In this article...
- Typical
Causes of an Eye Infection;
- Typical Signs that Your Dog's or Cat's Eye May Be Infected;
- Typical Signs of Pink Eye - Conjunctivitis
- Contagiousness
of Eye Infections
- Treating
and Curing Eye Infections
- Topical Treatments
- Ingested (Dietary) Remedies
- Duration of Treatment
- When
To Get Your Dog or Cat to Your Veterinarian
1.0 Typical
Causes of an Eye Infection
- Allergies
(i.e. food allergies, environmental allergies)
- Bacteria
- Debris
- foreign object in the eye – i.e. particles of grass, dirt, etc.
- Debris
and /or irritation can occur very simply
- The
dog putting his/her head out a vehicle window when the vehicle is in motion;
- Running
through tall grasses – a small particle of grass seed may get into a dog’s or
cat’s eye
- Sand/dirt
whipped up and airborne by a strong wind
- Sticking
his/her head into an animal burrow/hole, etc.
- Trauma
to the eye
- Toxins in the diet and health regimen
- Viruses.
2.0 Typical Signs that Your Dog's or Cat's
Eye May Be Infected
- Thick
mucus-like discharge from the inner corner of the eye – colour of the discharge
often has a slight green tinge;
- Inflammation
– redness of the eye;
- Dog
or cat may try to rub his/her eye frequently with his/her paw, or against the
ground, furniture etc.;
- Squinting;
- Cloudiness
of the eye;
- Inability
to open the eye partially or completely.
3.0 Typical Signs of Pink Eye also known
as Conjunctivitis
Pink eye/Conjunctivitis is a little different than other types of eye infections. Symptoms of pink eye include:
- Severe itching of the entire eye area;
- Pronounced pink coloration of the dog's eye area;
- Your dog's eye may be severely bloodshot;
- Surrounding eye tissue including the eye-lid will be inflamed;
- Dogs with pink eye will often try to use their paw to scratch and remove discharge from their eyes;
- Your dog may seek out dark places out of direct light and sun light - when he/she would normally rest in brighter areas;
- Your dog's tear ducts may have increased tear production;
- Increased discharge coming from the dog's eye, may collect around the eye area and make it difficult for your dog to blink or open his/her eye.
4.0 Contagiousness
of Eye Infections
Eye
infections are very contagious.Use
great care when touching/treating an infected eye. If
your dog has one eye that is infected and one eye that is not infected – if you
are not careful you can end-up accidentally introducing the infection to the
non-infected eye.
- Make
sure you wash your hands after touching/treating the infected eye;
- Don’t
use the same cotton swab, cloth etc. on both eyes – use a fresh cotton swab,
cloth etc. for each eye;
- Make
sure the eye-dropper, ointment or medicine applicator does not touch the eye –
if it does wash the tip before reusing or applying to the other eye;
- Wash
your hand thoroughly after touching, treating the infected eye.
5.1 Pink-Eye also known as Conjunctivitis is Highly
Contagious, and Zoonotic
- Is zoonotic - transferable from:
- Human to dog when the infection is bacteria-based pink eye;
- Dog to dog;
- Insect to dog;
- The bacterial form of pink eye is the most common form of conjunctivitis;
- The viral form of pink eye is an air borne virus that is particularly common in the winter when the air is damp and humid;
- The third most common cause of pink eye is triggered by environmental allergies which can cause irritation of the sinus and inflammation of the mucus membranes of the eye - in which case the cure involves addressing both the conjunctivitis and the environmental allergy
5.2 Eye
Infections Worsen Very Quickly
If
you think your dog or cat has an eye infection - take action ASAP as eye
infections can advance very quickly. On
the first day you may notice a little discharge and by the next day the
infection can be fully developed! Especially
if your dog’s or cat’s immune system is suppressed. The following are some very typical substances that can contribute to a suppressed immune system:
6.0 Treating
and Curing Eye Infections
Step 1 - Topical Treatment
Clean Your Dog’s or Cat’s Eye Right Away
Use this Saline
Solution
- Combine;
- ½
cup warm water (distilled water if you have it on hand) with;
- ½
tsp salt;
- Stir;
- Apply
some of the solution to a cotton ball;
- Use
the cotton ball to wipe your dog’s or cat’s eye.
Apply a Topical Treatment, Curative to The Infected Eye
Choose One of the Following Standard
Treatments
For use if the infection is not severe. These treatments are to be Applied 2 to 3 times per day...
6.1 Herbal Treatments
Chamomile Tea
- Brew the tea and allow to cool so that the liquid is just slightly warm;
- Use
the liquid, drop 2 to 3 drops in the eye two to three times a day until the
infection clears, or;
- Place
a cooled tea bad against the eye several times a day until the infection
clears.
Eyebright
Tea (cooled to warm);
- Brew the tea and allow to cool so that the liquid is just slightly warm;
- Use
the liquid, drop 2 to 3 drops in the eye two to three times a day until the
infection clears, or;
- Place
a cooled tea bad against the eye several times a day until the infection
clears.
Green
Tea - decaffeinated (cooled to warm)
- Brew the tea and allow to cool so that the liquid is just slightly warm;
- Use
the liquid from the green tea, drop 2 to 3 drops in the eye two to three times a day until the
infection clears, or;
- Place
a cooled tea bad against the eye several times a day until the infection
clears.
Rooibos
Tea (cooled to warm)
- Brew the tea and allow to cool so that the liquid is just slightly warm;
- Use
the liquid from the rooibos tea - drop 2 to 3 drops in the eye two to three times a day until the
infection clears, or;
- Place
a cooled tea bad against the eye several times a day until the infection
clears.
6.2 Nutraceutical Treatments
Distilled
Water and Organic Unpasturized Apple Cider Vinegar (room temperature)
Not for use with pink-eye
Distilled
Water and Fresh Lemon Juice (room temperature)
Not for use with pink-eye
- Combine;
- 2
tbs distilled water with;
- 4
drops of fresh squeezed lemon juice;
- Stir
well;
- Drop
2 to 3 drops in the eye two to three times a day until the infection clears;
Distilled
Water and Unpasturized Organic Honey (room temperature)
For use with an infected eye and pink eye
- Combine;
- 2
tbs distilled water with;
- 2 tbs unpasturized organic honey;
- Stir
well;
- Drop
2 to 3 drops in the eye two to three times a day until the infection clears.
Distilled
Water and Oregon Grape Tincture (room temperature)
For use with an infected eye and pink eye
- Combine;
- 1 once distilled water with;
- 4 drops of Oregon grape tincture
- Stir
well;
- Drop
2 to 3 drops in the eye two to three times a day until the infection clears.
6.3 Extra
Strength Treatments
For use if the infection is more severe and/or tenacious. These treatments are to be Applied 2 to 3 times per day...
Colloidal
Silver Water
- Drop
2 to 3 drops in the eye two to three times a day until the infection clears;
- See
this article to understand:
- What
colloidal silver is;
- How
it works;
- How
to select a quality product.
Extra
Strength Herbal
- Combine:
- ½
cup of distilled water;
- 5
drops of one of the following teas (brew the tea and allow to cool so that the liquid is just slightly warm);
- Calendula;
- Camomile;
- Eyebright;
- Red
Clover;
- St.
John’s Wort
- ½
tsp of salt;
- Optional
ingredient - 1 tbs 100% aloe vera juice
- Drop
2 to 3 drops in the eye two to three times a day until the infection clears;
Step Two - Ingested Treatment
While you are topically treating your dog or cats eye infection you should also add foods and/or supplements to the daily diet to help recovery of the eye infection...
Add
Foods (to Your Dog’s and Cat’s Daily Diet) That Support Eye-Health and Speed Recovery
from Infections
The
following foods and supplements support eye health, speed recovery and support
your dog’s immune system – use them daily and keep them in your dog’s permanent
diet to support good health and help avoid future infections…
Boost
Your Dog’s and Cat’s daily Vitamin A intake;
- Included some foods that are very high in Vitamin A in your dog’s and cat's daily diet;
- Butternut
Squash;
- Carrots;
- Dark
leafy greens (dandelion, spinach, kale);
- Dark
leafy lettuce (red leaf lettuce, radicchio, romaine, frizzy lettuce, etc.)
- Herbs:
- Parsley
(dried or fresh);
- Basil
(dried or fresh);
- Papaya
- Turkey
and chicken liver are rich in Vitamin A. If your dog or cat is on a balanced raw diet you already have this covered. If your dog or cat isn't on a balanced raw diet you can cook a little turkey
or chicken liver in coconut oil or olive oil (low heat cooking only to avoid the formation of
carcinogens). Add a piece of the cooked liver to your dog’s or cat’s food once a day. Liver should not exceed 5% of your dog or cat's daily intake of animal protein. If your dog or cat has never had raw or cooked liver before start with a very small amount and slowly increase to the 5% daily quota.
- Cantaloupe
- you can give cantaloupe to your dog for a snack. Even better if it is topped
with yogurt or kefir. You can read this article to understand how to choose a good yogurt and kefir for your dog or cat.
Boost
your Dog’s or Cat’s Daily Vitamin C Intake
- You
can add a little fresh lemon to your dog’s daily diet – see this article for preparation and dosage;
- Or add fresh papaya to your dog's, cat's daily diet.
Boost
Your Dog’s and Cat’s Daily Bioflavonoid Intake
- Brussels Sprouts
- Broccoli
- Garlic
- You can read about the many
benefits, how to prepare and dosage here;
- Green
Tea or Rooibos Tea;
- You
can read about Rooibos tea, its many benefits, daily dosage here.
- Papaya
(and Mango)
- Peppers
(bell) - Sweet red, yellow, orange, or purple Bell Peppers
- If your dog suffers from an inflammatory condition such as arthritis skip the peppers as the bell pepper plant is a nightshade family plant. Nightshades can increase inflammation in the case of an existing inflammatory condition;
- Blueberries, blackberries, raspeberries, serviceberries, tart red cherries.
6.0 Duration of Treatment
- Your
dog’s or cat’s eye infection should begin to subside after several days of
treatment;
- If
improvement does not start to occur after several days switch to the extra
strength treatment.
7.0 When
To Get Your Dog or Cat to Your
Veterinarian
- If
you have switched to the extra strength treatment and do not see improvement begin
to occur the following day;
- If
your dog is showing signs of lost appetite or sluggishness/lack of energy and
with treatment his/her appetite or energy level does not return within a day or
two;
- While
these treatments are effective for most eye infections there will be some cases
when a home remedy may not be enough to cure the infection – particularly if
you have only started treating the infection once it is in an advanced stage;
- If
the infection is a result of a trauma to the eye.
8.0 Daily Diet - the Foundation of Issues, Remedies
Make
sure your dog and cat is on a daily diet that truly supports a healthy
immune system. A good diet is the best defense against disease and
illness. Herbs and nutraceuticals should be incorporated into the diet to support treatment, remedy and ongoing long-term daily health.
Chronic infections CANNOT be resolved using topical treatment only - the root cause of the infection MUST be addressed. Review
of every aspect of the existing diet, existing health care regimen and
design of a new diet, health care regimen is essential to remedy chronic
infections.
9.0 Holistic Remedy
Holistic Wellness and Behaviorist Services
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