Dog Red Eyes with Fever

I have a Great Dane. One morning we woke up to find he had a temperature and both eyes were red, inflamed and sensitive to light. The "third eye"(I think it's called) was covering the eyes and would only occasionally go down into their rightful position.

The temperature lasted one full day and then the latter half of the 2nd day. On the 3rd day there was no temperature. The eyes gradually returned to normal - that took about 1 week. What could this have been? Are Great Danes prone to eye problems?

Many thanks,

Karin

Comment from our Vet regarding Dog Red Eyes with Fever

Hi Karin,

Did you take your dog’s temperature with a thermometer to find out he had a fever? The reason I ask is that the first thing I usually do with eye problems is try to determine if we’re dealing with a “whole body” condition or something limited just to the eyes.

A fever would probably indicate “whole body.”
I really can’t say exactly what was going on with your Dane. The first thing I think of with a fever is infection, but other things like immune diseases can increase body temperatures as well.

Great Danes aren’t especially prone to eye problems, but of course anything can happen in a particular individual. The third eyelid being raised can be a sign of eye discomfort or it might indicate dehydration as well.

If the problem occurs again, I’d get him in to the vet ASAP.

Good luck,

Jennifer Coates, DVM