Why do Yorkshire Terriers' eyes water?
When a Yorkie's eyes water, this does not always indicate a mechanical injury or an infectious disease.
Yorkshire Terriers are one of the breeds in which tearfulness is a common condition associated with long, hanging hair that irritates the conjunctiva.
Moderate tear production is beneficial and cleanses the mucous surface of irritating particles and pathogenic bacteria. But the abundant production of secretion by the tear worms suggests that the pet needs help.
Common Causes of Watery Eyes in Yorkies
When your pet's eyes are running, you should suspect:
- Anatomical predisposition associated with anomalies in the structure of the skull, lacrimal apparatus, and eyelids.
- Mechanical irritation or traumatic effects, allergic reaction.
- Infection of the organ of vision, the whole body.
Allergy
A common cause of the pathological condition is the dog’s immune response to allergens: dust particles, pollen, low-quality food, household chemicals, perfumes, and cigarette smoke exhaled by the owner.
Why do you need to rinse your dog's eyes?
In dogs, discharge periodically accumulates in the inner corners of the eyes. Normally, they should be colorless or have a grayish tint. The presence of watery fluid indicates the normal functioning of the lacrimal apparatus, which is necessary to moisturize the cornea and mucous membrane.
Due to the anatomy of their paws, dogs cannot clean their eyes on their own. Therefore, the owner must provide regular care. Washing allows you to avoid suppuration and the development of dangerous infectious diseases. Owners of the following breeds should approach the procedure carefully:
- with large, drooping eyelids;
- with bulging eyeballs;
- with a brachycephalic head shape;
- with thick and long hair in the eyelid area, on the head.
In addition, with age, pets develop a pronounced dullness of the cornea. This occurs due to a decrease in the production of tear secretion. This feature increases the risk of chronic conjunctivitis, blindness and accumulation of purulent discharge.
How to care for your Yorkie's eyes, preventive measures
From childhood, you should start caring for your Yorkshire Terrier puppy correctly. What to do to prevent your puppy’s eyes from watering:
- Follow hygiene recommendations. Regularly clean the tear ducts with a napkin moistened with boiled water or chamomile infusion.
- Trim any overgrown fur that overlaps the face. Or twist a bow between your ears and moisten your hair with an antiseptic solution every day.
- Trim the fur growing around the eye sockets, touching the eye shell.
- Do not allow your pet to be in a draft, especially after taking a bath.
- After walks, carefully inspect the dog’s eyes for specks and specks of dust.
- Do not include foods that can cause allergies in your diet, especially sugar and chocolate treats.
- Enrich the menu with oils, egg yolk, vegetables, and other sources of retinol (vitamin A) and tocopherol (E).
- Vaccinate in a timely manner and take your pet for preventive examinations to a veterinary clinic.
Diseases that cause excessive tearing in Yorkies
Diseases that cause your Yorkie's eyes to run are divided into 2 types:
- associated with dysfunction of the lacrimal system (tear ducts and sac);
- provoked by infection, inflammation, systemic pathologies.
The most serious disease that causes watery eyes in a Yorkie is rabies. An infected animal develops glaucoma, leading to blindness.
If you notice suspicious symptoms, you must immediately take the terrier to the veterinarian so that he can make a diagnosis and prescribe the correct therapy.
It is unacceptable to treat your Yorkshire pet yourself!
Epiphora - watery eye
When the disease occurs, it appears as if the dog is crying. Either the ducts become blocked or secretory activity increases, which is why the lacrimal glands continuously produce liquid or mucous secretion. As the liquid drains, it leaves wet tracks on the face, which may look dark or reddish in light-colored Yorkies. In advanced cases, moist areas become infected, inflammation occurs, and vision becomes difficult.
Dry eye
The secretion of tear-producing glands is disrupted when the canals are narrowed or blocked. Impaired outflow leads to inflammation of the glandular tissues, and lack of hydration provokes drying of the cornea.
Disruption of the general flow of tears
Tears in dogs can flow due to congenital small diameter or obstruction of the ocular ducts, which contribute to the accumulation of fluid in the tear duct. The phenomenon is caused by blockage of the passage by products of cellular decay or penetration of a foreign body, for example, a small seed, into the hole.
Conjunctivitis
The most common causes of conjunctivitis are infection, food or household allergies, and damage to the conjunctiva. The inflamed tissues turn red, pus appears, the dog blinks frequently and squints.
There are 3 types of inflammation:
- Catarrhal, involving the entire injured or infected eyeball. Accompanied by swelling, redness, and local fever.
- Allergic, characteristic of animals with weakened immunity.
- Purulent, associated with bacterial damage. Symptoms: swelling, fever, hot nose, photophobia, nausea. Ignoring the problem is fraught with the appearance of a thorn.
- Follicular, which appears when foreign particles come into contact with the mucous membrane, and in the absence of therapeutic measures, turns into catarrhal form. Damage to the lymphoid follicle is manifested by severe hyperemia and intense release of purulent mass.
Providing first aid to a pet at home
Treatment is prescribed by a veterinarian; the owner’s task is to care for the dog’s eyes to cleanse, reduce pain, and eliminate discomfort.
How to care for your Yorkie's eyes:
- Rinse the swollen area with boiled warm water. Herbal infusions and tea leaves should absolutely not be used: a poorly strained solution may contain plant particles and small leaves of tea, which will aggravate the problem.
- Use a 0.05% solution of the drug "Chlorhexidine" for suppuration.
- Use Levomycetin drops and tetracycline ointment for pain and inflammation.
Eye care is carried out 2 times a day, controlling symptoms. If the symptoms do not subside after 2-3 days, the terrier is taken to the clinic.
Yorkshire Terrier, nail care
Nail care is necessary for Yorkshire terriers, who rarely go outside and do not wear their nails down on the asphalt. These dogs need to have their nails trimmed once a week with special clippers. When trimming your dog's nails, remember that each nail contains nerves and blood vessels and only trim the thin, scratchy part of the nail. If you are not sure that you can do this carefully, then it is better to use a file and file the claws every 3-4 days. These are the simple recommendations for caring for your Yorkshire Terrier that you need to heed if you want your dog to be healthy and carefree.
HOW TO TOILET TRAIN A PUPPY
When to contact a veterinarian
When your Yorkie's eyes are running, the first thing to do after providing first aid is to contact a veterinarian. You cannot help your pet on your own ; advanced pathology threatens severe complications and loss of vision.
You need to act immediately if:
- symptoms last longer than 3 days;
- mucous membranes turn red;
- the eyelids are swollen;
- lymphatic follicles are swollen;
- the secreted secretion smells unpleasant;
- a purulent, whitish or brown substance flows;
- fever, chills, vomiting, indigestion are observed;
- The terrier is apathetic, does not want to eat, behaves restlessly, and rubs the affected area with its paws.
The veterinarian will take a smear for diagnostic analysis, and based on the results of the study, will prescribe drops, antibiotics or antihistamines, and set the dosage and course of use.
Yorkies often have watery eyes, which is due to improper care, maintenance and feeding. The main thing is to show the dog to a veterinarian in a timely manner to prevent complications. Prevention consists of observing sanitary and hygienic standards and careful handling of the animal.
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Caring for the ears, eyes and teeth of the Yorkshire Terrier.
Maintaining the decorative qualities of the breed is the main concern of Yorkie owners. Daily grooming includes procedures aimed at caring for the fur, eyes, ears, claws, and teeth of Yorkies. Grooming does not take very much time, but it helps to maintain both the dog’s appearance and its health at the proper level.
One of the owner’s concerns is caring for the Yorkshire Terrier’s ears. It is necessary to inspect the ear openings once or twice a week: so that dirt and earwax do not accumulate there, and they do not become overgrown with hair. The veterinary pharmacy sells an ear cleaning lotion that dissolves wax deposits well. It will be enough to drop a few drops into the auricle and clean it with a cotton pad, massaging the inside of the ear for a few minutes. The ear canals of Yorkies periodically become overgrown with hair, so it is necessary to pull them out. Experienced owners do this manually, having pre-treated their fingers in antiseptic ear powder or boric acid (powdered). The long overgrown hair on the outer part of the ears is also cut off to a third of the ear. When washing your Yorkshire Terrier, it is recommended to cover the ear canals with cotton swabs to prevent water from getting inside.
Eyes say a lot not only about a person. By the shine of the eyes and their condition, one can judge the character of the Yorkie and his health. This is why eye care for your Yorkshire Terrier is so important. The eyes may become watery if the bangs get into the eyes, so they are often collected in a bun on the top of the head. Watery eyes and purulent discharge are the first signs of an inflammatory process (distemper, allergic reactions, dust, exposure to microbes and viruses). Rubbing your Yorkie's eyes should be done daily, using boiled water, a 2% solution of boric acid or a solution of furatsilin. Can be used for instillation and drops that people use for themselves. You cannot use tea leaves as a wiping solution: the tannins included in its composition will damage the mucous membrane of the eyes. To prevent dirt from getting into your eyes, it is better to cut off excess hair between the eyes and wash them daily. If the eyes are watery or purulent, a visit to the veterinarian will be required.
For many Yorkies, teeth are a problematic part of the body.
Often occurring tartar causes various inflammations, so it is important to organize proper dental care for your Yorkshire Terrier. A diet that includes a sufficient amount of solid food can prevent the appearance of tartar. At least once a week, brush your Yorkie's teeth with toothpowder or toothpaste (unscented). A Yorkie's teeth brush must have soft bristles; a child's brush is suitable. To massage the gums and prevent tartar, you can use special bones that can be bought at a pet store. By six months, Yorkies' baby teeth are replaced with permanent teeth. If this does not happen in the right time, then baby teeth that are delayed in falling out can cause the development of a defective bite. And this is already a tragedy for the dog that is planning to be exhibited. A veterinary clinic will help you remove baby teeth that have not fallen out on time. Source -
