Common Dog Eye Infection Symptoms, Causes, & Treatment

An eye infection can cause your dog discomfort, but most are easily treatable once your vet knows the kind of infection it is.

We’ve put together this guide on dog eye infections so you can be prepared to care for your companion. Learn about infection causes, symptoms, treatment, and how you can help keep your dog healthy.

What Causes Eye Infections in Dogs?

A dog eye infection can be caused by factors like dry eye, trauma, bacteria, viruses, fungus, and some eye conditions. Let’s take a look at these potential causes in more detail:¹

• Dry eye: If your dog has overly dry eyes, mucus can form and prevent their tears from flushing bacteria from their eye.² This buildup of bacteria can cause an infection.
• Trauma: Dog eye injuries — like corneal abrasions, foreign objects, or chemicals — could cause an infection to occur if not properly treated.
• Bacteria: Bacteria from household surfaces, dog beds, other animals, or even dirt can cause eye infections.
• Viruses: Some viruses, like canine distemper, could cause eye infections due to eye discharge.³
• Fungus: Fungi and mold reproduce by releasing spores into the air. This can irritate your dog's eyes, leading to infection.

While conjunctivitis is typically thought to be a type of eye infection, it’s actually just the inflammation and reddening of the tissue that protects your dog’s eyeball. Signs can be very similar to an infection, but conjunctivitis is a secondary condition that can occur alongside an infection — it’s not the infection itself.⁴

Eye conditions that could lead to infections

Dog eye infections may also be a symptom of underlying health conditions, like glaucoma or cataracts, or inflammatory conditions, like uveitis or conjunctivitis.¹ Even an eyelid infection can migrate into the eyeball.⁵

Other conditions — whether genetic or trauma-related — could lead to an infection, as well. These can include tear gland disorders, eyelid entropion and ectropion, cherry eye, and eyelash deformities. In some cases, surgery is required to correct the issue and stop chronic infections.^3,5

Is it an eye infection or an irritant?

Sometimes, your dog’s eye issues aren’t caused by an infection, but by debris or environmental allergies. Things like smoke, pollen, or dust can irritate your dog’s eyes, and if they have allergies, that can cause runny and/or red eyes. But it’s important to remember these irritants could lead to conjunctivitis, allergic conjunctivitis, and eventually an infection if not cared for.¹

Debris that enters your dog’s eyes can typically be flushed out with a vet-approved eye wash. It’s a good idea to contact your vet to see if you can do this at home or if you should bring your dog in for an exam.^1,5

What Are Common Dog Eye Infection Symptoms?

Luckily for pet parents, eye infection symptoms are relatively easy to identify. Common signs of eye infections in dogs can include:¹

• Green or yellow discharge
• Squinting, keeping the eye closed, or excessive blinking
• Redness
• Swelling
• Runny or watery eyes
• Rubbing or pawing at the eyes

Infections could compromise your dog’s eyesight if they aren’t treated. So it’s important to get them to the vet when you notice any symptoms.

Diagnosing Eye Infections in Dogs

Being able to tell your vet what symptoms you’ve noticed and when they started can help them begin the diagnostic process. They’ll typically perform a physical exam of the entire eye and may also use blood tests and bacterial or fungal cultures to determine the type of eye infection.¹

If there are suspected underlying conditions, your vet may test the pressure of your dog’s eye, use a Schirmer tear test to check for dry eyes, and use fluorescein stain to check for eye trauma.⁴

Dog Eye Infection Treatment

Treatment of your dog’s eye infection depends on the cause and can include the following:^1,2,4,5

• Topical and oral medications: Antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals, and/or anti-inflammatory medications can be used to treat bacterial, fungal, and viral infections.
• Eye drops: If your dog has dry eyes, drops that stimulate tear production may be used temporarily or permanently.
• Allergy management: Vets can help identify the allergen causing irritation or infection so it can be eliminated or managed.
• Surgery: When a health condition like entropion, ectropion, or cherry eye is causing infection, vets may use surgery to correct it and prevent future infections.

Any other conditions your vet identified during diagnostic testing that could be causing the infection — such as corneal abrasions or other trauma — should be treated accordingly.

Can you treat a dog eye infection at home?

Since eye infections can lead to further damage if left untreated or improperly treated, it’s a good idea to take your dog to the vet instead of trying to treat them at home.

However, you may be able to aid in your dog’s comfort by keeping the area around their eyes clean by using a wet washcloth or dog-safe saline solution, using a cone collar to prevent scratching, and helping to relieve pain or swelling with a warm or cool washcloth.¹

Usually, it’s not a good idea to use human products or previously prescribed eye medications to treat a new dog eye infection.⁶ Contact your vet for the best course of action at home.

Preventing Eye Infections in Dogs

Some tips for helping to prevent eye infections for your dog are:^1,6

• Keep their eyes clean and the surrounding fur trimmed.
• Try to avoid exposure to potential eye irritants that could cause trauma, like foreign objects or chemicals.
• Don’t let your dog near another pet with an infection, and keep their environment clean.
• Identify and manage any allergies.

Talk with your vet to see what else you can do to help keep your dog healthy and happy.

MetLife Pet Insurance Could Help Cover Dog Eye Infection Costs

Most dog eye infections take a combination of prescription medications and your vet’s expertise to get under control — especially if they become chronic. Depending on the eye condition causing the infection, this could cost an average of $200 – $2,000.⁷

With a MetLife Pet dog insurance policy, you can submit the receipts for those vet exams, prescriptions, and diagnostics to get reimbursed up to 90% of covered expenses.⁸ So when unexpected eye infections pop up, you can worry less about the vet bill. Just like senior Shih Tzu Carl, who was treated for an eye infection due to dry eyes. His family was reimbursed nearly $350 on the $450 vet bill.⁹

Create the perfect policy for you and your dog — start with a free quote today!