Dog eye burn

Veterinarians note an increase in the number of pets receiving burns of varying severity, including the eyes. And most often it is dogs that suffer from such injuries. It is not difficult to guess that this trend is due to the fact that the owners do not provide adequate safety for their pets and allow various dangerous situations. True, in bona fide hosts, pets are also burned. Since no one is safe from such situations, it is better for a person to know what to do if a dog has a burn of his eyes, and what actions should be avoided.

Causes and classification of burns

Dogs are quite curious animals, in addition, most of them have dulled a sense of self-preservation. In most cases, curiosity of four-legged friends is expensive. A dog can get eye damage in a variety of ways:

1. Chemical burn. It occurs when poisonous substances - acids, alkalis, salts of heavy metals and other compounds capable of cauterizing tissues - fall on the mucous surface of the organ of vision. In addition, a burn of the mucous membrane of the eyes may in this case appear due to improper use of medications. The severity of damage, first of all, depends on how concentrated the composition is, the burn can be both superficial and affect the deeper layers of the dermis. If the poisonous substance is not removed from the surface, then the lesion can cause tissue necrosis.
2. Eye burn with ultraviolet light. A pet can receive it when a person for a long time leaves the erythema or quartz lamp turned on, which are used to treat various diseases.
3. Thermal burn. The effect of high temperatures on the mucous surface of the eyes can be called the most common cause of eye burns. A pet can get such burn damage as a result of a fire by putting a curious nose into a fire or by inadvertently peering into a pot of boiling liquid. There are many situations, but in each of them the dog does not have time to close its eyes and the conjunctiva with the cornea is injured.

Symptoms of pathology

Any burn, including the eye, causes a sharp and acute pain syndrome. The pet is trying to hide from the light, tear fluid is intensively secreted from it, the eyelids, conjunctiva and cornea swell.

The victim’s vision deteriorates greatly, the pet becomes restless, begins to rub its face with its paws, wipes itself on carpets and upholstered furniture, trying to get rid of unpleasant sensations.

If we are talking about a severe burn, then part of the cells of the organ of vision die, there is a significant clouding of the lens. In some cases, ulcerations appear on the surface of the eye, in the place of which gross scars form.

With serious damage, damage to the eyelid tissue with the eyeball is possible. In the case of advanced pathology, the animal may develop an infectious-septic process, for example, panophthalmitis, etc.

First Aid Rules

How to act if a pet has burned his eyes depends on what caused the damage:

1. Thermal burn - 0.25% chloramphenicol drops are dripped into the eyes, pulling out the skin of the lower eyelid, a little 1% tetracycline eye ointment is laid.
2. Chemical burn - immediately rinse the damaged organ with plenty of water. The event should last at least 10 minutes, a rubber bulb is suitable for such purposes.
3. Eye contact with solid chemicals (lime, crystals of potassium permanganate, etc.) - it is important to very quickly remove particles of toxic components using tweezers or a cotton ball, and then rinse the mucous membrane with plenty of water. Then - Sulfacyl sodium is dripped into the eyes, an eye tetracycline ointment is placed over the eyelid (skin product cannot be used!), And Baneocin and 1% Synthomycin emulsion are applied to the skin around. It is recommended to apply a sterile dressing on the eyes, use a bandage, gauze, but not cotton!
4. Sunburn - you can’t let the pet rub his eyes with his paws, you can put cooling lotions on your eyelids that will reduce soreness and swelling. To reduce pain and photophobia, novocaine drops can be instilled into each eye.

After all the manipulations, the pet must be delivered to the veterinary clinic.

Eye burn treatment

Upon admission to the clinic, the veterinarian must prescribe treatment:

• painkillers in the form of drops for the eyes - most often the choice falls on non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs or local anesthetics;
• to eliminate pain symptoms, medications that dilate the pupils may be prescribed;
• for severe burns, the use of glucocorticosteroids may be recommended;
• keratoprotectors are prescribed to accelerate the healing of damaged tissues.

To exclude situations in which the animal can injure its eyes by itself, veterinarians advise putting on a special protective collar. In some cases, drug therapy is not enough, and then the patient undergoes surgery.

Preventative measures

It is impossible to foresee everything, but still the owner should take more care of the safety of the pet. You can’t allow yourself to walk, there should be no toxic substances in the public domain at home, it is also important to avoid dangerous situations.

A dog is a man’s best friend who unconditionally trusts his master. And it is desirable that the owner is aware of all the responsibility that appears when the four-legged comrade crosses the threshold of the house.