Eye Tearing

[Samsonian]

Samson has been having the worse eye boogies for ever and I don't know what to do about them. I've asked our vet if he might have allergies, but she said the tearing is normal. I've tried changing his food and they seemed to get better, but suddenly today they are just terrible! He woke up with the biggest, green eye boogers (sorry, but it's true!) this morning and I don't know what to do for my poor baby. Any advice? My allergies are killing me, so surely it must be allergies?

 

[Sargemomsept]

Sarge has seasonal allergies and with the recent change in weather, he had horrible eye boogers too!!! I gave him benadryl for a few days and that seemed to do the trick.

 

[Jan]

Green eye boogies usually indicates a possible infection.

 

[Samsonian]

Oh dear! I hope it's nothing serious... He's seems completely happy and healthy otherwise, except for a runny nose - which brings me back to the idea of allergies. They were definitely green first thing in the morning, but whiter and then clear as the day progressed. Do dogs gets colds? Kind of gross, but that's how my symptoms sometimes progress during the day when I'm sick. I'll definitely keep an eye out for more green boogies, though, and will call the vet if they continue. I was wondering if there was anything, like Benadryl, we could give him and may try that in the meantime. Thanks for both your advice!

 

[kayboxer]

Well, it sounds if it could be allergies. But, have his eyes ever been checked? What about an entropion problem (where the eyelids turn under). Roxy had that, and she got the eye boogers too. We had it corrected with surgery which made a big difference although it still continued. Finally figured out allergies also caused it. We changed her food then, and she rarely gets them now. So, maybe a combo?

 

[jennw]

Do you guys go to the park? If so, is it sandy or dusty there? Jake gets incredible eye boogers after that. I also remember that they were worse when he was a puppy and cleared up after a while. Betty's are bad in the morning, but I'm chalking it up to the park and her age. Usually just washing out their eyes with a water bottle clears it right up.

 

[Samsonian]

Thanks so much for your posts. We rarely go to the park, but he does roll around in our yard and likes to get dirty! I like the idea of dousing his eyes after playing outside. I'll definitely try that. The vet has checked his eyes quickly, but not done an extended exam. Are entropian eyelids obvious? His eyes look normal (other than the tear stains..). We did try Benadryl the past couple nights and it helped a lot. My question is: how long can he take the Benadryl? Obviously it can't be a permanent fix.

 

[Samsonian]

Oh - and no more green ones, thank goodness! We only had those monster green boogies once, a couple days ago. Phew!

 

[jennw]

Let us know if you find something that works for the stains. Our neighbors joke that Betty always looks like she had a rough night of drinking. Ugh. The mild eye wipes do absolutely nothing for her.

 

[Samsonian]

Sam has been getting 25mg of Benadryl each night for the past few nights and it's been doing wonders! I spoke with the vet this morning to be sure it was okay and they said I could pretty much give it indefinitely and to just come in if it stops working. Looks like allergies, afterall! I give it to him hidden in a little treat that he always gets at bedtime. Last night, it popped out and I just hand-fed him the pill. He ate the bright pink pill right out of my hand - so funny! He's always been easy with pills, though. We've tried the gentle aloe vera wipes and they don't do so much, but he HATES the harsher ones with all the chemicals. So, I'd rather just let him have a little stain and wipe what I can with some wet towels and the gentler wipes. Honestly, it's so much better after the Benadryl, I hardly notice any stains! Oh, I also started dousing his eyes with wet cotton balls when they seemed dirty and that seems to help a lot too