Since we've had Dawson living with us I have noticed that he does constantly have alot of sleep and stuff in his eyes. I hope it isn't something serious but would like advice on the nest way to clean it off. We have just dampened cotton wool and gently taken it off that way.
Yes, not unusual. They are also prone to the odd minor eye infection as pups, but nothing to worry about. We did exactly the same with Bramble, just a moistened cotton wool pad (not the balls) and gently cleansed. With Benson we took him to the vet, wish I hadn't bothered as it was during the switch between insurance policies (from the breeders initial policy which was the kennel club cover, over to a new policy) it meant that Benson wasn't covered for ANY eye problems during the first year of the policy.
Keep a eye on it and if the eyes look red, it's worth a trip to the vet. Willow and Luna both suffered with conjunctivitis as pups - Luna quite badly. A bit of sleep in the corner is normal, lots of gooey discharge that crusts around the rims is not. I hope it's not, for your sake. Getting drops in a young puppy's eyes isn't fun!
Not sure if what you mean by "cotton wool" is what we call cotton batting but if it is real cotton, instead of synthetic, make sure it doesn't shred a bit and get into his eyes itself. If you rub hard the synthetic stuff can too but I know you aren't rubbing his eyes hard.
How old is Dawson? Chloe, my black lab and constant "eye boogers" in the first 2 years. As long as the "eye boogers" aren't greenish or yellow, it should be fine. Also make sure his eyes aren't all red. Every second month (in her first 2 years) we would have eye drops or some ointment needed to clear up Chloe's eyes. After that she seemed to have grown out of it. She still gets normal greyish/whitish "eye boogers," but we just gently wipe them away with a kleenex.
