Why are my dog's eyes rust-stained? Could it be a cat allergy?

Hello. Other than cleaning the discharge as it appears each day with a little warm water, you can flush the eyes with artificial tears to remove any allergens that may be affecting the cornea. This is not a cure, so if the discharge persists, worsens, or Iker shows any signs of pain or discomfort in his eyes, redness or conjunctival swelling, please see your veterinarian at your earliest convenience. Iker may have mild allergies, but he may also be developing conjunctivitis so do not let it go on too long without following up with your veterinarian. Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Yes, allergies can cause excessive tearing. Other causes include obstructed tear ducts and tiny eyelashes rubbing against the cornea (distichiasis). Have Smokey examined by your veterinarian for a diagnosis. The eye should be stained to rule out corneal injury as well. Antihistamines may help allergies, flushing the tear ducts may open them up and having the lashes plucked should decrease tearing.

Green/yellow, thick discharge strongly suggest bacterial conjunctivitis. You can clean the eyes with warm water and cotton buds twice a day, it should give Cooper some relief. However, bacterial infection needs antibiotics treatment to resolve, so you will need to try and get your dog seen by a vet as soon as they open.

Dry eye can result in the discharge in the picture you posted and can require more than just Artificial Tears to treat. (That would be more common than an allergy problem especially since only one eye is affected.) I am attaching a handout with more information about dry eye below. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951823 I would recommend contacting your veterinarian to let them know that the discharge has not resolved with the antibiotic and steroid ointment and ask them if they think a cyclosporin eye medication would be appropriate to try. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If your pet Batman has eye discharge that is yellow/green then that is a sign of conjunctivitis which can be caused by an environmental allergy but it is more likely caused by a scratch/ulcer on the eye itself and not allergy related at all. I would recommend taking him in to your vet to get the eye examined. He will likely need to be placed on a topical eye antibiotic ointment to get this to heal well. I hope that Batman's eye resolves soon! : ) Best wishes and take care.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Juliette! There is pigment normally present in tear film and saliva. If she is having excessive tearing and is either using her paws to rub her eyes (like a grooming cat) or is licking her paws that can explain the discoloration. The most common reason for a sudden onset of excessive tearing and licking of the paws is allergies (allergies can start anytime). You are right that the tear staining can be normal in some breeds and there is nothing that can be done. I would get Juliette in to your Vet for an evaluation of her eyes and skin. Watch her closely to see if she is pawing her face or is licking her feet. If the staining is on her back feet then you have your answer, she is licking them. Your vet can prescribe medications for her eyes and something to stop the itch. There are not products that work consistently to remove the staining. You will have to stop the inciting cause then wait for the hair to grow out and get her groomed. I wish you the best!

Yes, this can be very normal. Cats and dogs can get allergies just like humans. Sometimes the allergic reaction manifests as itchy skin, but they can also have itchy, watery eyes, and respiratory symptoms. Based on what you were describing with your cat, since it happens seasonally, I would be suspicious of allergies. One other thing to consider in your cat would be an upper respiratory virus. These viruses can remain in the system for long periods of time and cause ocular symptoms like you are describing and also sometimes cause respiratory symptoms. Sometimes cats need medication to get over these respiratory viruses but often times they self resolved within a couple of weeks. Since rinsing his eyes out routinely last year helped I would recommend starting with that again. You may also want to try and over-the-counter anti-histamine like Zyrtec as well. If you don’t see improvement within a reasonable period of time then you might want to take him back to the vet to have him checked out. Sometimes goopy eyes can be indicative of more complicated diseases like anterior uveitis or corneal ulcers. I hope this helps. Thanks reason Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.