Depending on your dog's temperament, you can either approach from the front or from behind. For dogs that are head shy, coming from behind the head and using a finger to drop the medication in can be more comfortable. Always reward them with a treat or praise afterwards to reinforce positive behavior.

Cherry eye is a condition where there's a third little eye gland that you usually can't see. This gland is there to help produce tears, and in some dogs, the ligament that holds it down in place can be a little stretchy, and the gland can pop out. Cherry eye is like this bright red gland. It'll look like there's a little red tumor right here on your dog's eye. They are typically not bothersome to the dog as long as they're not traumatized. They can traumatize them, in which case they need to come in and have meds, and you'll know because it'll be even redder or even bleeding. It can be surgically repaired. It's recommended to not remove the gland as it can lead to dry eye later in life. Surgery performed by a veterinary ophthalmologist to tack the gland back down has a better prognosis.

Dogs can get pink eye, also known as conjunctivitis. If the conjunctivitis is caused by an upper respiratory tract infection, it can be contagious to other dogs but is usually not contagious to people. There are different types of conjunctivitis: allergic, viral, and bacterial. But the main thing is that it's just inflammation of the pink part or the fleshy part of the eye.

Cataracts are where the lens becomes super thickened, and it's almost mineralized. No light can get to the back of the eye. I cannot see to the back of the retina when I'm looking with my scope, and they cannot see out. Cataracts can be diagnosed through a physical exam. They appear like a bright white starburst in the eye. The only 100% effective treatment for cataracts is cataract surgery, in which the diseased lens is liquefied and replaced with an artificial one. It's actually amazing because these animals wake up and they can see. There was a case I saw in vet school, it was an older diabetic dog. She was about eight or nine, and she's been blind for two years. She was my patient, and when she woke up, I was right there with her. I got to take her outside for the first time, and she hadn't been able to see for two years. Just seeing the joy on this dog's face is amazing. There are veterinary ophthalmologists that can perform cataract surgery, but it's a highly rewarding surgery and it is a fix.

Yes, breeds with smooshed faces, also known as brachycephalic, such as Bulldogs, French Bulldogs, Boston Terriers, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Shih Tzus, Lhasa Apsas, Pekingese, and in some cases Pomeranians, are more prone to eye issues. This is due to their shallow orbits. However, eye issues can occur in any breed.

The best way to determine if your dog's eye is injured is by visually examining the eye. Look for abnormalities such as redness, discharge, excessive tearing, or squinting. Other signs may include the dog refusing to open its eye, swollen eyelids, or the presence of a cyst or growth on the eye. These are indicators that something is wrong and needs to be checked out.

You don't but you can. It's not really necessary unless you've noticed that your dog's coat is super rough. You want to use one that's specific for dogs. I actually really like the Burt's Bees brand. You can get it from Amazon. They have a really good cool little oatmeal shampoo that I love for soothing skin along with the cream rinse.

Yes, there are some medicated shampoos that can help. Itching is usually a symptom of another problem like allergies of some sort so that's a question that we probably need to sit down in an exam room and have a talk about.

We want to start when they're puppies, getting them used to water. That's a good time to do it in the kitchen sink. You want to use warm water. That way it's not a shock to their system. Just start gradually. You can also have someone else in your household feeding treats to do this when they're hungry and that creates more of a positive experience. So we're working on positive reinforcement. If they are puppies, you do want to make sure you're using a tearless shampoo or a puppy shampoo and really avoid the eyes if at all possible. If you do need to bathe the head, then make sure you're using human baby tearless that will work really well. That way it doesn't hurt their eyes if it gets in the eyes.

We want to make sure that we're not drying out their skin. So sometimes if you're bathing your dog when it's not medically necessary, more than once a week or once every two weeks, you can start to notice that their skin gets a little dry. That's because we're drying out the top oil layer of the skin. I would recommend no more than once a week if not every two weeks and it's going to be dependent on what your dog needs and what you're seeing.