There are certain circumstances that can cause blue eyes in dogs, for this reason, in this article on our site, we will talk about this phenomenon, which is generally a consequence of aging or a serious disease called canine infectious hepatitis
We will take the opportunity to get to know this pathology in depth and highlight, once again, the importance of vaccination in dogs, both in puppies and in adult dogs. We will also explain why there is no treatment for blue eyes and many other important details about this symptom.
Diseases that cause blue eyes in dogs
Some eye pathologies causes changes in the eye to the point of changing its color. Those that get a bluish hue are the following:
- Interstitial keratitis caused by infectious canine hepatitis.
- Nuclear sclerosis.
There are other eye diseases that produce a haze that we can see as a change in color, such as cataracts, corneal dystrophies, glaucoma or uveitis, but in these cases the color it is whitish and will not be a blue eye properly.
Interstitial keratitis
Among the eye diseases in dogs we find one that receives the name of blue eye. It is interstitial keratitis that is caused by a inflammation of the cornea which is responsible for us seeing a kind of white cloth in our dog's eye. Its cause is the canine infectious hepatitis virus, which we will discuss in detail in the next section.
In these cases we will notice that the dog has a white coating on the eyesabout ten days after he has been exposed to the virus. It will also present tearing, strabismus and photophobia Although the recovery of normal ocular appearance can occur spontaneously, blue eyes will remain in dogs in some cases.
Canine Infectious Hepatitis
This type of hepatitis is caused by a virus, specifically caused by canine adenovirus type 1It is highly contagious, although, fortunately, it is not very frequent, since there is a vaccine against it that is administered widely to puppies and in annual revaccinations of adults. The highest percentage of cases occurs in dogs under one year old
Once the virus enters the dog's body, it reproduces in the tissues and can be eliminated in all body secretions, hence it is very contagiousAt this stage the dog will infect others through urine, feces and saliva. Even when the dog recovers, it can continue to be contagious to others for about nine months. The disease affects the liver, kidneys and blood vessels.
In some dogs we will not appreciate symptoms, others will die in a matter of hours and, on occasion, we will observe an acute condition with fever, anorexia, bloody diarrhea, pain, photophobia, etc. Dogs that recover may appear with a corneal cloud in one or both eyesThey are blue eyes in dogs, that is, interstitial keratitis. It usually goes away on its own in a few days.
Nuclear sclerosis
Nuclear sclerosis in dogs is nothing more than a physiological degeneration, that is, normal, of the lens of the eye as a consequence of an advanced age. The changes caused in the lens form a bluish haze responsible for the appearance of blue eyes in these dogs. Although this change may alarm us, we should know that, despite the fog, vision is not impaired
Remedies for blue eyes in dogs
As we have been developing throughout the article, blue eyes in dogs can be a temporary consequence of hepatitis or a degeneration due to age. In neither case is any type of treatment administered. After hepatitis, interstitial keratitis usually resolves itself. On the other hand, the case of nuclear sclerosis is diametrically opposite since it cannot be repaired depending on age.
What is treatable is infectious hepatitis, that's why we should go to the vet if our dog presents a picture like the one we have mentioned. Although, given the seriousness of this disease, before risking treating it, it is better to prevent it through the correspondingvaccinations.
