My dog's eye is swollen shut and he's scratching a lot. What to do?

Question

I have a four year old male Boxer whose eye is swollen shut. He been scratching at it and rubbing it on the carpet and his bed. He also has been scratching at his under arms to the point where his fur is gone. Pet's info: Dog | Boxer | Male | unneutered | 3 years and 4 months old | 55 lbs

Kevin Sanada, DVM · Accepted Answer

He looks to be generally itchy. I'm suspicious of allergies causing this, but it could be due to mange, fleas, or other causes. The eye may be a separate problem, or related to the allergies. Without seeing it, it's difficult to tell the cause of this, or the severity, but the fact that it's swollen shut warrants a visit to the vet. I recommend having him seen by a vet within the next 24 hours to prevent serious complications with the eye. The vet can also help narrow-down the cause of the itch and provide medication to help give him some relief. One thing you can do for itchy skin, is give a bath with cool water using an oatmeal or aloe shampoo. You can get these shampoos at the pet store. For now, you can flush the eye with normal saline. Saline flush can be bought at the pharmacy, or supermarket in the eye care section. Flush the eye 3-4 times daily and gently wipe away the discharge with a warm/moist cotton or cloth. Below is a link to a good video that demonstrates how to flush the eye. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lXVNMcPzhs I hope that helps and Roscoe gets better soon.

My dog's eye is swollen shut and he's scratching a lot. What to do?

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