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My dog's eye is red and swollen, but she's not bothered. What's wrong?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Female | spayed | 1 year and 9 months old | 142 lbs

My dog’s eye is Red and swollen. She doesn’t seem to be bothered by it really, but it looks pretty terrible.

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jessica Keay, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on October 6th, 2017

I am sorry to hear about Karma! Based on the photo you shared it looks like she could be suffering from chemosis, or inflammation of the conjunctiva around the eye. This can be a result of many causes, including infection, irritation from foreign objects, allergic reactions, and trauma. In most cases we do treat these cases with a topical steroid specifically for the eye. If she is comfortable I would try rinsing the eye with a sterile eye wash (available at most drug stores) and make an appointment at your vet when they next open for examination. If they eye becomes painful or the eyeball itself becomes enlarged/red/painful then a trip to the emergency vet is warranted.

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    Answered By Rodrigo Roca, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 30th, 2018

    Hello, thank you for your question about Buttons. Redness and swelling can be a sign of many underlying conditions such as a corneal ulcer/defect, infection, or allergies. It is hard to know exactly which of these is going on without performing an ocular examination and further testing. Allergies are most commonly due to the environment and you may also see some discharge with this. With a corneal ulcer/defect you may also notice squinting and a mucoid/colored discharge, additionally, these tend to be very uncomfortable so pet's will paw/scratch at their eyes. An infection (or conjunctivitis) can be due to bacteria and will most commonly present with mild swelling and redness. All of these conditions respond well to therapies such as antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, or an antihistamine medication. I would recommend having Buttons seen by your veterinarian so that they can perform an ocular examination and determine which of these conditions is most likely and discuss the best treatment options for her. Hope this helps, good luck!

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