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My dog's eyes are red and watery. Is it dry eye or an infection?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Shih Tzu | Female | 13 years and 8 months old

I noticed my dogs eye ball is red and her eyes are watery can this be dry eye.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on November 5th, 2016

The good news is, if the eye is watering excessively, it's probably not dry eye - with this problem, there is usually thick yellow-green discharge because the eye is unable to produce tears. Redness and watery eyes are more likely to be due to allergies or an eye infection. Both of these problems will require prescription eye drops to treat, so I would recommend having Tasha examined by a vet to get a definite diagnosis and appropriate medication to treat the issue.

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    It sounds like Tasha has an eye infection. If she had dry eye, her eyes would not be watery. Any eye infection is an emergency, so you need to take her into a vet right away. Leaving an eye infection untreated can lead to vision loss, so please take her to see a vet who can diagnose the eye infection and give her treatment for it.

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