Seasonal Eye Allergies in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels
I live in Austin, Texas with three female dogs.
1. 13 yr old pug
2. 6 yr old Cavalier
3. 4 yr old Cavalier
Seasonal pollens and outdoor mold levels affect all my dogs. The cavaliers experience droopy, gunky, red eyes. The pug gets an itchy bottom and an ear infection. Symptoms in all three dogs occur simultaneously and come and go depending on what's in the air.
On my vet's advice, I administer half a benedryl to each dog every 5 hours and keep eyes/ears clean. I have a vet-prescribed ointment for ear infections and as long as I give Benedryl, the ear ointment manages infection. Eyes are cleaned and kept moist with Tears. (not visine) The Benedryl seems to be very effective. In the morning, the Cavaliers look tragically like Mr. McGoo. Eyes start to look better about an hour after the morning Benedryl dosage and Tear application.
Last year, the elderly pug experienced a terrible creeping rash under her chin that caused hair loss and was oozy and smelly. My vet sugggested food allergies, which I dimissed as I had not changed diet. We tried every antibiotic in topical and pill form. Nothing worked. The rash was spreading down her chest and the pug was losing her zest for life. I feared I might lose her. On a random thought after hearing of a human's late-in-life reaction to dairy and eggs, I cut this from her diet. The rash dried up, went away and has not returned. Hair growth did.
I keep hoping to find a solution that is a more expedient treatment of airborn allergy symptoms, but suspect it may be something we just manage through.
It sounds like you've found a routine that helps. Cavaliers are prone to both allergies and dry eye, which can look very similar, and red, gunky eyes in the morning are typical of dry eye. Ask your vet whether a Schirmer tear test has been done.
For airborne allergies, it's worth asking your vet about longer-term options, such as newer allergy medicines or allergy testing and immunotherapy, and whether prescription eye drops would control the eye symptoms better. Rinsing the eyes with saline after time outdoors can also help.
See conjunctivitis in dogs for more on allergic conjunctivitis.
This is general information, not a diagnosis. Please follow your own vet's advice.
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