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Dog Conjunctivitis Cure"Dog conjunctivitis cure is based on the underlying cause of the condition. For objects in the eye or allergy the eye needs to be flushed with eyewash. Bacterial and viral infections require anti-biotic treatment. Overall eye health might be improved with a natural medicine." Dog conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye, is a general label used to describe an eye that is red. It can be caused by many conditions including smoke, pollen, fungus, glaucoma, bacteria, virus or dry eye. Conjunctivitis is called a secondary problem, meaning that it is usually due to something other than a condition in the eye itself such as an infection. This could include a problem with an eyelid that is rubbing the eye, eyelashes that drop into the eye or something in the environment such as smoke or an allergen like pollen. No matter what the cause, keeping the area around the eye clean in important. Use a clean tissue or wet warm washcloth to wipe the areas around the eye if you see any type of discharge. Do not use the same tissue or cloth for both eyes as you can spread infection from one to the other. A dog conjunctivitis cure depends on the cause of the redness. Dog Conjunctivitis Cure - Rinse the EyeIn young dogs the most common cause is allergy or something in the environment that is irritating the eye.If your dog is acting healthy, and does not appear to be in pain, rinse the eye using a saline eyewash from any drugstore or one made for dog eye care such as Opticlear. After gently squirting in the eye with a eye wash bulb or baster wipe around the eye with a tissue. You should rinse the eye 2 or 3 times per day for 1 to 2 days. If the redness goes away then the irritant has been properly flushed. See your veterinarian if the condition quickly happens again within one or two days. Dog Conjunctivitis Cure - InfectionFor an infection caused by a virus, anti-inflammatory medication will be prescribed by your veterinarian. This will reduce the inflammation and swelling of the mucous membranes around the eye. It may be administered orally, but will probably be given in the form of eye drops.For an infection caused by bacteria, antibiotics will be given. These may be given orally or by an ointment for the eye. Sometimes both are prescribed. Since it’s impossible to know if the infection is viral or bacterial unless a cultural is done, and that takes time and can be costly, most vets will go ahead and prescribe antibiotics just to be on the safe side. Anti-inflammatory medication may be prescribed as well. Be careful when wiping around the eye. Conjunctivitis is very contagious, and you don’t want to spread it from one eye to the next or make the condition worse if one eye is healing faster than the other. Dog Conjunctivitis Cure - Foreign Object in EyeFor eye irritation caused by a foreign object in the eye, your veterinarian will irrigate the eye with water or sterile saline solution. Then the vet will probably do a flurecein stain test. In this test, an orange dye in put in your dog’s eye and then the eye is examined under a special light. Any other foreign objects will show up, and also any scratches or damage to the cornea will show up. Removing the foreign object is often a dog conjunctivitis cure in itself, but sometimes it has caused an infection in the eye, and then antibiotics or anti-inflammatory medication is needed.You can remove a foreign body from your dog’s eye at home by yourself if you can see the object. Look in the eye for something like an eyelash. If you see it, try flushing the eye with water. You can also use artificial tears, the kind made for humans, which are available at any pharmacy. If you can’t flush the object out, take your dog to the vet. Dog Conjunctivitis - Frequent ProblemIf conjunctivitis is a frequent problem for your dog or if the eye always looks red, consider natural medicine to boost the health of the eye itself. Herbs such as Burdock (for cleansing), Rosemary (cleanse and soothe), Chelidonium majus (supports the immune system) and Meadowsweet (for soothing the eyes and conjunctiva). Pet Alive Eye-Heal is worth researching as a natural treatment for bacterial conjunctivitis. Discuss this and other options with your veterinarian.SourcesWhen Your Dog Gets PinkeyeStinnett, Suzanna Brevitz, Betsy From Dog Conjunctivitis Cure to More on Dog Eye Infections
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