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My dog's eye is red, swollen, and has black discharge. What's wrong?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | West Highland White Terrier | Female | spayed | 14 lbs

My dog has had discharge and pawing at here eye and i removed a portion of the discharge which is black but the corner if the eye towards nose is swollen eye duct i guess and whole eye is red

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4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on August 5th, 2017

It looks like the discharge may be caused by whatever is irritating the eye. If it is in just 1 eye, possibilities include a blocked tear duct, conjunctivitis, dust in the eye, infection, corneal abrasion or ulcer, or others. If both eyes are affected, it could also be caused by allergies. I recommend loosening the remaining dark eye discharge by warming it with a warm, wet washcloth and rubbing very gently. You can use a saline eye flush to gently flush the eye to remove any possible irritating debris. If the eye is still red in 24-48 hours, or if Fluffy starts to squint her eye or rub it with her paw, she needs to see a vet as soon as possible.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on September 29th, 2019

    Hi, and thanks for your question. That is likely to be due to a mild to moderate conjunctivitis, probably secondary to an allergy or infection. A check up would be needed as appropriate treatment would include antibiotics and anti-inflammatory eye drops. Corneal injuries must be ruled out as well. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

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    Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on February 7th, 2018

    Hello there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. It is possible that Winston bumped his eye and what you are seeing is inflammation secondary to this. It is also possible that he has a slight cherry eye. I would monitor this for the next 24 hours and if it does not resolve / decrease in size I would recommend having a veterinarian examine the eye and make sure there is no trauma to the eye itself. 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.

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    Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 28th, 2017

    No, there is no home remedy. It looks like she may have scleritis or episcleritis. You really need to have her checked by your vet. It is not recommended that you try to treat eye problems at home. The eyes are very delicate organs and can go from bad to worse quickly especially if you start the wrong treatment. I don't think it's an emergency to take her in tonight but I would suggest you get her to your vet tomorrow. Hope this helps.

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