As humans, we get these nasty boogers from our noses. And we remove them using tissue or wiping our nose with the back of our hand.
However, dogs don’t get boogers as we do and don’t use their hands to wipe them away! So what do they do? Dog eye boogers can be annoying, but there are ways you can stop them from happening.
What Are Dog Eye Boogers?
After a long night of rest, the tears of your dog are flushing out dust, which might cause the dog to produce boogers in the dog eyes. This muck in your eyes can range in thickness, fluidity, and color.
The discharge from your dog’s eyes may be green, yellow, or clear, and it may be anywhere from somewhat crusty to mucus-y in consistency. However, some of these symptoms may point to a more severe eye infection.
Are They Harmful?
A dog’s eye boogers are not harmful to your dog, as they are a mixture of mucus and tears. These can be easily wiped away with a gentle wet cloth or tissue.
Eye gunk, goop, boogers, and crusts are all names for the material that can collect in the corner of the eye. When a dog first wakes up in the morning, it’s common for there to be a few light brown crusts. Providing your dog with a daily dose of this eye crust can help keep their eyes moist and healthy and prevent any eye discharge from forming.
Please seek veterinary attention immediately if you notice yellow-green pus coming from your dog’s eye. You should gently wipe away any crust or discharge on your dog’s eyes with a wet cloth. There are different levels of dog eye discharge, so if you have any concerns about the amount, contact your vet to get advice on an appropriate treatment for them.
What Does Typical Canine Eye Discharge Look Like?
Watery, precise, or whitish-grey eye discharge is typical in canines. There might even be a little dust in there.
Remember that the appearance of discharge can shift. A more pus-like discharge that tends to crust could indicate a more severe issue with your dog’s eyes. The dog’s eye discharge could also look yellow or brown if your pup has an infection.
These infections may stem from the conjunctiva, cornea, uvea, or lens, and bacteria usually cause them. Your pup may also have eye problems like inflammation of the cornea (keratitis) or vitreous hemorrhage (which is when blood leaks into the vitreous humor). These conditions require immediate medical attention.
Causes
Discharge is the medical word for muck accumulating in a dog’s eyes. The most frequent reasons for dog eye boogers are allergies, conjunctivitis, excessive tearing, glaucoma, ulcers, dry eye, etc.
1. Allergies: If your dog is suffering from allergies to environmental factors like dust or other particles in the air, you may see a clear discharge from its eye. Discharge from the eyes that is yellow-green or pus-like may indicate a severe illness. Watery or mucous discharge from a dog’s eye is typically caused by an intruder, such as an eyelash embedded in the eye or another foreign object.
2. Conjunctivitis: Inflamed canine conjunctiva produce yellowish-green pus or watery discharge. In addition to malignant growths, the distemper virus (more common in puppies and younger dogs) and allergies cause conjunctivitis.
Canine conjunctivitis symptoms include:
- Red, irritated eyes.
- Red pupils.
- Squinting.
- Tingling sensation in eyes.
- Accumulation of gunk in the dog’s eye area.
- Digging their claws into their eyes.
3. Excessive Tearing: Your dog’s watery eyes or eye boogers could result from several problems, including ingrown eyelashes, allergies, ulcers, tumors, or simply the pain or irritation of their eyes. This could lead to unsightly results, such as black stains, a foul odor emanating from their hair, or red, inflamed skin around the eye. For example, dogs of the Bichon Frise and poodle varieties are more likely to experience tear stains and watery eyes, which can be alleviated with regular grooming and commercial tear stain remedies.
4. Dry Eye: There is a correlation between dry eye and sticky dog eye discharge. Accidents, the distemper virus, and a weakened immune system are all potential causes of dry eye because they damage tear gland tissue. An ulcer, inflammation, or infection can form on the cornea if a dog has dry eye. Your veterinarian may recommend artificial tears to treat dry eyes.
5. Glaucoma: Elevated intraocular pressure, or glaucoma, is characterized by cloudy vision, increased tear production, and a bulging eye or eyes. As soon as you see any symptoms of glaucoma in your pet or a painful eye illness, make an appointment with your vet. (*)
6. Ulcers: A corneal ulcer is a lesion or irritation of the cornea caused by trauma. The eyes can be injured in several ways, including during violent play with other dogs, by contact with an irritant, or by foreign objects. Corneal ulcers are more common in brachycephalic dogs, those with dry eyes, and dogs with loose facial skin.
Pain is a common side effect of corneal ulcers. Your dog needs to contact a vet immediately if you see any of the following indicators:
- Digging their claws into their eyes
- Puffing Excessive emission
- Red pupils
Can You Recognize The Cause By The Discharge Color?
If your dog is experiencing ocular discharge, you should observe its location (around the eye vs. on the surface of the dog’s eye) and color.
Clear (water) discharge: A clear or watery discharge from the eye can be caused by various causes, including allergies, environmental irritants like pollen or dust, foreign items, blocked tear ducts, eye injury, and eye sores.
Anatomical abnormalities like the projecting eyes of brachycephalic breeds like pugs and Pekingese, or the rolling in or out of the eyelids, can also lead to watery eye discharge.
Red / Brown discharge: Eye stains of a dark reddish brown color are common in dogs that suffer from chronic crying due to a clogged tear duct or an abnormally shaped eye socket. When air exposure, the component in tears, known as porphyrin, oxidizes to a reddish-brown tint.
White discharge: There are many potential triggers for a white blast, including allergens, irritants, and underlying anatomical issues. Additionally, dry eye, also known as keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS), and conjunctivitis, an infection of the tissues surrounding the eye, are both illnesses that can cause white discharge. KCS prevents a dog’s eyes from producing tears, which causes dryness and a discharge of white pus.
Green / Yellow discharge: In most cases, a bacterial infection is to blame for green or yellow discharge from the eye. Colored discharge is a symptom of an infection, corneal ulcer, infected KCS, or an eye sore. These infections can only be treated with antibiotics.
How To Clean Up After Them?
Cleaning up after your dog’s eye discharge is quick and easy. Get a towel and a bowl of water. Hold the towel over your dog’s eyes to avoid mess, then pour water over the towel until all the boogers are gone. It can take about five to ten minutes for them to dry up, so make sure you’re patient!
Another way to clean up dog’s eye boogers is to use dog tear (stain) remover. Apply it directly onto the spot where they have been discharged, let it sit for three seconds, and then gently wipe it away with a cloth.
Additionally, if none of these methods seem to work or if your dog has gotten something in their eye on more than one occasion, try applying ophthalmic ointment that contains corticosteroids or antibiotics.
If you think your dog may have something in its eye or is allergic to something, you can use pet eyewash and a pet comb to clean up the eyelashes and the hair around the eyes.
You will want to rinse the affected area with lukewarm water using a gentle hand; this will help wash away any particles that could irritate. Next, thoroughly cleanse the area using either a pet eyewash or plain saline solution. Afterward, use the pet comb to remove tangles from your pup’s fur and any other debris from around their eyes.
If none of the above methods help, all there is to do is apply eye drops. They should be veterinarian approved and designed for dogs with sensitive eyes, such as tears, lubricants, anti-inflammatory drugs, etc.
Ways to Prevent Them
Your dog’s eyes should be examined frequently. The whites of the eyes (the sclera) should be completely clear, and the pupils should be uniformly round. Your dog’s eyes shouldn’t water excessively, it shouldn’t squint, and you shouldn’t be able to see the dog’s third eyelids (the inner eyelids).
Regular exams will ensure that your dog doesn’t have a condition, like an infection or cancer, which would cause them to produce mucus. If your dog’s eyes don’t look right, see your veterinarian immediately so they can get checked out.
Regular cleaning your dog’s eyes are also crucial because it helps prevent eye boogers. Your veterinarian can recommend unique solutions you can use to clean your pet’s eyes.
Conclusion
It is essential to know that dog eye boogers are not harmful but can be unsightly. Suppose you notice your dog has excessive discharge coming from its eyes. In that case, a foreign body might have gotten stuck in the eye, or your dog may have a medical condition that will require veterinary attention.
Related topic: Dry skin on dogs: symptoms, causes, and treatments
*photo by Chalabala – depositphotos