Most pet owners would rely on their vets to give them key pet care and pet health advice. Most of the time, our vets’ advice is solid. The problem is sometimes they often overlook key advice that can go a long way in ensuring our four-legged pets’ optimal health. Maybe they are focused on medications or medical procedures. Maybe they think these often overlooked ideas are simply too basic and, well, too obvious to not even be worth the bother. Whatever the case for the oversight, your dog is simply too precious and important for you to overlook these eye care tips. They may be very basic, simple and straightforward but they do the job!
Dog eye care is no joke. If there is any kind of debris or foreign object in your dog’s eyes, it’s only a matter of time until your dog is in pain or is at risk of losing its eyesight.
On top of all this, you might get socked with a pretty hefty vet bill. I wish I could tell you that once you take care of that bill, your pet’s eyesight is guaranteed to be restored. Unfortunately, nobody can guarantee that.
To ensure optimal dog eye care, here are seven tips. These are practical everyday tips that vets often overlook.
Get Your Dog’s Fur Trimmed Regularly
One of the most common reasons why dogs develop all sorts of eye infections or suffer from eye irritations is their fur. A lot of this is due to just bad grooming. If your pet sheds or you know your pet sleeps in a certain position, do your canine companion a big favor and make sure that its fur is regularly trimmed. You don’t have to overdo and get your pet’s fur trimmed very short every single week. You just need to get your pet regularly groomed. Consistency is the key here. You might want to install a scheduler app on your mobile device to make sure you get your pet to the groomers on time every single time. Turn it into a habit.
Pick a Short-Hair Breed
If you want to save a lot of money on pet-grooming expenses and ensure that your pet’s eyes are free from fur-based irritation, pick the right breed. There are many short-hair dog breeds out there. They come in all sizes. They have many different temperaments. They are historically trained to do a wide range of jobs. If you are concerned about dog eye care issues, picking a short-hair breed can save you a lot of time, effort and grief.
Quickly Wipe Off Any Debris around Your Dog’s Eyes the Moment You Spot Them
Last time I checked, dogs do not speak. They can put up with quite a bit of punishment as far as their health is concerned. If you add these two factors together, it’s easy to see why a lot of dog owners only notice that there’s something wrong with your pet’s eyes when it’s almost too late.
Do yourself a big favor and be a little more vigilant when looking at your pet. Look at your dog’s eyes closely whenever your dog approaches you. It doesn’t take long. Just focus on the corner of your pet’s eyes and you should be able to quickly see if there’s any debris or buildup there. Quickly wipe off any foreign object or dried-up secretion the moment you see it. A little consistency on your part can definitely go a long way.
Be Mindful of Where You Let Your Dog Play
If you live in an area where there’s a lot of grass or weeds, don’t be surprised if your dog develops eye irritations or gets something stuck in its eyes. Make sure that your dog plays in areas where there are very few irritants. Of course, you really can’t guard against everything, but a bit of caution can help you and your pet avoid unnecessary inconvenience and discomfort.
Investigate if Your Pet Rubs Its Face Repeatedly
Dogs scratch themselves all the time. In fact, many dogs have developed nervous tics or rituals. However, if you notice that your dog is rubbing its face repeatedly, this is your cue to investigate more closely. Take a close look at your pet’s face especially the corner of its eyes. Maybe it’s rubbing its face because something got caught in its eyes. The sooner you catch any foreign object or irritant, the easier it would be to deal with.
Use Hypoallergenic Doggy Shampoos
One common reason why dogs develop irritated eyes or excessive eye secretions is because of the shampoo used to clean their fur. Insist on hypoallergenic doggy shampoo formulations. If you can get your hands on purely organic doggy shampoos that have been tested to be 100% hypoallergenic, definitely go for these products.
Make Sure Your Dog’s Sleeping Area is Free of Debris
Debris comes in many different forms. One commonly overlooked form of debris is shed hair or shed skin cells. These particles can look like normal dirt but they can clump up in your pet’s eyes if you don’t keep your dog’s sleeping area clear and clean. You don’t have to necessarily clean it every single day, but be on the lookout for buildup of debris. One dead giveaway is when there are a few clumps of hair. This tells you that other types of debris are not too far behind.
Keep the seven doggy eye care tips above in mind if you want to make sure your pet’s eyes remain in tiptop shape. These are dog eye care tips that too many vets often overlook. They think that this is common sense, and that is where the problem lies. There are many highly practical pieces of advice out there that veterinary professionals commonly assume everybody knows. This is too much of an assumption to make. Do yourself a big favor and pay attention to these tips so your dog’s eyes remain in great shape. Your dog will love it if you did.
