My dog woke up with stuff in his eyes – how worried am I?

It can be stressful to wake up one morning and see discharge coming out of your dog’s eyes. When are eye boogers normal, and when are they a sign of a serious problem? How can you tell when your dog’s eyes are sick? Here’s how to decide when to chill, and when it’s a big […]

Did your vet recommend removing your dog’s or cat’s eyeball?

Enucleation. (Pronounced ee-NEW-clee-AY-shen). It’s a much nicer sounding word than “eyeball removal.” But that’s what it is. If you’ve been battling a major eye disease for a while, and the eye is not responding, your veterinarian might have recommended it. We typically recommend removing the eye when it is no longer able to see (so […]

Green gunk in your dog’s eye – let’s talk about “Dry Eye,” or KCS

The condition known as “dry eye” can be incredibly frustrating for pet owners and veterinarians. It is the rebel disease that responds to treatment sometimes, not others, for no apparent reason. The symptoms don’t really make sense. The whole package is odd. So, time to explain it! The medical term for dry eye is KCS […]

What do dogs and cats actually see?

We all have heard that dogs are color-blind. Is it true? Not exactly. Kinda like the myth that one human year is equivalent to 7 “dog years”. Again, not exactly. So how well can dogs and cats see? In some ways, their vision is better than ours, and in others, it’s worse. Let’s start with […]

Solar Eclipse – is your pet truly in danger?

As the 2017 solar eclipse approaches, more and more warnings are coming out about protecting your eyes. We have to make sure we have the right glasses, with the right certification, or we’ll all be scarred for life. This has caused pet owners to ask me about their pets. Can I walk my dog during […]

My pet’s eyes are watery – how soon should I see a vet?

Eye cases are tough. Sometimes it’s a major emergency. Other times it’s simply something that needs time to resolve. When to get your pet seen by a vet ASAP? Of course, not every pet reads the manual, but some general rules may be helpful. Here’s a few scenarios I hear a lot: 1 – Your […]

My blind dog – and what I learned

Last year, I came in contact with a dog who was pulled from animal control by a rescue group, and needed a foster home. Of course, I can’t turn down a homeless fluffy face, so agreed to foster him. When we first met, Linus was more interested in sniffing his new surroundings than in meeting […]

Third eyelids – the thing in the corner of your dog’s eye

“There’s something wrong with her eyes.” I hear that often enough. Most often, it’s something normal that just looks unusual – the third eyelid. Dogs and cats have this membrane in the corner of each eye. When they are awake and alert, it’s often low and barely visible. When they are sleeping or sedated, it […]