Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

Why are my German Shepherd's eyes red and irritated? What can I do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | German Shepherd | Female | unspayed | 2 years and 2 months old | 88.185 lbs

My German shepherd bitch is suffering from irritation around her eyes. The area became reddish . How to cure this please help.

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 Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on August 11th, 2017

Common causes of redness or irritation around the eyes like this include bacterial infection, mites (like demodectic mange), allergies, fleas, among others. Since this area is so close to the cornea of the eyeball, I recommend that she be evaluated by a veterinarian so that appropriate medications can be used. Any topical ointment that can be used on skin needs to be safe for eyes. If she is not on flea preventative, start that as soon as possible. Your vet may recommend diagnostics like a skin scrape to look for mites, cytology to look for bacteria, or recommend antihistamines based on their physical examination.

Vote icon

2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Image profile

    Answered By Jenny, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on June 28th, 2017

    She may have an infection in the skin around her eyes secondary to an allergy. The eye itself is clear and open and that is the important part! there are no safe topical diver the counter because of how close it is to her eye. Your vet can prescribe some topical medications safe for the eyes.

    Vote icon

    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Image profile

    Answered By Mirissa Duncil, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 5th, 2017

    Hi there. I would recommend a skin scrape to rule out parasites (your veterinarian will perform this). Some other conditions that may present like this include allergies as well as certain immune mediated diseases (these require much further testing including blood work and often a skin biopsy). I hope this helps! My best to you and Dana

    Vote icon

    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

See More Answers

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi my f german shepherd is 6 years old Her eyes has become very red a slimy discharge comes from them also Any ideas ? Much appreciated
Thank you for submitting your question regarding Marley. I recommend that she sees her veterinarian. She could have an eye infection causing the discharge. There is also a condition known as pannus that is common in German Shepherds. Her veterinarian will perform an exam and then may recommend eye tests. From there, medication can be prescribed. In the meantime, do not allow her to paw at her eyes. If she does, she could cause more damage. I hope this information helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi, we have a 15-week-old German Shepherd mix. I noticed that both of her eyes are little bit red (I attach pictures below). She doesn't seem to have irritation or discharge. I'm not sure if it's a sign of infection? Thank you.
It can be very difficult to evaluate well from a photo online, but in these images the eyes do not appear excessively red to me. We can sometimes see a little irritation of the eyes of puppies when they are curious/sticking their faces into everything, particularly dirt or plants outside. If she has no discharge from the eyes and isn't squinting/rubbing the eyes, I would just continue to monitor the eyes closely. You can pick up a sterile eye wash from the pet store or your vet's office to rinse the eyes if you like. If they become more red, she is squinting/rubbing, or has excessive tears or yellow or green discharge then an exam by the vet is warranted.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My shepherd has red around her eyes. And I’m the center is a bit cloudy. I seen a vet several times and they told me it was a case of dry eyes. They gave me an ointment and it seemed to help at first. Some days are better than others. Any suggestions
Eyes are so hard to take pictures of. However, Pannus is a common eye problem in the German Shepherd. It causes a significant change to the cornea. Usually is starts on the outside corner and works it’s way in. Sometimes it is dark brown pigment and sometimes it is more like blood vessels or white. I am suspicious that this may be what is causing the problem with Krystal. I would highly encourage you to seek a second opinion or go see a veterinary ophthalmologist. Pannus can be very aggressive, and usually needs lifelong medications to keep it in control. Of course this is just my suspicion and there are many other problems than can cause cloudiness and redness in the eyes. Best of luck and I hope she improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hello, I have a German Shepard husky. I noticed yesterday his left eye had some eye boogers in the morning some were soft and green and others were hard. His eye is not oozing but does look red and irritated. Please advise. Could it be infected and
An eye infection is very likely but other conditions can cause an irritated sclera like a corneal scratch, dry eye or glaucoma. I recommend to have Ace examined by the veterinarian. The vet may stain the eye to look for a scratch. Make sure Ace is not rubbing at the eye because this could make it worse. He may need to wear an elizabethan collar. I hope this helps and that Ace gets better quickly. Please feel free to post any additional questions.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has a red, swollen, itchy eye with discharge. She seems sensitive to light and is not her usual high energy self. I used saline eye wash for a day and it got worse. Now I'm using vetericyn eye gel and it seems to help. When I opened her eyes t
Hi there. I'm so sorry to hear about Cailbur's eye issue! Let me see if I can help. Sometimes, when dog's have an eye infection, it can be secondary to trauma to the surface of the eye called the cornea. In this case, we can get a scratch on the cornea, and over time, if not treated appropriately, it may turn into a large corneal ulcer. The ulcer can make the eye look cloudy. Sometimes it can be after it heals, or sometimes it can happen if the ulcer is very deep. In this case, Calibur would need to go to a veterinarian so they can check for an ulcer, and then get some antibiotic ointment or drops to apply. Another condition german shepherds can develop in the eyes is called, pannus. This is an autoimmune disease, and although we are unsure of the direct cause, it is controlled by daily eye medications. There are several other eye issues that I can think of, but these are the two most common that I see in a dog of Calibur's age and breed. Again, I would make an appointment for her to s
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has been having red and irritated eyes. We took him to the vet for them to check it out and they did a test to make sure the actual eyeball was not scratched. It was only one eye then. They have me neopoludex to put on it. It has been a month
This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be infection or (unlikely) mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment (advocate or advantage), then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape or similar skin test - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to resolve skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). 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.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I just noticed this red splotch on My 18 month German Shepherd. When I noticed it she didn’t pull away in pain. I used a little bit of burts bees all natural anti itch spray on it and she didn’t react to it at all either, no signs of pain. This is th
I'd keep an eye on this area for now, it doesn't look too big or red in the pictures. It may be an area of irritation but it can be a sign of a skin infection. Should this area get redder, bigger, Ava has hair loss, or it starts to bother her, have her seen by a vet. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hello - my Weimaraners eyes, particularly the right have been very red for the last 2 weeks and it looks quite red into the colored iris. Wondering if you might know what this is? It doesn't seem to be bothering her. Thank you!
Thank you for submitting your question regarding your dog. I recommend that she sees her veterinarian. She almost appears to have red tissue growing at the edge of her corneas. This can be a variety of things, but a common cause is a condition known as pannus. It is most common in German shepherds, but can be seen in other breeds. Her veterinarian will examine her eyes and may perform some tests. From there, medication can be prescribed if deemed necessary. I hope this information helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My german shepherd is almost two years old and is having a white/yellow like substance in her left eye. it is kind of like eye boogers but more than usual
This may be inflammation from an allergy or from an irritation such as hair or a piece of grass. If he does not keep his eye open or the discharge continues, then your vet can examine it to make sure there is no foreign body or ulcer present
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My German Shepard’s eye looks glassy sometimes and waters, could she have hay fever? She is in perfect health otherwise. Eats, drinks plays normally.
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! This is not necessarily a sign of a fever. This could be due to an eye injury or conditions such as a corneal laceration, corneal ulcer, conjunctivitis, dry eye (also known as KCS), allergies, among many other conditions. I highly recommend that you have Bear evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Further therapy would be based on the findings. Good luck and best wishes!
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