Eye swollen and runny

[engteach64]

A couple of days ago we started noticing our dog's eye was swollen and runny. It is also very red. Sometimes it gets better, then swells up again. It doesn't seem to bother her (she sleeps 80% of the day, she's old), but it bothers us. Is this an allergy? She isn't active enough to have hurt herself, so I'm not quite sure what to do. Advice would be appreciated.

[Brad Buckley, D.V.M.]

The eye can be tricky and many things can happen. Allergic conjunctivitis, corneal ulcers and glaucoma are some of the more common. These are listed in ascending order in terms of how serious a problem they are. In this case, I would flush the eye with a saline solution and see if that helps. If the eye doesn't improve rapidly I would have the problem checked out by a veterinarian so that the risk of vision disturbance is minimized. Eyes can be tricky and I never like to see an eye problem go unresolved for an extended period of time.

I hope this helps and I wish you the best.

[engteach64]

Thank you. I did give her some benadryl and the eye is clearing up and she is actually perking up too. I think it is the weeds in my yard that are killing her. Here is hoping it is just allergies. Thank you for your time. I always apprecaite your willingness to help out.