Elderly Sheltie's Eyes

H

hhurst

Forums Novice
My senior sheltie has developed a chronic eye discharge - I'd say it is clear to somewhat brownish at time. It is in BOTH eyes but worse in the right.

I'm still new in this town so not settled on a vet. The first one didn't do much of an exam and said I needed to see an eye specialist for eye problems which is very expensive so I haven't gone yet. The second vet I tried gave her an antibiotic eye drop and we finished that with no sign of improvement. I've tried benedryl for allergies and it seems to help a little but not much. I imagine it could be a blocked tear duct but is that likely in both eyes? What else could cause this type of discharge? Thanks!
 
Tough call. It does sound like it could be allergic conjunctivitis if you have moved recently - is your dog licking it's paws? Could also be bacterial conjunctivitis, but the second vet covered this off. You may need to try a different antihistamine (I use Phenergan) or maybe even prednisone. If you can afford the second vet again I'd go back because they sound more willing to investigate further.

There's a few home remedies you can use. Saline washes are good - you can use saline solutions for human eyes (humans and dogs have similar eye pH) or you can make some up at home yourself. Also holding a old facewasher on his eyes will give him some relief. Won't solve it completely but it will help.
 
Our Sheltie has the same issue. He is only 7. We've seen 3 different vet and have tried allergy pills, eye drops, eye jell medicine, ect. with no improvement.
 
Has the vet checked to make sure that the dog's tear ducts are draining properly. It's a simple and inexpensive test. Sometimes, as dogs age, they have been know to have this type of problem.
 
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