Just like a girl obsessing over her hair, dog owners obsess over their pet’s hair. With constant brushing and untangling knots, a dog’s hair can be a nightmare to tame. A particular annoyance that some breeds of dogs experience is hair growing down and around their eyes. Breeds like the Shih-Tzu, English sheepdog, Pekingese and Bearded collie are victims of their own hair growing in front of those big, adorable eyes. Not only do those dogs have limited visibility, but they are also prone to eye infections.
Because hair can constantly be in the eyes of dogs, the hair stands will actually scratch the cornea of the eye triggering bacteria to fester in their eyes and cause conjunctivitis, or “pink eye.” By contracting conjunctivitis your dog will feel much discomfort with the constant irritation, redness and yellow discharge. According to DrsFosterSmith.com, a pet health information website, if conjunctivitis is left untreated it can lead to glaucoma and even blindness.
In order to avoid having your pet develop eye problems from their own hair, Pet WebMD suggests owners putting their dog’s hair in an up-do (as pictured) or taking their dog to their local groomer to get a quick trim. A simple dog makeover can make the biggest difference in their eye sight and happiness. If you’re interested in more tips in keeping your dog healthy, subscribe to this column or click “share” on Facebook/Twitter.
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