Dogs' eyes can harbor feelings and emotions, but also some diseases. A good example of a disease is the stye, which, as we will see later, is an inflammation in the region of the animal's eyelid caused by an infection.
Have you noticed a lump on your dog's eyelid? "Pimple"-like lumps on the eyelid? Perhaps it is a stye. Therefore, if you want to know how to cure a stye in a dog's eye, here at our site, we give you some tips. We will also show you some pictures of sties so you know how to identify them.
Styes in dogs
As mentioned, a stye is a swelling of the eyelidof the dog, generally in the area near an eyelash, which is caused by a bacterial infection of a sebaceous gland of the animal's eyelid.
The most frequently implicated bacteria causing the infection belong to the genus Staphylococcus. It can be found in animals of any age, breed and condition, and, as we will see later, it is not usually a serious condition.
The symptoms that produce a stye in a dog's eye vary greatly from case to case, but generally cause discomfort or even pain in that area, which causes the dog to scratch making the situation worse, since which can cause superficial injuries with the nails in the eyelid area and, in extreme cases, ulcers in the eye.
In many cases redness and tearing are also observed in affected eye.
Other eyelid diseases in dogs
A stye is not the only cause of inflammation in the dog's eyelids, so it is advisable to visit a veterinarian to rule out other diseases that can be confused with a stye.
Some examples of diseases that can present similar symptoms are:
- Entropion: more frequent in some breeds, such as the Shar Pei, it is caused by the eyelashes rubbing against the eye, due to to the peculiar shape of his eyelids, with wrinkles and folds. Causes eye irritation and tearing.
- Tumors: Tumors can appear in the area of the eyelids, which are recognized as lumps in that area. One of the most frequent is the Meibon gland adenoma (sebaceous glands in the dog's eyelid), which, although fortunately it is a benign tumor, requires surgical treatment.
- The conjunctivitis and the ulcers in theeye of dog also cause redness, pain and tearing, but, unlike the case ofstye , a lump is not found on the eyelid.
- Problems in the nictitating membrane Dogs have a nictitating membrane, also known as the third eyelid It contains a gland called Harder's gland These structures may present inflammation, hyperplasia (excessive growth) or prolapse (part of the of them to the outside). These alterations are easily differentiated from a stye because the color of the "bulge" is pinker than that of the stye (which is the same as the eyelid) and because they are located in the medial area of the dog's eye, that is, on the edge of the eye closest to the animal's snout and farthest from the ear.
How to cure a stye in a dog's eye?
As we have seen, styes are not serious diseases, and, furthermore, they can heal spontaneously in a short time.
- When dealing with a bacterial infection, the most effective remedy is an appropriate antibiotic ointment to be applied to the eye area, which must be prescribed by a veterinarian. Being a stye, in principle, a not too serious process that can be resolved on its own, the doctor should assess the possibility of using the antibiotic to avoid complications such as scratching wounds and in the most serious cases or those that do not heal.
- Warm cloths Applying hot cloths to the area can ease the process. It is advisable to do it 3 or 4 times a day for about 5 or 10 minutes (depending on the dog's patience). In any case, you have to be careful when doing it, otherwise the remedy could be worse than the stye itself. First of all, you have to take care of hygiene, since dirty hands or dirty cloths could aggravate the infection or create a new one. Therefore, you have to wash your hands before doing it and use clean cloths. Secondly, you have to make sure that, although they are hot, they do not burn
- Keep the area clean and avoid handling or trying to exploit the stye. As we have seen, hygiene is very important in these cases, just keep the area clean with water. On the other hand, trying to exploit the stye can make the situation worse.
- There are other remedies that have been noted as positive such as cleaning the area with gauze soaked in warm chamomile infusion or in an infusion prepared by boiling water to which is added a tablespoon of turmeric.
