Any tips on watery eyes for our ~5-month-old B?
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wrote on 11 Jun 2020, 22:07 last edited by
I ran my former husband's (human) ophthalmology practice for 15 years and did all triage and have noticed that our vet uses human drops for eye issues.
With humans, teary eyes without significant discharge indicates irritation, which is most often caused by dry eye. It can be caused in some breeds such a Boston Terriers because of prominent eyes which protrude. Many environmental conditions can cause dry eye in humans such as blowing air in the car, ceiling fans, heating, air conditioning, etc. Can you see if the pup's eyes close completely when sleeping? If not, that could explain dryness and tearing. You might try a lubricating drop with transient preservatives (Refresh, Optive, Genteal, Systane are all good brands) or totally unpreserved lubricating drops. Do not use any "get the red out" drops.
As a rule, seasonal allergies cause itching and I would expect to see a dog rubbing its eyes if it sensed a foreign body or itching from allergies. My favorite allergy drop (Patanol or Pataday) is now OTC and I think it is okay for dogs.
If you see gooey or colored discharge or significant crusting, I would suspect an infection.
And, I'm not a doctor!
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wrote on 11 Jun 2020, 22:45 last edited by
I had one rescue Basenji whose eyes were teary but they weren't bothersome to her. We have a fake Basenji now whose eyes are teary due to clogged tear ducts, the vet has unclogged them but they just clog up again. Doesn't seem to bother him. There used to be a product that you could sprinkle on their food every once in a while to prevent staining and it worked . But it was banned.
-Joanne -
wrote on 11 Jun 2020, 23:21 last edited by
Sorry your little guy is experiencing this,. The picture shows a cute dog -- congratulations! -- but not a lot of detail around the eye. I brought it into PS to see if I could get a better look. When I I blow it up it looks more like dermatitis mange (basically just mites that all dogs get at birth from their mom). This is certainly TOTALLY OFF BASE. I doubt a vet would miss this and there are many reasons for watery eyes. It's just that with the resolution and shadows it's hard to see.
Personally I've never encountered eye problems along these line, or heard of them for that matter. Usually when you see watery eyes, which aren't a big deal, the discharge is in the corner. If I'm seeing this correctly, it looks like it extends under the eye. So while it's great that it doesn't seem to bother him, it's a very good idea to see a specialty vet. I suspect you'll get a diagnosis. If you do please let us know what you find out.
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wrote on 11 Jun 2020, 23:41 last edited by
Giza1.....what is a fake basenji or was that a typo. Just askin 😄
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wrote on 12 Jun 2020, 02:04 last edited by jcflood 6 Dec 2020, 02:05
@tanza Yup, we reached out to the breeder a few weeks ago and she mentioned that it could be allergies from food or the environment, but otherwise she didn't indicate that he had any prior issue with his eyes.
The tearing seems most prevalent (i) when he is running around at the park and (ii) when we leave him alone in his crate (which we haven't done very often, given the quarantine restrictions the past few months). That makes me wonder if it's linked to periods of heightened activity/stress, but maybe I'm grasping at straws.
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wrote on 12 Jun 2020, 03:06 last edited by
I have fostered over 50 basenjis over the years and only had one b that had an eye problem. He had a problem with his eyelids called entropion.
Entropion (en-TROH-pee-on) is a condition in which your eyelid turns inward so that your eyelashes and skin rub against the eye surface. This causes irritation and discomfort. When you have entropion, your eyelid may be turned in all the time or only when you blink hard or squeeze your eyelids shut.
I'm glad you are taking him to be examined by an opthamologist. Please let us know what that doctor says.
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wrote on 12 Jun 2020, 06:27 last edited by
In almost 40 years of breeding and being associated with Basenjis, I have never come across this eye problem so would heartily dispute any idea that it is common to the Breed.
On the other hand, I have known, and frequently travelled to shows with, a Basenji who had an distinct allergy in Springtime and would come up in lumps and bumps near certain plants.
Opththalmologist and possibly some kind of allergy specialist would be the best port of call. It will be very interesting to learn the results you get. Its good that he isn't bothered by it but it does tend to mar his obvious beauty !
Good luck -
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replied to jcflood on 12 Jun 2020, 10:58 last edited by
@jcflood
This could be a reaction to formaldehyde that’s in carpet.
We bought a newer home years ago that had not been lived in very much. Our non Basenjis eyes matted shut and we discovered that formaldehyde is used in the mfg of carpet and can cause eye irritation to pets
Just a thought -
replied to joan duszka on 12 Jun 2020, 13:46 last edited by
@joan-duszka said in Any tips on watery eyes for our ~5-month-old B?:
Giza1.....what is a fake basenji or was that a typo. Just askin 😄
A "fake basenji" would be a dog with so many similarites that you would swear they are at least part Basenji, only to find out they aren't. This little impersonator is a perfect example. To look at her, she seems to only be missing the white tail tip. Her DNA results tell the true story. (She is still a lovely dog!)
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wrote on 12 Jun 2020, 15:02 last edited by
Hi all - we've scheduled an appointment with a board-certified ophthalmologist on July 8 (Eye Care for Animals - Chicago), so I'll circle back after with an update. Thank you all very much for your responses! What a wonderful community.
20/20