Dogs Eyes Watering All The Time

Watery eyes or epiphora is a common problem some dogs experience. This is actually a symptom of something wrong and rarely the problem itself. Dogs’ eyes watering problem affects all breeds and all dogs of all ages. Below we will reveal the most common causes of watery eyes and help you understand why your dog has this problem. 

Most Common Causes Of Watery Eyes

Your dog can have watery eyes due to many issues and problems. But, the ones we have here are usually responsible. Dogs eyes watering issues occur as a symptom of something wrong with the eye. As you shall see, these are not very severe issues and your vet can help your pet easily.

1. Infections

Keep in mind that your pet can end up with an eye infection or some other infection that will cause watery eyes. If the eye infection is present, he will have red eyes and discharge that can be green, yellow, or some other color. Many eye infections are actually a complication that occurs when the eye is damaged.

All kinds of bacteria, fungi, and viruses can cause eye infections. There is no way we can generalize the topic. But your vet will prescribe a treatment that is usually very effective.

2. Damage of Cornea

The cornea is a clear surface all eyes have. If there is a trauma or massive or even small damage to the cornea, your pet will end up with watery eyes. In general, we can see two main possibilities. Your pet may have a small abrasion or complete ulceration. The latter is far more severe and harder to treat.

When damage to the cornea happens, tear glands in the eyes will start producing more tears. They do this in order to lubricate the eye, promote recovery and rinse off any contaminates or anything else that may be present in the eye. 

3. Abnormalities or Eyelids

Eyelids are there to protect the eye. In some cases, they can have abnormalities meaning that the eye will end up watery. Inward forming eyelids or entropion will irritate the eye and cause it to produce more tears hence your pet ends up with a watery eye. 

The second issue here is distichiasis. It means that the eyelashes will grow in unusual places such as inside of the eyelid. As you can assume the eyelashes will irritate the eye and cause it to produce more tears. With both abnormalities, we can see that the eye produces more tears than usual and tear ducts are unable to remove the tears. The watery eye is a symptom of something else here. 

Eyelid abnormalities can be a huge problem for some dogs and they need a more severe and advanced procedure. In some cases, surgery is the only option. The surgeon will correct the abnormality and your pet will have healthy eyelids after that. 

4. Tear Duct Is Blocked

Tear ducts are small openings or canals where tears flow. When a dog has a lot of tears inside the eye, most of them will leave the eye cavity via the tear duct. When this is clogged or there is some abnormality, tears simply don’t have where to go. They will stay in the eye cavity until the level is too high so they will cause watery eyes.

Treatments for this are usually simple. A vet may use a solution to clean the tear ducts or he may even use some other method to unclog them. In some cases surgery is mandatory but this is rare. The surgeon will extend the tear ducts and make them bigger. As such, tears can flow better. Surgery is mandatory when there are abnormalities within the tear ducts or around them that prevent tear flow. This is extremely rare but can happen. 

Some Breeds Are More Prone To Watery Eyes

You must know that certain dog breeds are more prone to watery eyes than others. Pugs, Bulldogs, Cocker Spaniels, and Shih Tzus are those breeds. Their eyes can be watery all the time or when there is some problem present. One way or another, you need to know when to take him to a vet. 

Our recommendation is to take him to a vet if you notice that some other symptoms are present or watery eyes have been present for a long period of time. 

Additional Signs

As you can see, watery eyes can be a sign that something is bad. On the other hand, we have cases when this is normal and you don’t have to worry about it. The best thing here is to reveal additional signs that will help you understand when the problem is actually present. In a nutshell, if your pet has some of these signs, you will need to take him to a vet.

• Your dog can’t open eyelids
• Cloudiness is present on the clear part of the eye
• Redness on the sclera (white part of the eye)
• Pawing his eyes
• Gunk formation around his eyes
• Mucous membrane swelling

As always, your pet may have all of these symptoms or just one. There is no way to predict this. But, most dogs will have a few of these symptoms. You should take him to a vet and try to deduce why the eyes of your pet are watery all the time. With a bit of luck, nothing severe will be the cause. Even if some of the diseases or health issues are present, your vet can start a treatment that will help your pet. 

The Final Word 

Dogs’ eyes watering problem is common and it affects most dogs at some point. This is a symptom of something else that is happening in the eyes of a pet! Watery eyes are not the main problem here. Nevertheless, you will have to take him to a vet as soon as you notice this and some other symptoms from the list above. With treatment, your pet will be fine within a couple of days.

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