Dog Red Eye, Swollen Head and Droopy Eyes

by Nancy
(Fresno, CA)

My dog is a chihuahua and I recognized that his left eye started to become red. I thought it was just an allergy of some sort so I didn't want to touch it and irritate it some more.

But the next day, the left side of his head got bigger... bigger than his right side of his head. His bottom eyelid got swollen and and he now looks droopy. He could barely open his eye. The swollen spot seems to go down to his chin? I don't know what it is and I need help!!!

PLEASE.

Editor Suggestion Dog Red Swollen Eye

Dog Eyes are very delicate. Even though they have several protective layers to prevent any serious damage to the softer parts of the eye, even minor irritations and issues can lead to complications.

Canine eyes respond aggressively to a problem because of the rich vascular and nerve supply. Inflammatory cells infiltrate quickly and thus swelling, pain and irritation are noticed soon after the occurrence of a dog eye problem.

In this case, the problem appears to be due to exposure of the eye surface to an allergen or a foreign particle (dust, debris etc.). The resulting irritation and any scratching by your dog, caused the condition to worsen.

This is a good example of why dog eye problems require an immediate trip to the veterinarian. If left untreated, there is a rapid inflammatory response. Also, if the dog eye problem is left untreated, secondary complications such as infections and the progression of irritation into deeper layers of the dog eyes occur. Also, swelling of the affected eyes disrupts the proper tear flow and discharge, complicating the condition.

If left untreated problems with dog eye discharge and tears create an optimum environment for the growth of microbes, which causes weakness in the eyes cellular strength. Therefore it is important to reduce the inflammatory response and swelling you are seeing, so that eye discharge can freely drain.

In these types of cases, ophthalmic ointments, drops etc can be administered to treat the underlying cause of the condition.

Here, we cannot prescribe specific drugs, but usually eye drops containing dexamethasone such as Dexamethasone Opthalmic Solution for dogs are used to reduce inflammation. Once the inflammation is treated, the underlying cause should be treated accordingly. Also, ophthalmic ointments/solutions containing antibiotics are always recommended, so that any chance of secondary infections are eliminated. Both of these therapeutics, dexamethasone and antibiotics can only be administered with a prescription from your veterinarian.

For support, we can recommend that you use a quality eye wash solution such as R-7 Sterile Eye Wash Pads. Also, to reduce the chance of any secondary infections and to enhance recovery, we suggest using natural remedies such as Eye Heal.

Clean the eyes at least 4 times a day while treating this problem. You can reduce the frequency after the dog eye swelling problem has been resolved.

Best of luck and please keep us up to date on how the swollen dog eye problem was resolved.