Tips For Cleaning Your Dog’s Eyes

The ocular cleaning of dogs is essential to avoid diseases, although it is also advisable to look at the color of their legañas, as they could reveal an infection or obstruction of tear ducts

Your dog is exposed to an infinity of stimuli and activities that can compromise his eye hygiene. Foreign bodies and germs can lead your pet to develop more serious infections or illnesses. With these tips to clean your dog’s eyes, you can make sure that his sight is not in danger.

Legañas and tears: natural secretions that we must take into account

The fluids that our eyes continuously secrete are designed to  maintain their natural moisture, both during the day and at night. The  presence of tears and legañas, at first,  should not alarm us, since it is part of the normal functioning of our eyes.

What we  do have to take into account  are the  sudden changes in the texture and color of our dogs’ eye secretions. Legañas have a  variety of colors ranging from white to green or yellow.

The  yellow or green color of the legañas, for example, can be indicators that our dog is suffering from an infection. In their natural state, they are usually whitish in color and are usually expelled without problems through the tear duct. Greenish mildew, however, can stick to the ducts, clog them, and lead to infection.

Leaving aside these considerations about the natural secretions of our pet, we must bear in mind that  the type of coat that our animal has influences  its eye cleaning habits.

In the case that we have a breed with a short muzzle, such as a pug, for example, it  is likely that the secretions end up accumulating in the folds of the skin of its muzzle, leading to eczema if it is not cleaned regularly.

A dog with a  lot of hair, such as a Yorkshire terrier, especially around the eyes and forehead, will need  regular haircuts  to prevent the entry of foreign bodies and germs into the eyes that can lead to diseases such as conjunctivitis.

Tips for cleaning your dog’s eyes at home

There are a number of easy and safe methods to carry out in the comfort of your home that can help maintain the hygiene and eye health of your pet. Among them, we can find the following:

• Using a  damp cloth or sponge  to clean your dog’s eyes. Moistened with water at room temperature, they will be the perfect ally to remove leaves or traces of mud from their fur. Try not to get the cloth completely soaked so that the water doesn’t get into your eyes.

• Avoid paper  towels or napkins  as, once moistened, they can fall apart and leave pieces inside your pet’s tear ducts.
• There are specialized, pre-moistened wipes that are specifically designed for animal eye hygiene. The composition of this product is specifically directed at them and not at people, so be careful when buying them and check the packaging if they are for people or pets.
• Tears, both in dogs and cats, usually acquire a whitish hue in contact with air and bacteria. Try to  clean them as they dry to avoid infection as much as possible. In the event that your dog’s coat is stained, there are various products on the market that can help you easily clean them.