Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

My dog's eye is pink and she's sneezing. Is it an allergic reaction?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Female | spayed | 3 years and 2 months old | 32 lbs

Hello. I just discovered an unusual pinkness on the outer corner of my dog's eye. She's been sneezing a lot, but I'm not sure if its allergies. She also caught a baby possum in the backyard 2 days ago and I suppose it could be something from that event.

This question includes photos that may contain sensitive content. Click to view.

View more to consider that the photos may include sensitive content.

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Juliana, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on May 13th, 2017

If the pinkness is on the outside of the eye (the skin around eye) and is puffy this could be the start of an allergic reaction to something in the environment, an insect bite or sting, or even a vaccine if any given in the last 24 hours. If this is the case you may notice the swelling progressing and in that case Bella Bear should see a veterinarian right away for injectable medication to help. If the redness is on the outside of the eye itself (the sclera or whites of the eye) this could be due to something irritating that had gotten into the eye or as part of an allergy to something in the environment. If this is the case I would prevent her from rubbing her eyes and you can flush with sterile saline or a lubricating over the counter drop such as genteal. If the pinkness persists or worsens I would have her evaluated by a veterinarian to see if there is a prescription ointment that may help. I don't think this has anything to do with the baby possum.

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Image profile

    Answered By Ana M, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on December 26th, 2018

    Thank you for submitting your question regarding Bella. I recommend that she sees her veterinarian. She may have an upper respiratory tract infection. Is she coughing or sneezing at all? An eye infection can be a component of a respiratory infection. If this is the case, she will likely need an antibiotic and maybe an eye ointment. I hope this information helps!

    Vote icon

    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Image profile

    Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM

    Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident

    Published on November 25th, 2018

    Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be due to an eye injury or conditions such as a corneal laceration, corneal ulcer, conjunctivitis, dry eye (also known as KCS), among many other conditions. It is possible that it is just irritation that will only be transient but it is hard to know without an evaluation. I highly recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Further therapy would be based on the findings. Good luck and best wishes!

    Vote icon

    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

See More Answers

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has been acting a little off today, within the hour his skin around eyes and on top of nose has turned pink. Could it be an allergic reaction?
Yes, it could be an allergic reaction, it could also be an eye infection. those reactions tend to resolve within 48 hours without treatment. if the swelling becomes too large or if your dog is lethargic, take him to the vet in order to get an antihistamine injection.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Both of my dogs have been sneezing like crazy and itching their eyes. It's a clear discharge out of the nose. Is this allergies? If so how do I help them? Can I give them meds?
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! I agree with you this is most likely allergies. While allergy type medications are indicated, I recommend that you have your veterinarian evaluate her first to ensure that she has not scratched her corneas while scratching. Your veterinarian can prescribe medications such as prednisone or Apoquel to decrease the itchiness and perhaps eye drops depending on the exam findings. The cause of the allergy would still need to be investigated so that it can be managed. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I'm looking for advice about my dogs eye she has a bit of pink in the corner of her left eye and its more watery than usual I'm a little bit concerned
The little bit of pink inside Millie's eye in the picture looks ok to me. It could be that her conjunctiva (the white part of our eyes) is a little irritated or that her 3rd eyelid (a small membrane and gland on the inside corner of pet eyes) is irritated. Causes for increased color to these structures includes allergies, dust in the eye, bacterial or viral infection, among a few others. I would recommend that you keep an eye on the color change. If it isn't better in a few days, or if Millie starts to rub her eye with her paws, she may need to see a vet for diagnosis and treatment.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Training & Behavior
I’m concerned that my dog has pink eye, but he is sneezing a lot as well. He woke up with a lot of eye boogers so I took a wet wash cloth and cleaned his face but now he will get into sneezing fits and there is still stuff coming out of his eye.
Poor Noodle. It looks like the discharge is a whitish grey color which means it is likely allergy related. I would try some benadryl twice a day to see if that helps. If it isn't improving, it gets worse, he starts quinting, or the discharge is yellow/green, I would have your vet take a look as he will likely need some antibiotic drops. I hope this helps. https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/#
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I have a 6 month old jack Russell terrier mix. Sometimes the skin around of my puppy's eyes are pink and a little puffy. But it's not so swollen her eyes are shut. She doesn't seem to be bothered by it. What does this mean?
Hello. Swelling around the eyes and pink eyes are usually a sign of either allergies (however 6 months is very young for allergies to present), or irritation or inflammation. Irritation can occur due to trauma (does she play in the dirt or trees where she would get stuff in her eyes), or due to dry-eye which is a condition where she doesn't produce enough tears. Inflammation can occur secondary to trauma or dry-eye, but can also be due to an allergic reaction to a bee sting or ant bite or spider bite. If your puppy's face seems swollen or if her eyes seem irritated at all I would recommend that you have her seen by a veterinarian.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi my dogs face is a little pink and she is black and white and her eyes are red and she threw up
This sounds like an allergic reaction. As long as she’s breathing normally it’s nothing to be overly concerned about. You can give some Benadryl to reduce the skin and eye reaction. There is a section on this website that has information and dosages for common over the counter medications. If it gets worse or the vomiting continues then please seek veterinary care. Thanks for using Boop by Petco to help you care for Prada.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Food & Nutrition
My dog recently had what I can only compare to Pink Eye. After using drops for a week that has seemed to resolve itself. Today she has been sleeping all day and hasn't even touched her food. I'm concerned that it could be something more. Is she okay
Thank you for submitting your question regarding Bella. I recommend that she sees her veterinarian. She may have an upper respiratory tract infection. Is she coughing or sneezing at all? An eye infection can be a component of a respiratory infection. If this is the case, she will likely need an antibiotic and maybe an eye ointment. I hope this information helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hello my dogs right eye is red on the sclera. She is not rubbing it and dorsnt appear swollen. However, the section of the eye is very red. What could it be?
Oh dear, poor Bella! The redness on her sclera could be due to trauma (even running into a stationary object), blood clotting disorders, allergies, uveitis (inflammation within the eye), among many other conditions. Eyes are delicate structures and can change rapidly, so I do recommend taking Bella to her vet fairly urgently rather than taking a "wait and see" approach to this situation. If she does begin to rub or scratch at this eye, I recommend putting an e-collar (cone) on her until her vet appointment. I hope this helps and that all goes well!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog's eye has a bump like eyebug in under eye part. And his belly is pinkish and paws. What do we do? Is it allergy? He is also gagging and his head is moving abnormaly.
It is difficult to appreciate the bump under his eye here, but perhaps there is some swelling. I would be concerned about a possible allergic reaction or infection. If he is gagging and moving his head abnormally these are concerning signs and could indicate he is having trouble breathing, which can occur with allergic reactions and would be considered an emergency. I would recommend getting him to the vet as soon as possible.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
New Pet
I have a 11 week old puppy that played outside all day with us and her eye looks weird. It's pussy and looks different. I can't really explain it. Super watery. It looks like the pink part is covering half her eye. It's not swollen.
Poor pup! I agree that her right eye looks red and inflamed, and I can see that her third eyelid (also known as the nictitans or nictitating membrane) is raised. Since she spent most of the day outside (I'm sure she had a blast!), my concern is that she may have gotten foreign material (grass, mulch, dirt, etc.) stuck in her eye or that she may have an ulcer or abrasion to her cornea. At this point, I strongly recommend taking her to an emergency vet this weekend because eye problems can rapidly worsen, leading to much bigger issues. Be sure to keep an e-collar (cone) on her to prevent her from scratching or rubbing at her eye, as this can make matters worse. I hope this helps and that she's feeling better soon!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored