Home Remedies That Can Provide Relief to Your Pet’s Eye Infection

Trina

Dogs and cats can often suffer from eye infections, no matter how careful you are. If you notice signs of eye infection, you must consult a veterinary doctor immediately. Many home remedies can provide relief to your pet too, and help in speeding up the recovery process.

Eye infections can be caused due to viruses or bacteria, out of which the latter is more common. Infections can cause a lot of irritation, and you will notice your pet pawing at its eye continuously. There might be some discharge as well, which can look like mucus and green in color. Other symptoms might exist as well, such as cloudiness, squinting, and swelling in the eye. There are visual similarities between eye infection and trauma. That’s why it is necessary to get it checked by a vet. Eye infections can also range between mild and extreme. The vet will prescribe the medication according to the severity.

Talk to a Vet First

Eye infections cannot get completely cured without medical attention. Most veterinary doctors prescribe a Neomycin Polymyxin Dexamethasone eye ointment for dogs and cats. It is one of the best medicines to cure the bacterial infection as well as reduce swelling and inflammation. Neomycin and polymyxin are antibiotics that can kill the bacteria present in your pet’s eye. Dexamethasone is a mild steroid that reduces the swelling caused by the infection. It also reduces the redness and pain in the eye. Neomycin Polymyxin Dexamethasone eye ointment is also prescribed by veterinary doctors for other types of eye-related problems.

Once the ointment gets administered, it might take a few days for the symptoms to subside. If you do not see improvements within 48 hours of application, contact your veterinary doctor. Make sure that your pet is not allergic to any of the ingredients before you administer it.

Home Remedies That Can Help

Some home remedies can provide a soothing effect to your pet and speed up the healing. But make sure that you speak to your vet before you administer any home remedies.

Clean the Eye

First and foremost, clean the area of the eye infection. We are not asking you to clean the inside of your pet’s eye, but only the surrounding area. Boil some water with a teaspoon of salt and let it cool down. Soak a Q tip or a cotton swab and carefully wipe away any discharge around the eye. These discharges can aggravate the problem further by causing a secondary infection.

Redbush Tea

Redbush tea and provide relief to the swelling and inflammation. You can brew some redbush tea, cool it down, and then use it to clean the eye the same way. Some other herbal brews have also proved effective, such as calendula, chamomile, and red clover.

Warm Compression

Warm compression can help in providing relief for the pain. You can soak a towel in heated water, squeeze the water out, and put it on the affected eye. Warm compression can also reduce the swelling of the eye.

Flush Out the Infected Eye

You can use a sterilized saline solution to flush out the mucus and other discharges from your pet’s eye. Fill a pipette with a sterile solution and use that to flush your pet’s eye. The best time to flush your pet’s eye would be before you apply the ointment. It will ensure that your dog’s eye does not get dry, and the medicine has maximum effect.

Home remedies can be effective when used with prescribed medication. But make sure that there is a gap between the application of the medicines and cleaning the eye. Applying ointment and any other home remedy to your pet’s eye can be challenging. Dogs and cats would try to back away or run if you attempt to apply anything to their eye. The best way is to have someone hold them while you administer the ointment or flush their eye. If you do not have someone to hold them, you can kneel behind your pet, gently lift the chin and apply the medicine or saline solution. That way the pet will not be able to back away from you.

Eye infections can be hard to prevent. But there are a few steps that you can take to ensure that your pet is kept away from infection.

• Keep your pet away if you notice eye infection in another dog or cat.
• Wipe your pet’s eyes clean after visiting the park, or swimming.
• Feed your pet a lot of food that contains antioxidants and vitamins. It will help to improve its immunity.

Eye infections are easy to treat. But neglecting it can be dangerous for your pet’s eyes. So make sure you consult a vet at the earliest signs of infection.

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