Boston Terrier Big Eyes
Let’s face it, the first thing we see when we look at a Boston Terrier is the size of their eyes. They are gigantic love puddle. Whenever they look at you they tell you exactly what they feel and for the most part, all they feel is love. Now, it is also very important to love them back which is why we have to care for them and one of the many tasks of a Boston Terrier owner is to keep his eyes clean.
Why Are My Dog’s Eyes Red?
Many things can cause your dog to have red eyes. Here are the most common ones:
- foreign object or liquid
- dryness
- fatigue
- allergies
- infections
- diseases and medical conditions (cherry eyes)
Some situations named before will require professional help from a veterinarian and please, never hesitate to do so when in doubt. Internet is in no way a PhD in veterinary medicine. That being said, we can care for those beautiful Boston terrier big eyes very easily at home. How to clean my dog’s eyes is a question you will eventually ask yourself if you plan on having a Boston Terrier. Every morning we wipe his eyes with a soft 3-ply tissue to gently remove the small amount of discharge in the corner of his eyes. It usually doesn’t come back during the day… Well sometimes after a good nap.You can also use Towels for Dogs if you prefer.
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OK, now let’s look at the reasons why you Boston Terrier has red eyes.
Foreign object or liquid
Like any of us it is very irritating to have something stuck in your eye. Your dog won’t be telling you he has something stuck so if you notice a strange behavior and he keeps reaching for his eyes, look into it. If you spot a small object and you believe you can access it easily, wash your hands, reassure your dog and go for it. Avoid going with your fingers if you have long nails. A method I use is I roll up a tissue in a pointy shape and push the object to the corner of his eye and remove it from there. If it is something abrasive like sand, use an eye-shower. You can find some at your Vet’s clinic or HERE.
REMEMBER : NEVER ATTEMPT ANYTHING IF YOU FEEL UNEASED OR IF YOUR DOG SEEMS IN TOO MUCH PAIN OR WON’T OBEY AND STAY CALM. GET PROFESSIONAL HELP IF REQUIRED.
Here is a link to some more information by a professional clinic.
Dryness
Dryness is something very easily relieved by eye drops for dogs. Again, you can find these at your Vet’s clinic or online but regular saline eye drops for humans will work as well. Sometimes dogs will just suffer from dry eyes but it can also hide an underlying condition this is what my research has shown:
Some most common causes include immune mediated, congenital, hereditary, metabolic diseases (Hypothyroidism, Diabetes, Cushing’s), certain infectious diseases, neurologic, inflammatory, drug toxicity, or iatrogenic. Depending on the cause of dry eye, resolution of this a problem can be achieved. However, it is common that dry eye is a treatable condition and not curable. Dry eye is diagnosed by having a Schirmer Tear Test performed and the observation of concurrent ocular lesions that are consistent with dry eye.
(Source: Veterinary Vision Center )
Fatigue
This is something that I have noticed on Ivar. Whenever he doesn’t get enough sleep during the day, his eyes will get red. He is pretty much like me lol After a big day with our nephew and nieces where he is very solicited, if he doesn’t get a nap, his eyes will turn red. We usually notice the eyes after we realize he is not as energetic as usual, and most of the time us neither 🙂 So if you find your dog to be tired, he might have red eyes as well so don’t sweat it and let him go to bed.
Allergies
Humans can be allergic to dogs but dogs can be allergic to many things as well and especially insect bites! The first time Ivar had an allergic reaction due to a spider bite was a small trauma for the sensitive bunch I have at home. Being trained as a paramedic by the Canadian Forces, I wasn’t too shook up and I handled things but I was very worried nonetheless. So I researched and found that you can give them small doses of Diphenhydramine also well-known as Benadryl. You just have to keep an eye on him after you gave him some just to make sure he doesn’t suffer secondary effects. The swelling took about 2 hours to cut down by half, we gave him a second dose after 12 hours and the whole thing was gone about 24 hours later. Eve (the youngest) is still very emotional about this episode so I recommend that you comfort your children if this ever happens to your loved companion. I mean, look at him, wouldn’t you be worried?
TRY THESE FOR ALLEGIES———-> LEGENDARY CANINE
Boston Terrier Eye Infection
Infections are easy to spot as you will obviously notice the redness but there will also be some abnormal discharge. Usually it won’t be white like in the morning. It will be of a yellow to greenish color, just like us humans. Many things can cause infection so I recommend the usage of Dogs’ Eye Drops for 48 hours and if you see no improvement, go see your Vet. Observe your dog behavior during the 48 hours and regularly check his eyes for signs of improvement or deterioration.
Diseases and Medical Conditions
There are so many diseases and medical conditions and I am not a Vet so I will not expand on this too much as the best advice I can give you is this: Play with your dog and observe him. If you notice anything unusual about his behavior, his physical appearance and as the subject of this article, if your dog has red eyes, look into it! Don’t ignore it! Things we ignore have a tendency to come back and bite us in the … most unexpected moment!
Boston Terrier Cherry Eye
This is the condition that was haunting us the most when we got Ivar. I had heard a lot about that and I was worried it was gonna happen to us if we didn’t emphasize on prevention. So far, it has worked as we have not faced this situation yet and hopefully never will. OK but what is Boston Terrier Cherry Eye and what does it look like?
Dog’s third eyelid becomes irritated and inflamed causing it to turn red and swell like a cherry sticking out from the corner of your dog’s eye. It could be large or small and intermittent. Apparently it is not painful for the dog but it can lead to other worst conditions. In some cases, the eye is about to pop out of his socket and you will require professional help. Thanks to Vethelp.com you can see here what it looks like.
How to Prevent Cherry Eye in Boston Terriers?
Many people say there is no way to prevent cherry eye in Boston Terriers but by searching a lot online and by our own experience, we believe that wearing a harness rather than a collar for daily walks helps a lot. There is no force applied to his neck that can create pressure and force his eyes out of their socket. The other way to prevent this is massaging his eyes and his face around the sockets in a very gentle manner. If the condition starts to show, you can apply a little pressure over the eyelids in order to push it back in place BUT DON’T FORCE IT, MASSAGE SOFTLY! The dog cherry eye treatment cost can vary from nothing to whatever your vet charges if your dog cherry eye conditon requires an operation.
More details on the operation————– HERE
For an How-to method, visit your veterinarian or watch this video.
In Conclusion
To summarize this last post, and like most of my posts, take care of your little bundle of joy that is your Boston Terrier. Always remember that it is far better to prevent harm than healing so keep your Boston terrier big eyes clean at all times. Pay attention to his discomfort and come visit this page often for more tips. We try to keep it light and refer you to good sources for more in-depth information.
Thank you for reading me and never hesitate to ask questions or to comment below.
J-F
