There is a misconception that dogs' sense of sight is not all that important and that they mostly just use their sense of smell and hearing to go about life, but that's not true at all. Your dog's vision is a significant aspect of how your dog interacts with the world.

That being said, it is a must to take care of your dog's eyes. There are many ways on how to protect and prevent certain infections of the eyes, and you must know when something is serious or not.

What You Need:


How To Clean Your Dog's Eyes at Home

Clean Regularly

If there is any discharge from the eyes, ensure that it is cleared away regularly. You can make use of a damp and soft warm washcloth for the purpose. Ensure that you are gentle in your approach. You can use the warm washcloth for providing soothing compression to the dog as well, for which you should leave the cloth on the dog's eyes for several minutes.

Dog Eyes Cleaning Guide

Use Protective Solution When Bathing

Bathing your dog can be a little complicated if your dog already has irritated eyes. You wouldn't want soapy water to get into your dog's eye, leading to more irritation, right? Before you bathe your dog, make sure to apply a protective ophthalmic solution on his eyelids to ensure their eyes are not exposed to water. Watch the Youtube video below on how to clean gunk from your dog's eyes by All Facts:

Saline Wash

If your dog tends to produce a discharge from their eyes, you should wash them with a saline solution multiple times throughout the day. Doing this ensures that your dog's eyes are cleaned properly of any dirt and foreign particles that find their way into the eyes. Dirt usually leads to irritation, so you must make sure that these irritants are removed.

To prepare the solution, you need to mix a pinch of table salt with lukewarm water. Dissolve the salt completely in the water. Then, use a dropper to apply the solution to the eyes of the dog for optimal cleaning. You can also check out Vetericyn Anti-Bacterial Dog Eye Wash, a solution ready to use.

Aloe Vera

In the case of an eye infection, apply a little bit of aloe vera to the eyes several times in a day. It would not only clean the area but also serve as a treatment for the infection.

The reason for this is because aloe vera contains antibacterial properties, which ensures that no further inflammation occurs in your dog's eyes, and the infection is not aggravated. The gel is quite gentle, so you do not have to think twice before applying it on the eyes. They form an impressive option for topical treatment of infections.


Colloidal Silver

Colloidal Silver is another option that you have for cleaning and treating the infection﻿ of the eyes. The product contains natural antibiotic properties and serves to speed up the healing process of the infection. You can administer a drop every few hours, and you will notice marginal improvement within a short span.

How To Get Rid of Dog Tear Stains

Tear stains develop because your dog's tears might not be draining properly. Some breeds are more susceptible to tear stains than others. Both short-nosed breeds like the Maltese and Pekingese and long-snout dogs like Cocker Spaniels and Poodles often develop tear stains. Tear stains are also a breeding ground for bacteria due to it being damp all the time.

Instead of going for expensive commercial remedies to get rid of these stains, you can try the following natural home remedies to treat your dog. These solutions are pretty simple and require ingredients that most people already have at home.

How To Remove Dog Tear Stains

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Herbs aren't just for cooking and for human consumption. They can also be used as a remedy for tear stains. There are several useful herbs can be utilized. You should brew these and apply to the affected area. Here is a list of dog-friendly essential oils for your dog's skin.


It has anti-inflammatory properties that can help fight fungi and bacteria growing in the tear stains.


Often used to treat wounds, this herb is effective against various fungi, bacteria, and viruses.


Also known as eyebright, it is usually used to treat eye infections. You can use the herb as an eyewash to treat tear stains.

White Vinegar

White vinegar can prove to be quite helpful in preventing future tear stains. Once you clean the dog's eyes, add a teaspoon of white vinegar in your dog's drinking water. Doing this will change the pH of the water and hence, alter the pH of your pet's tears, which will prevent yeast build up.

The growth of bacteria and visible coloration of tear stains are results of yeast build up, and by preventing yeast build up; you can prevent new tear stains from forming. Also, Tums can be handy if you give your dog half a tablet two times a day.

Cornstarch & Bleach

Another widely-used home remedy for tear stains is a combination of one drop of bleach and two teaspoons of cornstarch mixed with some boiling water. Let this mixture cool to room temperature before applying it to the stains.

Warning: After applying, let it dry for about an hour and then wipe it using a damp cloth. When using the remedy, make sure that the solution does not get into the dog's eyes since bleach is an irritant. To reduce the appearance of tear stains as well as prevent new ones from forming, repeat this every other day for two weeks.

If the tear stains keep appearing continually, it is advised to make an appointment with your veterinarian for a checkup to make sure you rule out any medical conditions that could be causing excessive tearing.

Complete Guide To Your Dog's Eye Care

Have you ever noticed that your dog's eyes get red at times? There are many reasons why this would happen, but it only means one thing. Your dog's eyes are irritated. Before doing anything at home or trying remedies to relieve your dog of red eyes, make an appointment with your veterinarian.

Medical Reasons

There are a few medical reasons why your dog's eyes are red and inflamed. A veterinarian is the only person that can diagnose your dog. Here are a few things that might be wrong with your dog's eyes.

Allergic Reaction

Just like humans, dogs can also have allergies, and this is one of the most common diagnosis for your dog's red and watery eyes. Because of this, your dog might develop conjunctivitis, which is when your dog's eyes become inflamed due to irritants that trigger your dog's allergies.

Your dog's veterinarian may prescribe oral and topical medications to cure your dog's conjunctivitis and to keep his allergies at bay.

Canine Glaucoma

Certain dog breeds such as Samoyeds, Cocker Spaniels, and Chow Chows are more prone to glaucoma more than other breeds. Unfortunately, 40% of dogs who have this may go blind in the affected eye even if they get surgery. It is also most common in aging dogs.

Both humans and dogs are affected by this condition. This is when there is too much pressure in the eye, which causes poor fluid drainage.

Your dog's veterinarian will perform examinations on your dog to know that if it's glaucoma. Once your dog is diagnosed, the vet will prescribe medications that will help lower the pressure in your dog's eyes. Refer to the guide below about glaucoma in dogs:

Glaucoma In Dogs

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Underlying Medical Issues

Red and Watery eyes are also symptoms of other medical problems that don't have anything to do with the eyes. Bloodwork will be needed to make sure that it's not anything serious.

Non-Medical Issues

If your vet doesn't find anything serious, then it might be because of a few things at home. These can include:

Red Eyes Caused by Trauma

The quickest way to irritate a dog's eye is from trauma such as being poked in the eye with a stick or if your dog accidentally bumps his head on the corner of a table or chair. The actual eye might not be damaged, but the area surrounding it can be, resulting in the redness of the eyes.

Environmental Irritants

Is your house near a highway, or do you live in a more urban area? If so, pollutants coming from cars and smoke from outside might be the culprit. If you're a smoker, you might be affecting your poor dog's eyes as well, not to mention the damage it's doing to your dog's lungs. Pollutants are bad for you and your dogs' health.

Preventive Actions for Health Dog Eyes

Trim Hair Around the Eyes

Sometimes, hair can get in our dogs' eyes, and the eyes do not respond well to foreign objects touching them all the time. Make sure that the hair around the eyes is not too long as this can lead to the hair entering the eyes, paving the way for irritation and discharge. If you're planning to groom your dog at home, here's a guide.

Clean Up Mucus & Gunk

Humans produce mucus in their eyes, and so do dogs. The difference is that we can clean mucus up ourselves and dogs can't. You can prevent irritation of the eyes by cleaning up mucus build up on your dog. Mucus is a perfect breeding ground for all kinds of germs and bacteria, so getting rid of it will promote eye health and prevent irritation.

Dog Eye Care

Use Ophthalmic Ointments

Before giving your dog a flea bath, or a regular shower, make sure always to apply these creams to prevent any chemicals or soapy water from entering your dog's eyes. Doing this is important because soap might worsen your dog's already irritated eyes.

Pet-Proof Your Home

Is your dog a bit too clumsy than others? You can pet-proof your home by covering table ends that your dog might run into. Make sure that when your dog goes out, there are no wild animals to get into fights with. You should also be careful with letting your dog stick his head out the car when you're taking him for a drive as dust can quickly invade your dog's eyes.


Dogs don't have a safe way to relieve themselves from eye irritants. They usually try by rubbing up against carpeting and furniture or try to rub their eyes with their paws, doing this can do more harm than good because it might make the situation worse. So, since dogs can't take care of their eyes, their owners must do it for them.

In the case of an eye infection, you need to take all the required measures to ensure that the dog is treated at the earliest. If the condition gets severe or if the discharge persists, consult a vet immediately.

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