Conjunctivitis in French bulldogs is one of the most painful and irritating conditions that affect the dog’s eyes. It refers to inflammation of the conjunctiva tissue and it’s followed by redness and swelling around the eye(s).
Dog conjunctivitis often involves both eyes and requires special medical treatment. To help your Frenchie’s eyes get back to normal, you have to determine the exact cause of the problem.
What are the main causes of conjunctivitis in French bulldogs?
Conjunctivitis in French bulldogs can be caused by a number of issues and some of them are:
- Viral infection
- Irritation with a stuck foreign body
- Allergy (food and environmental)
- Glaucoma
- Parasitic infection
- Obstructed tear ducts
- Tear film deficiency
- Tumors
What are the symptoms of conjunctivitis in French bulldogs?
Frenchies are widely recognizable for their big and protruding eyes. Due to this, they are on a higher tendency to suffer from cherry eye and dry eye syndrome. Since dry eye syndrome can be one of the causes of conjunctivitis in Frenchies, we have to pay attention to those sensitive and important body parts.
Since our dogs can’t tell us what bothers them, signs such as frequent blinking, squinting, and pawing at the eye will point out to eye issues. Any eye problem should be treated immediately, otherwise, the infection may progress and even lead to loss of vision.
Other symptoms that will point out that your dog deals with conjunctivitis are green or yellow discharge, inability to open the eye after sleeping, swollen eye, and redness of the eyeball. Note that this condition will not go away by itself, so you have to consult your vet as soon as you notice any of these signs.
How do you treat conjunctivitis in French bulldogs?
Dog conjunctivitis should not be treated with remedies you found as tips on the internet. Since there are different types of this condition, your vet will determine the exact cause of this issue by performing a swab test.
The swab test will reveal whether it’s caused by a parasite, bacteria, allergen, or some other element. The treatment can last from a few days to even several weeks, so you have to be prepared for a long journey of treatment to help your pet. Wearing an Elizabethan cone is also required since it will prevent your dog from further injuring the eyes.
What will work the best?
In most cases, antibiotic eye drops will do the job. However, if there is a stuck element in your Frenchie’s eye, the vet will first have to remove the foreign body. Corticosteroid drops or eye cream will help in alleviating the feeling of itchiness and relieve swelling. Since corticosteroid remedies should not be used for more than 5 days, you have to be very careful when using them on your pet.
Other methods of treatment include cold compresses, artificial tears, and oral antihistamine therapy in the case when conjunctivitis is caused by an allergy trigger.
Conjunctivitis in French bulldogs can be successfully cured if you adhere to the prescribed therapy by the veterinarian. Depending on the severity of the case, the treatment may last from a few days to several weeks.
How to keep your French bulldog’s eye healthy?
Since Frenchies have naturally protruding eyes, they are more prone to catching dirt and other elements. Therefore, regularly checking those body parts and keeping them clean is over-needed. We recommend you use the following Frenchie World Eye Tear Stain Remover as part of a regular cleaning routine. This product features only natural ingredients which means your dog won’t develop allergic reactions. This Frenchie World Eye Tear Stain Remover is an effective anti-inflammatory, bactericidal, and cleansing action to prevent bacterial infections in the eye.
