A dog’s eyes are so expressive. How many times have you gazed into your pet’s endless brown eyes or bright blue peepers and known exactly what Fido’s thinking? Or, fallen victim to those puppy dog eyes and given in to whatever your pet is begging for? But, if you haven’t thought twice about the health of your pet’s eyes, it’s time to reconsider! Dog vision and eye health is important for your pet’s overall wellness, but it also plays a big role in your pet’s happiness, especially as he ages. Here are the things you should be mindful of when it comes to dog vision and eye health.
Dog Vision Health: What To Watch Out For
It’s important to bring your pet in for regular Vet visits to have him examined from nose to toes by a professional. But, it’s also a good idea to get in the habit of checking your pet out at home in between visits, too. Make a wellness exam habit by incorporating it into a routine you already practice with your pet.
While you’re brushing out his coat, take a minute to look at his eyes to make sure there are no issues, before you give him a bath, take a peek at his peepers to make sure they’re healthy, or take advantage of cuddle time to give your dog a once-over then. However you decide to incorporate a wellness check into your routine, the important thing is that you’re consistently checking to make sure that your dog and his eyes appear healthy! Here’s what you should look for when you’re checking your dog’s eyes:
- Make Sure The Lighting’s Right: Check your dog and his eyes in a well-lit area, preferably somewhere with natural lighting. Your dog’s eyes are seriously reflective and it can be tough to see what’s going on unless you have the right lighting.
- Consider The Coloring: Healthy eyes are bright white, and not laden with bloodshot marks or redness. The area around your dog’s eyes should be pink, not red, and not inflamed. If the coloring around your dog’s eyes looks off, it could be cause for concern and is certainly worth a second look.
- Look For Dog Eye Boogers: Eye boogers. We’ve all seen them, experienced them, and offered our pets a little help cleaning up after them. And while it is normal to see the occasional dog eye booger, excess discharge, crustiness, or watery eyes are definitely not healthy!
- Check With Your Vet: When in doubt about your dog and his health, always consult a professional. Your Vet is trained to tell when there’s something going on and it’s always a good idea to err on the side of caution where your pet is concerned. If something doesn’t look right with your pet’s eyes, get him in to see the Vet ASAP!
How To Help Avoid Your Dog Having Eye Issues
In addition to visually checking your pet for an issue with his eyes, there are some things you can do to help your dog’s vision and eye health. Here’s what you should consider when it comes to your pet and his peepers:
- Feed A Balanced Diet Full Of Whole Foods: You know just how important a healthy diet is to overall wellness. The same is true for your dog, but it’s especially important to keep in mind when considering the health of his eyes. See, fruits and veggies are packed with phytonutrients, or plant compounds, that seriously support his eyes. If he’s not eating any leafy greens or fresh veggies, he’s likely missing out on some of the most powerful eye supportive foods he could be eating.
- Keep His Eyes Clean! Dogs are notoriously curious and they often stick their nose, and entire face, where they shouldn’t! This means your pet and his eyes can get gunked up, dirty, and otherwise full of yucky stuff! It’s extra important to help him clean out his eyes because he doesn’t have the dexterity we humans have when it comes to rubbing our eyes or wiping away dog eye boogers! Use a warm, damp cloth to clean your pet’s eyes and make sure you’re doing so frequently.
- Get Grooming: If your dog has a long-haired coat, keep it fresh and trimmed, especially around the eyes. Not only would it be seriously annoying to have fur in your eyes all day, but it can help prevent your pet from seeing his best and actually cause him to bump into things and potentially harm himself. Keep those flowing locks out of his eyes so he can see where he’s going and to help keep his eyes healthy!
- Keep The Windows Rolled Up: We know, it’s a scene you’ve seen time and time again. A dog with his head out the car window, tongue lolling in the wind. But, it might be a good idea for your pet to keep his head inside the vehicle, even if he does love feeling the breeze on his fur. Why? Because your car is moving fast and there’s potential for your pet to get hit with debris. You don’t want your dog to get a stone to the eye or get thwacked by a large bug because it could damage his eyes. Keep his head inside the vehicle and let him enjoy the wind while running around at the dog park, instead.
Supplements That Support Dog Vision
Feeding Fido a healthy, balanced diet full of fresh foods is a great place to start when it comes to promoting eye wellness. But, if you’re looking to get even more of a paw up on his eye health, consider supplement help, as well. There are some key ingredients that can help keep your dog’s eyes healthy and that can even help to avoid age-related eye issues from becoming a vision problem down the road. Here are some of the most helpful supplements to consider when support dog vision health:
- Vitamin A Is Essential: Did you know that one of the leading causes of blindness is in people and in pets is a Vitamin A deficiency? It plays a crucial role in eye health and is absolutely necessary for healthy vision. Support your pet and his peepers with a supplement that’s formulated with plenty of Vitamin A, to ensure he’s consuming enough of this important ingredient each and every day. It can be easy to add this nutrient to his diet with a dog multivitamin or with a safe-for-Fido Vitamin A supplement.
- Antioxidants Help Fight Age-Related Issues: While there’s no way to guarantee your pet will have perfect vision well into his golden years, adding antioxidants to your dog’s diet is a proven way to support his eye health and help to avoid age-related vision issues. Antioxidant-rich foods and supplements fight free radicals that can cause oxidative stress and lead to a breakdown in his eye health.
- Omega Fatty Acids Promote Cellular Health: Your dog’s eyes...they’re made from Omega Fatty Acids. About 30% of the tissue in your pet’s peepers is made from fatty acids. And that’s exactly why they’re key when you want to care for your pet and his vision. Eating a diet that’s rich in Omega-3 EPA and DHA helps keep your pet and his eye cells healthy. It also helps avoid age-related eye issues from developing as your pet gets older. Choose a supplement that features Salmon Oil, Cod Oil, or another cold-water fish oil to best support your pet’s health.
- Phytonutrients Offer Powerful Eye Support: When you want to add nutritive ingredients to your dog’s diet, there are few more supportive to his eye wellness than phytonutrients. What are those, you might ask? They are simply plant compounds that are seriously good for your dog and his eyes. In particular, there are several plant pigments, or flavinoids and carotenoids, that can help your pet and his vision health. Look for a supplement that includes ingredients like Beta Carotene and Lutein.
Pet Honesty Products For Healthy Vision
Pet Honesty 10-for-1 Multivitamin not only contains a daily dose of all the essential nutrients your pet needs to stay healthy but it’s also packed with eye support as well. Ingredients like Vitamin A is essential for your pet’s vision, while pumpkin and carrots offer phytonutrient support. Plus, Omega-3 Fatty Acids promote vision health and work to avoid eye decline as your dog gets older.
Or, if you want to boost your dog’s antioxidant intake to help with his eye wellness, add Pet Honesty Advanced Allergy SkinHealth Chews to his daily regimen. It’s formulated with an antioxidant-rich blend of mushrooms to show your pet’s peepers some love.
Sources:
https://blog.eyeconic.com/for-your-entertainment/signs-your-dog-needs-eye-exam.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/06/well/family/does-your-pet-need-an-eye-doctor.html
