Diagnosing and Treating Cloudy Eyes in Dogs
A veterinarian is the best person to diagnose the cause of your dog’s cloudy eyes, and your general practice doctor may refer you to a specialist in veterinary ophthalmology for further treatment.
The treatment for your dog’s cloudy eyes depends on the cause, the age of your dog, the progress of the problem, and your dog’s discomfort. Your veterinarian will lay out a plan to treat your dog’s cloudy eyes if treatment is necessary.
Watch your dog closely for other symptoms of eye problems, such as increased discharge, squinting, or a change in your dog’s eyes shape, size, color, or vision, and contact your veterinarian as soon as possible if you notice redness, squinting, or thick discharge from your dog’s eye, in addition to cloudiness. https://www.akc.org/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php Get Your Free AKC eBook
Cloudy Eyes In Dogs: What To Look For
It’s not uncommon for owners to notice cloudy eyes in dogs suddenly or overnight, since this change can be quite subtle, until it isn’t. While it might seem like this has happened suddenly, the process can take some time and it’s possible to catch it before a serious white spot on a dog’s eye forms.
Keep an eye out for the following signs that your dogs eyes might be irritated or unhealthy:
If you can catch the illness before it gets worse, vets have a chance of preventing fully milky white eyes in dogs.
What to do if my dog has cloudy eyes
You may think your dogs eye will have become cloudy suddenly, but this is rarely the case. Whether it is due to an infection, contracted disease or hereditary genetic condition, it will usually start small and build up. This is why you need to regularly observe the condition of their eyes. Many dogs do not like it if you hold their gaze for too long, even if they have an otherwise good relationship with you. However, you can still have a look and they shouldnt feel too uncomfortable.
Sometimes cloudiness in an eye will come from an injury. Again, the cloudiness will not likely appear suddenly. Instead, the injury will lead to infection, hemorrhaging or similar damage. This is what will cause the change in appearance and color long term. As your dog may get an injury to the eye, you should include some sort of eye wash in your canine first aid kit.
If you see your dog has a cloudy eye, take them to the vet immediately. In our list of possible causes and disorders, the progression can be slow or rapid. If the latter is the case, we need to ensure effective diagnosis and treatment is carried out by a professional. Otherwise, temporary or permanent blindness can occur. You should not treat the condition yourself, especially not with medications designed for humans. Due to the eyes sensitivity, you could be the one doing damage and causing a loss of vision.
This article is purely informative. AnimalWised does not have the authority to prescribe any veterinary treatment or create a diagnosis. We invite you to take your pet to the veterinarian if they are suffering from any condition or pain.
If you want to read similar articles to What Causes Cloudy Eyes in Dogs?, we recommend you visit our Eye problems category. References
1. Mowat, F. M., et al. (2008). Topographical characterization of cone photoreceptors and the area centralis of the canine retina. Mol. Vis., 14:2518-2527. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2610288/
2. Hamzianpour, N., Lam, R., Tetas, R., &Beltran, E. (2017). Clinical signs, imaging findings, and outcome in twelve cats with internal ophthalmoparesis/ophthalmoplegia. Veterinary Ophthalmology, 21(2).https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322108605_Clinical_signs_imaging_findings_and_outcome_in_twelve_cats_with_internal_ophthalmoparesisophthalmoplegia
3. ONeill, D. G., Lee, M. M., Brodbelt, D. C., Church, D. B., & Sanchez, R. F. (2017). Corneal ulcerative disease in dogs under primary veterinary care in England: epidemiology and clinical management. Canine Genet Epidemiol, 4(5).https://cgejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40575-017-0045-5
4. Strom, A. R., et al. (2011). Epidemiology of canine glaucoma presented to University of Zurich from 1995 to 2009. Part 2: Secondary glaucoma (217 cases). Veterinary Ophthalmology, 14(2), 127-32.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/50265842_Epidemiology_of_canine_glaucoma_presented_to_University_of_Zu
Cloudy Eyes in Dogs
Have you noticed your dog’s eyes starting to look cloudy? This is an unfortunately common issue in many dogs, and most of the time, it has to do with aging. But what does it mean beyond just a sign of your dog getting older?