyelids with Yellowish Discharge

by Elizabeth Nicol
(New Orleans, LA)

I woke up this morning to discover inflammation and scabbing on my dog's upper and lower eyelid and yellowish discharge in the right eye. I had noticed some hair loss around the right eye over the past two months, and have tried to keep it clean with vinegar and warm water.

I have been with her all morning and have not noticed her scratching or rubbing it.

She is an 18-month-old female Small Munsterlander named Lucy Anna who weighs about 30 lbs, and I purchased her from a breeder in Illinois when she was 8 weeks old. She is current on all of her vaccinations.

She has had no noticeable health problems with the exception of what I considered to be excessive scratching, especially at night, for which my vet recommended Benadryl. Once I put her on Comfortis, the excessive scratching/itching stopped for the most part. She is also on Sentinel. She is not spayed.

I recently switched her food from Beneful to Nutro Natural Choice Grain Free "Natural Venison Meal and Potato Formula". She had always been on Nutro or Science Diet Lamb, but purchased Beneful in a pinch and then could not get her to eat the other. She seems to like the Venison flavor of Nutro. She chews on pork knuckles and occasionally rawhide, and has treats from the treat bar at Petco. She also gets occasional pieces of cheese, gravy, eggs, tuna, and carrots in small amounts. (Perhaps a tablespoon every other day or so.)

I also placed 4 bales of hay in the yard (we don't have horses - it's just in the backyard for my daughter to shoot her arrows into) which Lucy commandeered and fashioned a nest out of that she likes to nap in. I have never sprayed the yard for fleas or mosquitoes and generally hate to use chemicals of any kind. She spends most of the day outside in the shade and comes in and out as she pleases when we are home and sleeps inside either in her bed or my daughter's bed at night. I have not used any new detergents on our linens since we have had Lucy.

She is a highly energetic gal that likes to play ball and runs with me every day. She chases squirrels and bugs and socializes with other dogs in the neighborhood and at the park.