Ask the Veterinarian/infected eyes?

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Expert: - 1/27/2010


Question
I have a 5 year old German Sheppard Malamute mix and recently her eyes have become very infected at first it started with her right eye so we went to the vet and they could not figure out what was wrong so they gave us some medication and it slowly started to clear up   but now a few weeks after the ending of her pills her other eye has become infected.  Her eye is crusty on the outside and the inside is discharging mucas and is slighty red .She is constantly scatching at it and in turn is ripping her eye apart.  My husband and I are very upset and don't know what to do.  If you need a picture please let me know

Please help.

Jenn

Answer
Sounds like a case of conjunctivitis, which is pretty common and easily treatable.
She needs more medication and she should have it in both eyes.

With the lack of there being a foreign body in the either eyes, then it would seem that she is picking up some bacteria somewhere on the ground. Dogs love to roll in nasty stuff so you might want to check your yard for stuff.

They can also get it from kids, so if you have kids check their eyes too. She should have an ointment that you put into each eye twice a day.

Since I am not there and cannot see it, that is what I would suggest. Call your vet and tell them it's in the other eye now. You should make sure they check the eye for ulcers on the surface and also for any kind of foreign object under the lids- hair, stickers, weeds, anything.  

I hope that helps!

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

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Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

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Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

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Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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