Pink Inside of Dog's Eye, Lost Eyelashes

by Brett I.
(Broken Arrow, OK, USA)

Three days ago I noticed that the upper & inside (toward the nose side of the eye) of my dogs eye was pink and looked like his eyelashes or fur had fallen off or had been scratched off. Two days ago the same amount of pink was near the eye and it was like around the entire eye was tears. It was moist and as far as I could tell the liquid was just clear like tears.

This morning much of the area around the eye was missing hair and was pink. It doesn’t look to me like the eyelid is rolling under on itself. I am hoping its something obviously not a big deal and cheap to fix but I would love an expert opinion before going to a more expensive vet visit.

The Australian Shepherd is 2.5 years old, healthy. He seems mainly unaffected by this eye problem. He is eating and drinking well, he is playing with my other dog as usual. The only thing is that he is scratching his eye with his back paw showing that it does bother him a bit.

Comments for Pink Inside of Dog’s Eye, Lost Eyelashes

Nov 21, 2014

My Online Vet Response for: Pink Inside of Dog’s Eye, Lost Eyelashes
by: Dr. Carol Jean Tillman

November 21, 2014

Hi Brett,

From the photo you sent, and I cannot see what his ‘other’ eye looks like, if this involves only the right eye, I am suspicious that he may have gotten something splashed onto his face and eye area, and his scratching has removed the hair and eye lashes.

For the next 24 hours, if you can use saline eye wash, available at a regular pharmacy, and rinse his eye with copious amounts of the eye wash, about 1/4 cup into his eye, eyelids, etc every 4-6 hours, should help to remove any irritant and ‘calm’ the eye. You can cut the tip end off of the spout from the plastic saline bottle, and directing the spout at his eye, squirt a large stream of saline into his eye, around the eyelids, into his eye, etc.

He also may need an ‘E-Collar’ (Elizabethan collar) to put on him to prevent him from ‘itching’ his eye/eyelids anymore. Although, if the irritant is rinsed out, then he may feel better and not want to rub his eye anymore.

If in 24 hours, he is NOT better, please take him in to a veterinarian for a thorough exam that includes a skin scraping for mites, a check behind his third eyelid for a foreign body, and a check into his ears.

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.

Click here to go back to the Ask a Vet Online Library of questions.