Eye goop - allergies or infection or..?

5355 Views 26 Replies 11 Participants Last post by kontiki, Dec 13, 2020

Thomazine

Discussion Starter · Dec 1, 2020

My twelve week old puppy has always had goopy eyes in the morning, which I figured was just a poodle thing. In the past couple of days though, I’ve noticed that they’re looking pink and irritated, and they keep filling up all day long with whitish viscous goop. I asked the vet yesterday, and the vet said he thought it was allergies from the warm weather this past week, rather than an infection, and not to worry. This morning, one eye was actually gummed shut with crust, and since then, I’ve wiped them down repeatedly because there were bean-sized creamy gobs obscuring them.

Here’s a picture of one eye about an hour after I cleaned them last (sorry for the squeamish!) I just keep reading that allergies lead to clear discharge, not - this?This is comparatively clear compared to what he looks like after naps.

See less See more

1 - 20 of 27 Posts

PeggyTheParti

· #2 · Dec 1, 2020

Peggy suffered from this a lot as a puppy, and recently had a bad flare-up when the groomer didn't follow our instructions.

The vet told us it was "just allergies" but we noticed it was triggered most often by grooming appointments. So we purchased the most sensitive shampoo formula we could find and requested they only use that, and nothing on her face. I think the fragrance was affecting her (because it certainly affected me).

She's also had a bad reaction to whole cooked egg, which resulted in lots of itching and eye goop.

Have you audited your home for any potential irritants? Perfumes, oils, floor cleaner, smoke, etc.

And what are you feeding? It might be worth a switch, just to see.

(Note that the only reason I was able to make these connections was by keeping notes in a daily schedule. The reaction to grooming appointments took 24 hours to show up, and 48 hours to get bad, so the connection wasn't immediately apparent until I looked back at a few months of notes. I track her snacks, meals, potty times, weight, and anything out of the ordinary like vet or grooming appointments, play dates, etc.)

See less See more

Reactions: 1

Thomazine

Discussion Starter · #3 · Dec 1, 2020

I’m feeding Purina ProPlan, which I thought was supposed to be fairly good for allergies. I’m introducing new foods every couple of days, but the new foods for the past five days have been apple and green beans, which seem like unlikely culprits.

I did mop the floor on Thursday, which might possibly have triggered it getting worse..?

He is scheduled with a local in-demand groomer on Sunday. I hope she’ll still groom him with these eyes, because he badly needs it!

PeggyTheParti

· #4 · Dec 1, 2020

Pro Plan, like most kibble, contains a number of potential allergens. Is he itchy at all?

We use water to clean our floors, with just a bit of vinegar. Or if we really need soap: Diluted Dr. Bronner's. I learned the hard way, with Gracie, that floor cleaners can cause terrible irritation, even once they've dried.

Reactions: 2

Raindrops

· #5 · Dec 1, 2020

Misha struggles on and off with goopy eyes. I think it's probably outdoor allergens triggering it because it seems to be influenced by seasons. If it has a really bad flare up I see my vet about it to rule out infectious cause. Otherwise I just clean them every morning. He could have chronically dry eyes that are contributing to it. Seems to be common with poodles. They can age out of it. One of Misha's eyes cleared up completely for a long time but then came back. I have stopped trying to figure it out.

Oonapup

· #6 · Dec 1, 2020

Oona had a goopy eye like this last week. It was whitish/greenish mucous and it got worse on the second morning, almost gluing her eye shut. Her vet did consider it conjunctivitis and we took home antibiotic eye drops which helped it clear up really fast. I think it was tobramycin but I'd have to check.

Thomazine

Discussion Starter · #7 · Dec 1, 2020

I was just cleaning them in the mornings, but now I'm doing it every couple of hours. Every time he sleeps, they seem to gum shut again. Poor baby! Luckily, he's very tolerant of me wiping them.

PeggyTheParti

· #8 · Dec 1, 2020

Thomazine said:
I was just cleaning them in the mornings, but now I'm doing it every couple of hours. Every time he sleeps, they seem to gum shut again. Poor baby! Luckily, he's very tolerant of me wiping them.

That sounds severe. Even during Peggy's worst flare-ups, they only occasionally sealed shut. And that was always after a full night's sleep.

I would seriously consider potential allergens in your home, and make sure the vet knows how bad it's gotten. I'm reluctant to use antibiotics unless absolutely necessary—especially with a puppy—but there could be a structural issue causing irritation. Did they closely inspect his eyelids and lashes?

Raindrops

· #9 · Dec 1, 2020

If it gums shut more than one day I'd start to be concerned and rule out infection with the vet. Misha typically just has a translucent mucous. Sometimes he will get the stinky yellow mucus but it usually only lasts a day or so. Many days of the yellow mucus starts to concern me. My vet recommends using Genteal eye drops for dogs with chronic dry eye and allergies. I do use it sometimes though I don't really see a reduction in the goop. But maybe it makes him feel better. He certainly does not like the goop and will paw at his eyes in the morning if it is bad.

Thomazine

Discussion Starter · #10 · Dec 1, 2020

I think I’m going to call the vet again tomorrow. This is my first dog so I feel weird second-guessing the vet, but this just can’t be normal. (Complicating things: my vet’s office came down with COVID last week so I can’t go in, I had to have the conversation over the phone, and I also think my puppy saw a locum.)

There is a vet ophthalmologist in the next town over. Maybe I should cut to the chase and go see her. (We are a house full of human allergy sufferers, so we are fairly careful about environmental stuff inside - filters changed regularly, limited carpeting etc.)

For Want of Poodle

· #11 · Dec 1, 2020

My vet (who is pretty into 'natural' remedies first) recommended I wash Annie's eyes with black tea a few times a week, and I have prescription drops incase they get bad. I have found washing them regularly, especially after a face trimming, and keeping her face trimmed dramatically reduces how icky they get.

Thomazine

Discussion Starter · #12 · Dec 1, 2020

For Want of Poodle said:
My vet (who is pretty into 'natural' remedies first) recommended I wash Annie's eyes with black tea a few times a week, and I have prescription drops incase they get bad. I have found washing them regularly, especially after a face trimming, and keeping her face trimmed dramatically reduces how icky they get.

I’m British (in the US) so I definitely have tea! I might try that tonight.

I am wondering if grooming might actually help. I can’t see that his eyelids are folding in, but he definitely has hair growing in around them, which is why I’m so eager for his grooming appointment to go ahead. I just don’t know if groomers will do puppies when their eyes are this sticky.

Reactions: 1

Skylar

· #13 · Dec 1, 2020

I would be concerned too, none of my three poodles ever had goop like that. I had a tpoo with tear ducts that were too narrow. I constantly and gently wiped her eye area to avoid stains.

My current minipoo is allergic to legumes....things like lentils, peas and green beans. I doubt your dog is allergic to legumes too, but I think it’s wise to hold off the green beans until you get the eye goop situation cleared up.

Reactions: 1

PeggyTheParti

· #14 · Dec 1, 2020

If we had a veterinary ophthalmologist nearby, I'd absolutely have taken puppy Peggy, just to rule out any anatomical abnormalities. What a wonderful resource to have.

If all checks out fine, I'd probably then transition to a new protein. Peggy's overall health is better when she gets some beef kibble rather than all chicken.

If it's environmental, it may improve with time:

Follicular conjunctivitis, also known as mucoid conjunctivitis, results when small mucous glands (follicles) react to an infection or eye irritant and form a rough, cobblestone surface that irritates the eye. The resulting discharge resembles mucus, and if the problem persists, the rough surface can be a chronic irritant. Puppies and young dogs are typical follicular conjunctivitis patients, and the illness usually subsides with age.

www.whole-dog-journal.com

Causes of Canine Conjunctivitis and Treatment Options - Whole Dog Journal

Whole Dog Journal reports on the causes of conjunctivitis in canine and your treatment options. Learn what symptoms to watch out for and be sure to get a correct diagnosis.

www.whole-dog-journal.com

Reactions: 1

Thomazine

Discussion Starter · #15 · Dec 1, 2020

That sounds like the best case option. Constant allergies don't sound like fun, and nor does entropian.

What kibble would you recommend..? He's twelve weeks old, and currently on the salmon and rice pro plan all life stages stuff.

PeggyTheParti

· #16 · Dec 1, 2020

For a standard poodle puppy, I'd go with a large breed puppy formula. Peggy did well on Farmina N&D Ancestral Grains Chicken & Pomegranate (she's now graduated to the adult version), but we let her choose from a bunch of samples.

Looking at your current food, corn makes up three of the first ten ingredients, so maybe rule that out as a culprit? It's a common allergen.

Reactions: 1

Thomazine

Discussion Starter · #17 · Dec 1, 2020

Thanks... I’m pretty sure that’s the food his breeder started him out on before switching to ProPlan. I’m going to switch him back.

twyla

· #18 · Dec 2, 2020

Honestly even though it is hard I would consult a vet, anything but clear discharge should be checked out due to infection, dry eye or injury,

Reactions: 1

Thomazine

Discussion Starter · #19 · Dec 2, 2020

That’s the thing, I did consult the vet. I’m second-guessing him now.

Reactions: 1

GenteelPoodles

· #20 · Dec 2, 2020

A little bit of "gunk" from the eyes from time to time is normal but what you are describing is not normal at all. Does he have a lot of hair around his eyes that could be getting into his eyes and irritating them? The answer is often just that simple. Check to see if he has any eye lashes that may be curling into his eyes. Keep his topknot short or pulled up so it stays out of his eyes. Make sure the groomer shaves under and around his eyes.

I would also seriously consider changing his diet. Processed pet foods - kibble or canned are not truly nutritional in the first place but their ingredients are horrid! Here is a link to an informative article about Kibble that really just scratches the surface of how bad kibble is for our beloved Poodles (or any dog) Kibble is Kibble is STILL Kibble - The Whole Dog
While it does ultimately recommend a raw diet, please know that a home made, cooked diet is still SO much healthier for dogs than processed pet food can ever be!

Thomazine said:
I was just cleaning them in the mornings, but now I'm doing it every couple of hours. Every time he sleeps, they seem to gum shut again. Poor baby! Luckily, he's very tolerant of me wiping them.

See less See more

1 - 20 of 27 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.