My dog has red eyes. Can I diagnose and treat dog conjunctivitis at home?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Female | spayed | 13 years and 4 months old | 5.4 lbs
I am almost positive my dog has conjunctivitis, are there ways to confirm this myself, or do I absolutely need to take her in? And if it is, are there ways to treat it myself?
4 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on May 25th, 2017
By definition, conjunctivitis is simply an inflammation of the conjunctival membranes in the eye. Usually this appears as redness and swelling of these associated tissues. Often, conjunctivitis is paired with scleritis and corneal ulceration. While anyone can simply look at the eye and plainly see that it is red and inflamed, the most important thing is to make sure that the corneal is not ulcerated. A staining solution has to be placed on the surface of the eye, and then a cobalt blue light is utilized to determine if there are any scratches. The reason we do this prior to treating is because the choice of medication differs considerably if there is versus isn't an ulcer present. The eye medication can not include a steroid if there is an ulcer or it will make things worse or delay the healing process considerably. Hope this helps.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on February 27th, 2018
Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. The irritation you are seeing could be due to an allergy or trauma. I would recommend using an antihistamine eye drop such as Zaditor (ketotifen fumarate) and see if this makes a difference. If this does not, I would recommend having the veterinarian check for corneal ulcers and other signs of trauma in the eye. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on December 26th, 2019
Bella’s eye/conjunctiva does look extremely inflamed. I recommend taking her to your vet’s ASAP for a fluorescein stain of her eye to rule out a corneal ulcer/scratch. If the stain is negative, then a opthalmic steroid antibiotic ointment can be prescribed (likely 3x/day for a week). It is hard to tell from the picture but the circled bump is likely inflamed conjunctival tissue/gland at the medial canthus of the eye that may subside when the inflammation/infection is treated. If the stain is positive for a scratch or an ulcer, then an opthalmic antibiotic without a steroid and possibly atropine drops for pain will likely be prescribed. Good luck!
3Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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Published on August 24th, 2018
Thank you for submitting your question regarding Lily. Corneal ulcers are treated differently than allergic eye disease and eye infections. The results of the eye test dictates which medications can be used. The white part of the eye turning red just indicates irritation to the eye. This can be the due to almost any condition that affects eye (an ulcer, infection, dry eye, a foreign body, glaucoma or uveitis). A scratch can occur on the white part, but is more serious if it affects the cornea. I hope this information helps!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
My dog he has red in he's eyes
Hi why do vets only check the cornea for ulcers ? If the dog scratches the white part of the eye can an ulcer develop from that or is it limited to the cornea ? Therefore if the white area is pink it's probably conjunctivitis?
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