Dog eye allergies are manifested through several symptoms including watery discharges and red, irritated eyes. The eye allergies may be cause by different factors including inhalant allergens or materials that the dog has come in contact with.
Causes of Eye Allergies
The eye allergies in dogs may be caused by environmental factors such as dust particles, pollens, gas, but may also be caused by fleas that may lodge near the eyes; insect bites in the eye area may also lead to an allergic reaction.
Food may cause eye allergies; certain proteins that are present in the beef, chicken or fish may cause eye irritation and the inflammation of the eye lids.
Dry weather may facilitate the occurrence of eye allergies.
Symptoms of Eye Allergies
The eye allergies will be signaled by the inflammation of the conjunctiva. There will also be a watery ocular discharge and the eye whites will appear pink or red. If the discharge is more consistent or contains pus, the dog has an infection probably caused by bacteria.
Eye allergies will also present symptoms such as swelling of the eye lids.
The dog may also have a fever and have a general state of weakness.
Diagnosing Eye Allergies
The eye allergies may be diagnosed judging by the ocular discharge (which should be transparent) and by inspecting the eyes of the pet.
The vet may also perform a histamine reaction test or get a blood sample to test it for antibodies, which will confirm the presence of allergies.
Treatment for Dog Eye Allergies
Dog eye allergies are most commonly treated with antihistamines. The antihistamines will block the production of histamines which are released by the body when an irritant is present. 2 to 3 doses of antihistamines should eliminate the eye irritation. Even over the counter human antihistamines can be used. Benadryl may be effective in dogs with eye allergies. Typically, the antihistamines will start to be effective after 1 to 2 weeks from the administration of the first dose.
If the allergies are caused by fleas or insect bites, you need to get rid of all these parasites and insects from the dog and the dog’s environment to ensure that the allergies will not reoccur.
If the allergies are caused by food, a low allergy dog food must be administered to the pet.
You may also wash your dog’s eyes with lukewarm water containing chamomile may also relieve the allergy symptoms.
Clean the dog’s eyes from debris and other possible allergens that gather throughout the day. Use some cotton buds and make sure you don’t hurt the dog’s eyes.
The vet may also recommend eye drops that contain steroids. Corticosteroids will relieve eye irritations caused by allergens. The eye drops may be administered using a syringe or an eye dropper.
Topical ointments may also be recommended if the allergic reactions are severe.
To prevent the recurrence of inhalant allergies, you may also use air purifiers, reducing the dog’s exposure to the allergens.