Welcome to the first part of our #HolisticWellbeing series! In this article, we look (pun intended!) at dog eye boogers, why they are important in relation to a dog's wellbeing, and how you can take care of them.
What are eye boogers?
Have you ever thought why your dog gets crusty build up and sore spots in the corners of their eyes? That's because just like us humans, your pup's eyes normally produce tears at night when sleeping. This is normal and plays an essential role of maintaining the health of your pup's eyes, providing oxygen and nourishment to the cornea, and to help remove debris from the eye's surface.
I understand! But how does this affect my pup's wellbeing?
Whilst we have fingers to get rid of our eye boogers, your pup has cute paws instead, meaning that they are unable to get rid of them, and will build up!
These build ups are uncomfortable, and if they are not cleaned regularly, in the long run they can cause skin irritations and can lead to bacterial infections. Furthermore, extreme discomfort may lead your pup to try to scratch its eyes using its paws and toenails, which may lead them to accidentally scratch or hurt their eyes and the surrounding areas!
Examples of eye boogers can be seen in the images below. On the most left image, you can see that the buildup of eye boogers (in red circles) has led to extreme irritation and matts around the pup's eye and snout; and on the middle image, the poor pup has just had a large buildup of eye booger removed, however its skin is visibly red as it is extremely raw and sensitive due to the amount of eye booger that has collected over time.
Click the images to expand!
I don't want this to happen to my pup! How can I prevent this?
Firstly, it is important to remember that whilst your pup's claws and toenails can harm their eyes and surrounding areas, your fingers cannot harm them during cleaning!
It is so simple to take care of this for them and once you get the habit of it, it will only take 2 seconds of your day. How you can remove your pup's eye boogers:
Get a tissue, cotton pad, or any soft and clean cloth.
Wet it a little bit with warm water.
Wipe the corners of your pup's eyes to get rid of any visible eye boogers.
Gently dab the areas with a dry tissue, cotton pad, or clean cloth.
Done!
Doing this once a day when you get up in the morning could make a big difference in the long run!
If you have any further questions on this, or are unsure of how to remove your pup's eye booger, please feel free to contact us at contact@groomguru.dog. Additionally, our staff are always available to assist you in-store at Groom Guru Natural Dog Spa & Daycare, 112 Cleveland Street, W1T 6PA.
More information on eye boogers may also be found at these helpful websites:
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Other useful links:
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