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My 8-week-old puppy has gunky, crusty eyes. Is it an infection?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Chihuahua | Female | 2 months and 2 days old

Hi I saw a chihuahua puppy today and it had gunky eyes, both pups I saw had gunky eyes so it wasn't just the 1 pup around their eyes were slightly crispy and one had greenish yellowish mucus on its eye ! Could this be something simple or could this be a real bad sign ? Noses looked wet, pups smelt of poo a bit so maybe not kept in a clean environment, only 8 weeks old ! Could this be really bad ? I couldn't get very good photos but the pups otherwise look ok and last pic is of mum who looked ok

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Lauren Kennedy, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on March 5th, 2018

These puppies probably have an upper respiratory tract infection and/or infectious conjunctivitis. Usually a course of antibiotics (topical for the eye and oral) will take care of the issue. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

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    Answered By Ana M, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on October 6th, 2020

    Thank you for submitting your question regarding your Tropper. I am sorry to hear about all of his recent troubles. I agree that I would be very frustrated as well. Has your veterinarian offered a diagnosis as this point? The eyes appear to have hair loss around them and crusts still present. This can occur in cases of a severe food allergy, infection, or in some cases a drug reaction. Drug reactions are very rare and it is not possible to predict if it will occur. But I do see them on occasion. You can consider seeking a second opinion with a different veterinarian or it may be beneficial to see a board certified veterinary dermatologist at this point. I hope this information helps!

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