A dog with pinkeye?

[hmp2z]

Hi! I have a question for those of you with fur babies: Can a dog catch pink eye? We are fostering a dog, and when we got him last Sunday, the white part of his right eye looked very pink. Then about 2 or 3 days ago, it started watering. It spread to his left eye, too, and both eyes are pink, watering, and scummy (they stick shut when he sleeps). We called the rescue group, and they are having me pick up some eyedrops for him tomorrow, but they said it sounds like he scratched his eye. If he did, then somehow he scratched both his eyes! And the right eye was pink when we got him on Sunday, and has gotten progressively worse this week. Has anyone else had this happen to their pet? Any thoughts as to what it could be? I think the rescue group may be off in their diagnosis. It's possible that he scratched both eyes, but it seems more like an infection to me, since it's gradually gotten worse and now affects both eyes. They said they don't want me to take him to a vet, b/c it doesn't sound serious (they would have to pay for the vet).
Any ideas or suggestions?
Thanks!
Heather W

 

[Tiggerlover91]

A couple of years ago, my cat had pinkeye. I didn't know it til I got him to the vet though. His eye was pink, it was draining, and it was glossy so to speak. It just didn't look right to me. Just as a doctor did for me, my vet gave me some medicine to put in Disney's (my cat) eye and his pink eye was gone in a couple of days. I was also told that a human can't get pink eye from a pet and vice-versa.
Get your dog to the vet, I think the rescue group is a bit off.

 

[Angelrose]

yes dogs and cats do get pinkeye. My vet told me white cats and dogs are particularly suseptable. A visit to the vet is a must.

 

[skuttle]

Yep...sure can! Milo, our corgi, had pinkeye about a year ago. His eye got just like human pinkeye...very red/pink, trouble keeping it open, and stuff coming out of it. Vet gave us eyedrops to give him.

 

[DocRafiki]

I hate the term "pinkeye." It doesn't really mean anything.

I almost always tell people to go see a vet, but in this case I would just use the eyedrops or eye ointment. An infection would be treated with the same meds as a corneal scratch, except you wouldn't want to put a steroid on a scratch/ulcer. So just make sure there isn't a steroid in it (usually hydrocortisone), even though your pup probably doesn't have a scratch and will likely be ok even with the steroid. {I'm assuming they are giving you a triple antibiotic ointment or drop; make sure that's the case}

I'm treating my dog for an eye infection right now, too. A simple common infection should start looking better within 2-3 days of applying the meds 2-3 times a day. (Continue for 7 days, though). So, if it starts getting worse after the meds or if it isn't improving after 3 days, then have it tested by a vet.

 

[DocRafiki]

I just re-read your post. When you say they stick out when he sleeps, does that mean his eyelids are open, exposing the cornea? If that's the case, I'd have the vet test it. For accurate testing, don't put anything in the eyes before your appointment.

 

[becka]

Well you have already heard from our resident vet but I just thought I would share my experiences. Our toy poodle, Rusty, was diagnosed with pink eye back in late March. His eye was very red, puffy and was draining lots of really nasty stuff. We ended up taking him to the Vet ER at the MU College of Vet Medicine. They at first thought that he might have scratched his eye but once they brought in an opthamologist to examine him they concluded that he did have an infection (pinkeye) that was most likely cause by a "dry eye" condition called KCS (I think that is the correct term). Apparently there are certain breeds that are more prone to this condition and if left untreated it can lead to recurring infections and eventually permanent damage to their eyes. We treated the initial infection with an antibiotic ointment and some drops. We now treat him with daily drops to help treat the KCS.

 

[hmp2z]

Thank you for the posts! I have an appointment this morning, to take him to see the woman from the rescue group who says that she has some eye drops to give him. Hopefully that will help, and she said that she is going to check him out, to see if a vet trip is necessary or not. They have a vet tech on staff where she works, so hopefully they will give me some good advice. I have just been worried about him - his eyes are so watery and gummy.
About the eye when he sleeps, I meant that the eyelids got stuck together, b/c of all the gummy stuff coming out of them, so that I have to wipe his eyes clean before he can open them.
Thank you again for all of the help! It is really appreciated and greatly relieves my mind. I don't know if his breed is particularly susceptible to eye infections or not; he is a pit bull who we are fostering, b/c the animal control here kills 100% of all pit bulls they take in and don't allow anyone but rescue groups to help them.
Thank you again - I didn't even know we had a resident vet! How great!
Heather W