My senior dog's tear duct is blocked. Can I use an ointment?

I am so sorry to hear that Kaimana is experiencing these problems with her eye. Start by placing an e-collar or cone on Kaimana to prevent scratching or rubbing. If the eye is injured, inflamed or infected it is likely painful, this will prompt Her to scratch or rub her eye. However, this could inflict further damage, infection or even an ulceration. An rlceration is a tear in the top layer of the eye and is a serious condition. Because eye concerns with dogs, such as infections, corneal ulcerations, cataracts and glaucoma, can progress rapidly I would have her examined by your veterinarian to diagnose the issue immediately. The precise medication can then be dispensed by your veterinarian. Your vet will use a special tear stain drop to visualise the eye and the top layer to make are there are no ulcerations, and check for other conditions before prescribing medications. Please do not attempt to treat an eye infection at home with any over the counter medications, drops or ointments. This can lead to permanent damage and unnecessary pain or discomfort. I hope this answer was helpful and that Kaimana feels better soon. Warmest regards to you both!

The only other way to unblock the tear duct is to flush it, which is quite difficult as it is very small. This is an option when the ointment and the warm compresses do not work. You may have to do this regimen for a longer period of time before you see any change, however discuss the option of a tear duct flush with your veterinarian.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Cataracts in dogs can be caused by diabetes, so if the cataracts are new you should have Lulu checked for this. Otherwise, cataracts cannot be fixed with drops, but would require a surgery to the eye. Also, cloudiness in the eyes isn't always cataracts, but can be something called 'nuclear sclerosis' which causes a cloudy appearance but the animals can still see. No human drops should be applied, and no drops will help with this. There are lots of medications to treat various conditions that occur along with cataracts (uveitis, glaucoma, etc). I recommend having her seen by your vet before any medications are given. Best of luck with Lulu.

Currently there are no eye medications that can effectively correct a cataract, the only option to have it cleared is surgery. As you mentioned, some dogs are not good candidates for eye surgery and so they need to be medically managed, which is what you are currently doing. The flurbiprofen is an anti inflammatory and the neomycin is an antibiotic to help prevent infection. Helen may need to be on these medications for the rest of her life. It is also important to have her eye pressure checked at least every 6 months because cataracts can lead to glaucoma (swelling/increased pressure in the eye that can be very painful). Congratulations on your new addition. Best of luck!

Hello and thank you very much for your question. Unfortunately, there are no products over the counter that can treat cataracts. But, before you decide to do anything or put anything in the eyes, it is imperative that a veterinarian perform a complete ophthalmic examination on your dog. There are so many different conditions that can look like cataracts or cause blindness that are not cataracts. And the good news is that a lot of our diseases in a dog are completely treatable; even sometimes with over-the-counter drugs. So my first piece of advice is to go to a veterinarian and find out exactly what is causing your pets blindness. Thanks a lot for your question. I hope I have helped.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Scout. It is a good idea to have her eyes checked. However, if the discharge is clear, it is likely not an emergency. If her eyes are red, she is squinting or the discharge becomes colored, then she will need to be seen sooner. She could have a breed predisposition to tearing, a congenital problem where her eyelashes grow the wrong ways irritating her corneas or a blocked duct or allergies as you mentioned. I hope this information helps!

I'm sorry to hear that Cami is having this problem. Unfortunately, the only treatment option for cataracts is surgery - so if this isn't an option for you due to cost, then there's really nothing you can do to make them go away. But, cataracts should not cause any drainage or watering of the eyes, so I would be concerned that Cami has some other eye problem causing this - possibly an eye infection, or allergies. These can often be treated with prescription eye drops from your veterinarian, so I would recommend taking her in for an eye exam to discuss what can be done to make her more comfortable.