Hi everyone. I'm concerned that my 18 week old puppy, Tilly seems to get sticky, weepy eyes quite often. I think it could be caused by grass seeds, as she loves nothing more than having crazy races through long, preferably wet grass...it's the only time she gets very excited while out walking, so I don't want to stop her fun and I don't know for sure it is what is causing her problem. It isn't constant, so I haven't taken her to the vet about it yet. Has anyone any suggestions, or recommendations for ways to help flush any foreign body out.
I know what you mean about craziness through long, preferably wet grass - that's one of Juno's favourite activities. I would take Tilly to the vet rather than start trying to flush out foreign objects which might not be there. Hope her eyes are better soon.
I would suggest a trip to the vet, too. He may prescribe her some antihistamines if she is allergic to the pollen. You should check her eyes for seeds after every walk, too, to ensure there's none stuck in there. You can buy small tubes of saline which I use to wash out Willow's eyes after a really polleny walk, because otherwise she can get a bit gummy.
Smoke, air fresheners, floor wipes and all manner of strong smelling or fragranced cleaning products can all irritate a dogs eyes too so look out for those!
Pups/young dogs can be a bit prone to gummy eyes, and it can reduce as they get older. Your pup may be having a bit of an allergic reaction, or it could be just due to the physical irritation of something she's picking up as she runs around. It's good that you're planning a vet trip. Hope you get some good advice from the vet
Charlie suffered from gunky eyes when he was younger - we were prescribed courses of antibioctic eye drops, which I decided not to continue with as they did no good whatsoever. Then the vet speculated that the skin round his eyes was a bit loose and so on.... Anyway, as a bit of time went on, the skin round his eyes tightened up as his skull grew larger, and it all got better. I do still wash his eyes and face when he gets in from a walk (we are in London, and the plane tree pollen in the summer seems to irritate his eyes) and that helps a lot. If I forget to wash his eyes and face, he rubs his eyes (so I try never to forget). Anyway, the growing up and just remembering to wash his face after walks has done it for us, it keeps him comfy and no gunky eyes. I hope your vet can give you some guidance as to what is best to do. Good luck with it.