My dog's eye closes and gets red. Is it allergies or something else?

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to see and hear that Buddie is having problems. Of course food can be a reason but other things may be involved also. Allergies are very high this time of year. Late summer/early fall allergies due to weed pollens affect many people and pets. This is due to an inhaled allergy or breathing in the allergens. Other reasons could be due to an environmental irritant (not an allergy), bacterial infection around the eyes involving the eyelids, or some problem directly related to the eyes themselves. Any problems in this area causing eyes to be red, swollen, eyelid changes like you describe should be investigated as soon as possible. I would advise getting Buddie seen by your veterinarian so they can gather a detailed history including food/treat changes, etc and then they can do a complete examination, eventually focusing in on the eyes. Eye tests which may be performed include corneal stain to check for ulcers/scratches, tear production, and pressure measurements inside the eyes themselves. These will assess the health of the eyes and this is important since the eyes are very important sense organs and eye problems can deteriorate rather quickly. Once a diagnosis is made or suspected, your vet can discuss and implement a sound treatment plan. Good luck with Buddie. I hope he gets more comfortable soon.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be due to an eye injury or conditions such as a corneal laceration, corneal ulcer, uveitis, conjunctivitis, dry eye (also known as KCS), among many other conditions. I recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Further therapy would be based on the findings. Good luck and best wishes!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be due to an eye injury or conditions such as a corneal laceration, corneal ulcer, conjunctivitis, dry eye (also known as KCS), among many other conditions. I suspect that the scratching is due to allergies. I highly recommend that you have Bodhi evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Further therapy would be based on the findings. Good luck and best wishes!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If Shiro isn’t holding the eye closed or acting painful and there isn’t yellow-green discharge you can just monitor the eye. It could simply be allergies. If the eye is painful he sadly should be seen to make sure their isn’t a scratch, uveitis or glaucoma. I hope this help and I hope you have a good holiday!

Thanks for using a Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be due to an allergy or mild infection. If it is not associated with an itch or eye discharge, it is ok to monitor for now as it will likely improve on its own. If no improvement is noted in the upcoming weeks or he develops an itch or eye discharge, have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a great day!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. If Money is not opening his eye or has any discharge or pain then he should see a veterinarian. If he has an ulcer or injury to the eye it needs to be treated ASAP to prevent worse injury or permanent damage.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. This could also be due to something like mites and that can be easily determined with an exam and basic cytology which your veterinarian can perform. There are medications such as Apoquel or prednisone which may help with the itch. 

There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. 

Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). 

If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests.

 Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!