In this article on our site we are going to explain how to heal a dog's eye wound, differentiating when it occurs around of the eye or inside it. A wound in one eye, due to its location, is different from wounds produced in other parts of the body, so they cannot be healed in the same way. In addition, most of these injuries will require examination by a veterinarian, since we could be facing damage to the eye that is the cause of serious injuries.
If your dog has wounds around the eye or inside and you don't know what to do, keep reading and apply the first aid that we share.
How to heal wounds around the eyes in dogs?
In principle, and as long as these wounds do not affect the inside of the eye, we can treat them as if they were wounds in any other part of the body. Thus, to cure them we will follow the following steps, as long as they are superficial injuries caused, for example, by a slight blow to the eye, since the deep ones require veterinary assistance:
- We must delimit and clear the injured area, for which it may be necessary to at least trim the hair around it.
- We will clean the wound to make sure it is free of dirt, sand, gravel or anything else that could lead to infection. For this cleaning we can use physiological saline or simply water. We can apply it by jet or by soaking a gauze or cotton. We will dry with a gauze, since cotton can leave lint.
- Once the wound is clean and dry we can apply a disinfectant such as chlorhexidine, but it should never come into contact with the eye. It is recommended to always keep a first aid kit ready with the products recommended by our veterinarian.
- In some wounds it may be necessary to apply some healing or antibacterial ointment, always following the advice of the veterinarian.
- It is recommended to clean the wounds around the dog's eye for several days until we verify that they are healing correctly.
- It is not good to bandage them, unless our veterinarian tells us to do so.
- With wounds around the eyes, as well as those that the dog can easily access, we may need to use an Elizabethan collarso that the dog cannot lick or scratch himself.
- We must examine the wound and go to the vet if we see inflammation, pus, pain, redness, etc., as it could be an infection.
- Of course, when dealing with wounds around the eyes, we must take special care that none of the products we use come into contact with them, as they could cause irritation.
Next we will see how to treat a wound in our dog's eye, because inside the eye we will not be able to follow the mentioned scheme.
What to do in case of injuries inside the dog's eye?
In the previous section we have seen the general protocol for healing wounds, but if we want to know how to heal a wound in our dog's eye, inside it, we must be clear that a visit the vet, first to determine the extent of the damage and, second, to prescribe the appropriate products, if applicable, since they can never be applied in the eye drugs that are not specifically formulated for ocular use.
Injuries to the eye can be caused by scratches from other animals, especially cats, or by contact with sharp elements such as thorns or even by the introduction of spikes or other foreign bodies that will cause irritation or irritation. scratching injuries from the dog itself. In this way, if your dog has blood in the eye or has suffered a serious blow to the eye, it is necessary to visit a specialist.
On the other hand, if we observe some object inside the eye we can try to remove it by irrigating it copiously with saline solution or water. If it does not come out like this or it is nailed, we must go to the vet immediately to avoid more serious injuries. Whenever we manipulate the eye, we must do it with great care, since any sudden movement could aggravate the situation. If the dog is upset and won't let itself be handled, we should also go to the vet.
Ocular trauma in dogs due to abrasions and corneal ulcers
They are corneal wounds, more or less deep, caused by some trauma, which can cause aforeign body or even an eyelash that grows inward, capable of causing an abrasion, but also as a result of diseases such as canine diabetes.
The ulcers are painful and, if left untreated, can lead to perforation We will not see a wound itself, but rather a discoloration of the eye that will be seen as a whitish or bluish cloud, a blurred or opaque area. In this case, how to heal a dog's eye injury caused by ocular trauma involves visiting our veterinarian early. Ulcers may even require surgical treatment.
How to heal wounds on the dog's eyelid?
We have seen how to treat a wound in a dog's eye or in the areas around the eye, but we may be assailed by the question of what to do in the case of eyelid injuries. In these cases we must take into account the depth of the lesion and its distance from the eyeball. Serious injuries should always be evaluated by a veterinarian. If it's minor, like a scratch, we can clean it with just serum or water and wait to see how it goes. If there is a possibility that any disinfectant that we use enters the eye, due to its proximity, we will not be able to apply it. In these cases, if any healing drug or antibiotic is needed, it must be prescribed by our veterinarian.
Sometimes dogs, especially older ones, can have warts on their eyelids, known as Meibomian gland adenomasIf one breaks, bleeding may occur, so you will see that the dog has blood in the eye. It will be our veterinarian who decides if it is convenient to remove them. For more information, see the article "Warts on dogs - Causes and how to remove them".
