My puppies eyes are swollen...

[Caridad]

My puppy has swollen eyes and a sort of mucus that hardens around them. She rubs her eye with her paw sometimes and screeches in pain. I have tried to ease her pain by rubbing water, baby oil and sometimes aloe vera....but the swelling doesn't go down. How can I stop the swelling and the mucus around her eye? (I don't know for sure why this happened. The only thing I think is that this is a reaction of being smacked in the left eye by my neice's iguana. - My niece, while babysitting my puppy, accidently lost control of the puppy as she leaned over the iguana cage to feed it and the puppy fell in - I can't figure why both eyes are affected if my niece claim she saw the iguana's tail just smack her on one side of her face.)

[Beaglemom]

This calls for a vet visit. Please have her seen by a vet asap.

[BMDLuver]

Sounds like she needs to see the vet. There may be damage to the eye. Could also have conjuntivitus as well. Putting baby oil and aloe vera near the eye is not a good idea as she probably rubbed it into her eye and made matters worse. Please take her to the vet... letting something like this go could result in her loss of sight eventually.

[Caridad]

I was extremely worried about my puppy because I knew I couldn't afford a vet visit, but I found an article on this website with some suggestions that have given me some hope. Again thank you!

[BMDLuver]

When the time comes for vaccinations and altering.. will you be able to afford that? Owning a pet is a costly endeavor... what might cost $60 now could later cost $200 if not treated correctly.

[mona_b]

Please take your pup to see a vet.

[Caridad]

I didn't know we could make payments. Also as they say...common sense isn't so common...don't know why I didn't think about a pet fund set aside for their needs. This is something I'm definitely starting to do. Thank you so much for your concern and warning on the fact that cost may increase. (I wasn't considering all of this at the time I purchased my puppy, I just wanted one so badly. )

[BMDLuver]

You seem to be thinking things through now which is a great start. It will just take some creative financial planning to cover the emergencies and normal care for your pup. You're on the right track.

[Beaglemom]

Have you considered pet insurance? It may be something to look into. This way you would be covered for emergencies. Annual checkups are something that can be budgeted for. Vaccines, heartworm test and medication, etc are all things that you can set money aside for every year by taking a small amount from every paycheque and setting it aside. You could even open an account specifically for pet related expenses and just take a small amount every month or paycheque and deposit into that account.

[mona_b]

This is why it is so very important to think things through when getting a pet.It's a bad idea to get one in the spur of the moment.

You definately need to put money aside for those "just incase" situations.

Vaccinations and altering will cost you.Then there is the chance your pup gets ill and will need tests.This again is going to cost you.

You said you purchased your pup.Did you get her from a reputable breeder?Or from somewhere else?I f somewhere else,then this could end up costing you more as these BYB's do not have their breeding dogs health and genetic tested/certified.

Have you researched the Chi breed before you got her?Do you know the health issues in this breed?

Sorry for all the questions.Just trying to help you understand that there is much more then just getting a pup....

Also,I noticed you have a kitten also.Not only will your pup need vaccines and altering,but so will your kitten.

I tell you,pets can put us in the poor house.But we love them and will do anything for them......

[Lucky Rescue]

Your puppy definitely must see a vet, if not for this incident, then for something else. Dogs are expensive.

Here is the average cost of a puppy for the first year of life. Will you be able to afford it?

http://www.westwinddogtraining.com/A...st_of_dog.html

[her122]

I know with my puppy, in the first year it was about $1,000 just at the vets. There were a lot of costs that I have never thought too much about. Like the Revolution for fleas and heartworm, that she needed medication on the first visit (worms), that even thought the quote for having her fixed was only 200+GST it ended up costing about 400 after the fluids and microchip and all the other extra's I ended up saying yes to cause she is my baby.

Even now, there was an emergency a while ago with a 'hotspot' that cost $200. And she still needs the Revolution for most of the year (approx. $30/month), and any shots she needs (coming up soon). Dogs are not cheap pets to keep. There is a huge amount of commitment, not only emotionally and mentally, but financially aswell.

And this is just vet bills. On top of that there is food, treats, toys, training classes, bedding, and everything else I see that I think "oooooo, Ocean would love that!!"

When I was looking for a puppy I knew some of what it would cost, but I was pretty ignorant to exactly how much it would be. I was more concerned about the breed of dog that I did/didn't want, size, temperment.... that kind of thing. So now I always have a backup plan for Ocean. There is always a few dollars tucked away somewhere just incase.

[StaceyB]

Call around to your local vets. Tell them what you have described to us here. Also ask if they have a payment plan. You can see what their cost for a check up is and atleast bring that amount with you. It is usually 30-40 dollars. Please don't put anything on the eye just take her to the vet. Seeing as we are not vets and you don't know what the actual problem is it would be dangerous to try and treat by yourself. It sounds as if there is also an infection present.

[Caridad]

I just want to thank everyone who replyed to MY PUPPIES EYES ARE SWOLLEN and update you on her health. I was able to call around the vets in town and was sad to get so many that didn't have payment options and were telling me that it would run anywhere from $80 to $150, but finally one of the vets gave me a number to an animal hospital outside of town. I called and that vet listened to the description of my pet's illness and was willing to take the puppy with a $40 payment and the rest could be made in payments if necessary...but to my surprise the total of the check up and medication came out to only $34 and he offered to put her shots on at a convinient time for $20. I'm so happy knowing my baby is getting her need met and will be feeling better soon!!! Once again thank you all for your encouragement and thanks for this website that helped me realize that there are some vets out there who are very reasonable, just keep calling.

[raingirl]

As far as I know Iguanas carry some pretty nasty bacteria. I got scratched by my sisters iguana really bad once when it tried to get away from her outside when she had it on a leash. I went to the doc right away and was told that was the best thing to do as I could have got a blood infection from the bacteria. I had to go on antiobiotics and everything. Not fun.

[Prin]

I'm glad you found a vet that was willing to help you. I hope this puppy gets everything he needs.

[Karin]

Originally Posted by Prin

I'm glad you found a vet that was willing to help you. I hope this puppy gets everything he needs.

I echo what Prin said. Please stick with this vet for your puppys further needs, sounds like he cares for the best interest of the animal...become a client of record and you will not have to worry about who will be there for you in an emergency. So many vets these days refuse to see emergencys other than their own clients, instead it's easier to refer them to an emergency hospital..which can cost dearly.