Sore eyes on Springer

reeta

Hi, I have a springer/cocker cross, 2 years old, and she seems to get sore eyes regularly, is there a natural cleanser I can use rather than bringing her down to the vet. when they do get sore. I would like something preventative e.g. when she is getting her weekly groom... Vet said its very normal for that type of dog as she is made for hunting and spends her day sniffing around...

DBB

Hi OP,
It's not normal for a dog to get sore eyes under those circumstances! Sounds more like vetspeak for "I dunno what it is so I'll make something up"!
She may have an allergy to something (when you say her weekly groom, is this brushing, or washing? Any sprays used?), could be a food allergy, it could be pollen (less likely at this time of year), or it could be a condition like entropion, where the eyelids are slightly folded inwards causing the eyelashes to rub off the cornea.
Whatever it is, I would not be happy with your vet's explanation and I'd be digging deeper to find out what's wrong. Can you find another vet?

PS I'm pretty sure that both Cockers and Springers have a predisposition for entropion

reeta

Hi DBB, thanks for reply. her weekly groom is just a good brushing and making sure her ears are clean. Only spray I use is a flea spray, but will hold off for a moment on that. She can spend a lot of time sneezing after she has come in from the park/mountains and would have a tendency to have "weepy eyes". I will look further into this with a view to changing vet if need me. Will also have a good look at her eyelids and bring her to a vet if I have any concerns. Will actually bring her to the vet for a checkup. Again thanks for reply.

moving_home

My cocker was getting this aswell, where there is just a lot of goo and stuff coming out of her eyes. I was using antibiotic gel in her eyes almost every 3 weeks or so and didn’t think it was right. Vet just kept giving the gel so I got a second opinion and my new vet said that it is probably because she is a hunting dog and has her nose to the ground constantly. He recommended keeping the hair cut above her eyes so it never reaches into her eyes and after we have been for a walk in a park or where she has been smelling around in field/bushes to use a human eye wash. I use the disposable little containers of Optrex in her eyes after any walk where she is in bushes and fields and keep the hair cut and we haven’t had to use the antibiotic drops since doing this. That was about a year ago.

On the sneezing my dog was doing that a lot aswell after she had a serious illness (I actually posted about it here). My groomer recommended contacting Holistic Pet Products (think the website is www.hpp.ie) to help build her up after her illness. I emailed Kevin with all the information and he was excellent and recommended a few things and the sneezing stopped aswell. She rarely sneezes now.

fenris

Our Irish setter has the same problem, in some dogs their eyeballs are a little bit too small for their sockets and this leaves a bit too much space between the dogs eye and their eyelids. This means that dust and grit get lodged more easily ewspecially if the dog is fond of digging and the gunk is the eyes attempt to protect itself.

Another thing that can happen as someone mentioned already is the the gap can be big enough for the dogs eyelashes to brush the eyeball causing irritation and gunk.

We had to get our lads eyelids operated on to tighten up the gap and stop the lashes turning in. Apparently it is very common with some breeds.

reeta

Thanks for feedback. As she would have a long "fringe" I trim it regularly to make sure it does not go in her eyes. The vet did say sore eyes was common in this type of dog because of constantly having her nose on the ground. Will get Optrex and use it when we have been out for a good walk, I think that will really help her. If her eyes keep "weeping" I will bring her to the vet for a proper check up.

x Purple Pawprints x

A vet check is a good idea OP. If he still insists that it's just the dog's breed I'd suggest a second opinion. It's true that both springers and cockers can be predisposed to eye conditions but that doesn't mean that there isn't some sort of solution. Best of luck.