Ask the Veterinarian/Eye infection

Advertisement

Expert: - 7/25/2010


Question
Hi, my 18 week old labrador pup has an eye infection I think.  I noticed that there was small but frequent amount of discharge last night and when she woke up this morning, there was quite a bit and her eye was almost glued together.  I've bathed it with warm salty water to get rid of the mucus.  The very corner of her eye is very pink (conjunctivitis?).  The mucus is constantly getting produced and I'm bathing her eye regularly.  She seems OK in herself in that she's eating and relatively perky.  My problem is the vets is closed today as it is Sunday.  I have made an appointment for her tomorrow at 8:30am but I'm wondering if it is necessary to get her to an emergency vets today?  It will be about £120 so I'm a bit hesitant to take her if she'll be OK til tomorrow morning, but at the same time I don't want my little pup to be in any discomfort.  Thanks for any help you can give.

Answer
She most likely does have a mild conjunctivitis from what you are saying but all you can do is keep washing it out with a saline solution until tomorrow. You don't want to put anything into her eye that isn't safe or for humans so cleaning it is your only recourse right now.

It can wait until the morning but be aware that it might spread to the other eye and could even be carried to you.

Ask the Veterinarian

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

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.

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

Education/Credentials
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!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.