A Severely Swollen, Painful Eye and Face That Is Getting Worse
by A reader
Currently unemployed and my benefits will not start for another 4-6 weeks! I was up al night monitoring him and just worried-he seems now to be in pain and if I go near him he squeals in discomfort! The eye is so swollen that the top of his head is swelling around the top part of his nose and that whole side of his face. It's almost swollen shut but on the bottom all you see is like part of the white of his eye and red on the side-it's horrible and I can't even explain it in more detail-but his face looks deformed. He's an 11 year old pitt bulll mix. He has become very clingy. I called the humane society to see of they could send me to a low income facility-but the place they told me to call is more expensive than his actual vet. I called the vet since I have 3 well taken of dogs and I have been going to him for years and have spent over thousands of dollars there-including a cancer operation on my dog that passed away last year.
He finally called me back and told me to give him an antihistamine that it's most likely an infection or bug bite from the grass outside..I don't see him getting any better, if anything it looks worse-almost like the white part of his eye is hanging and the rest from the top of head is so swollen and pertruting.. He's in pain! Please if anybody can give me any solutions or advice I would so greatly appreciate it..
I'm trying to scrape up what I can to take him to the vet and I think I'm like $10 short for the consultation-which I can try to get-my main concern is that I may not be able
I cannot upload pics from my phone-but am trying to transfer them now..
I've spent the whole day looking up pictures that may resemble what he looks like but nothing compares or seems as bad, and that's what scares me the most- it's like a combination of a swollen eye pertruting with a cherry eye on the bottom I don't even see his eye ball just the white part in the slit that's left.
Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this post, and for your quick responses
I'm sorry you're going through this. Swelling around the eye and face that keeps getting worse, with pain and the eye pushed out, is an emergency. It suggests an abscess or infection behind the eye, often from a tooth root, a foreign object such as a grass seed, or a bite, and less often a growth. These usually need antibiotics and pain relief, and sometimes draining, and waiting can put the eye at risk.
Please call your vet again and tell them it is worse and he is in pain, and ask to be seen today, even for a basic exam. Ask the clinic about payment plans. If you can't get in, try a veterinary school, a different low-cost clinic, or charities that help with emergency vet bills.
Until he is seen, keep him calm, don't press on the swelling, keep the eye moist with plain saline, and don't let him rub it. Don't give any human pain medicines, which can be dangerous for dogs.
See swollen eyes in dogs.
This is general information, not a diagnosis. Please follow your own vet's advice.
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