Pink Eye & Polysporin Drops

[Jenni0923]

Hi all,

What a wonderful community you have here. I have a feeling I will be visiting often.

I have a question(s) about pink eye treatment. While seaching through some posts, someone mentioned polysporin drops for use on a dog. Is there any particular strength or type that I should use? How much and how often would I use it? What is the treatment timeline, one week, longer?

My basenji, Pharaoh has pink eye. He's had it in the past and the vet drops are really expensive (and not very useful) so when I read that we can use human drops I was very happy but full of questions (as you can see from above).

Thanks very much in advance.

Namaste,

Jen

[hazelrunpack]

Welcome to the board, Jenni0923.

Unfortunately, most of us aren't vets, Jen, so we can't give you dosages. If you're sure it's another case of pink eye, your vet should be able to give advice on what to use if you go with something from OTC.

I'm curious as to why your dog has had so many cases of pink eye? Has your vet ruled out a physical problem with the eye (like inturned eyelashes?). I hope he recovers quickly!

Oh, and since you're new, let me be the first to bug you for pictures of Pharoah!

[Jenni0923]

Hi Hazel.. Thanks for the prompt reply

Pharaoh has only had pink eye once before a few years or so ago, and this is very reminiscent of how it was before. I would like to try the polysporin before we make a trip to our vet. I thought I would see how it plays out over the weekend to see if there is any improvement and if not then we'll take him in. Though, looking at him now, he seems completely fine and now I wonder if maybe it could have been an eyelash and I just panicked. Better safe than sorry though.

I will definitely try to figure out how to post pics. There must be a thread about it in here somewhere .

Jen

[ScottieDog]

First, welcome. This is a great place.

I'm glad Pharaoh's problem seems to be getting better. I really want to stress what Hazel said about going to the vet. I had a dog that had pink eye several times during her life. My vet prescribed an ointment and it wasn't very expensive. I did need to take her in each episode, however, because she needed a fluorescein stain to check for possible corneal abrasion. Using the wrong medication if the eye has an abrasion can result in serious damage to the eye and vision.

I know inverted eyelashes can cause eye irritation. My dog seemed to have her episodes from digging holes during pollen season. Good luck and I agree with Hazel (twice in one post! ha, ha)--we need pictures.

[hazelrunpack]

If you get some sterile saline from the drug store you can use it to flush a dog's eyes if they're a little irritated from dirt or pollen. Might take a while for your dog to get used to it, though--make sure you have yummy treats to reward him with afterward.

Originally Posted by Jenni0923

I will definitely try to figure out how to post pics. There must be a thread about it in here somewhere .

Jen

Here ya go http://www.pets.ca/forum/faq.php?faq...b3_attachments

If you click on the FAQ item in the darker blue menu bar above, you can find more information. There is some additional information on attachments here: http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=24118

Good luck!! Looking forward to pics!