4 Tips for Shih Tzu Eye Care - Toy Breed Eye Health Guide 2024

Written By: Ethan Anderson

Team My Angel Shih Tzu

The Chinese toy breed dog is truly a masterpiece of beauty due to its flat face, bulging eyes and small mouth. I find the beautiful eyes of these dogs with clear spacing very beautiful and charming. As their eyes are a beautiful and distinctive feature of this breed, the pet parent should pay special attention to shih tzu eye care.

Because Tzu dogs’ eyes are in contact with the environment for a long time, any foreign particles or dust particles can easily affect them. It has also been observed that these dogs have a higher chance of tear strain, and their tear ducts produce more tears than other breeds, causing eye gunk to build up around their eyes or porphyrin iron-containing compounds to accumulate around their eyes. 

So, to save their dogs from eye pain, pet owners have to give their dogs special eye care with a special Shih Tzu eye care solution and wipe and trim the hair around their dogs’ eyes. Let’s see what tips, tools, and techniques we can use to care for these cute little breed eyes.

Why is it important to take care of Shih Tzu's eye Area?

Nature has blessed these small, flat-mouthed dogs with very charming eyes, but at the same time, many eye diseases are found in them, and their eyes are so sensitive that they are sensitive to even the slightest allergen, dust and pollen.

  •  So, it is very important to take care of your dog’s eye safety so that it can be protected from irritation, radiance, glaucoma hypersensitivity, and dry eye syndrome.
  •  Also, every morning these dogs wake up, mucus builds up around their eyes and needs to be cleaned; otherwise, it can cause a fungal, bacterial infection in the eyes.
  • Secondly, these dogs have very long hair, which is close to the eyes and causes tear strain, so the special grooming of their hair and the care of their eyes are closely related.

If you want your dog to look healthy, pay special attention to its grooming and Shih Tzu dog eye care.

Daily Eye Care Routine and Additional Tips for Shih Tzu

Cleaning the dog’s eyes once a week will not work. This breed requires almost daily eye grooming, so pet parents should set a morning and evening eye routine for their dog to better protect it from eye infections. Let’s read the Shih Tzu eye care guide!

Cleaning around the eyes:

When you cuddle with your dog early in the morning, you should clean his eyes using a very soft, wet cloth to wipe around them if there is any discharge, crust or debris. 

Picture Credit: Krit4u – Yandex

Checking for debris or discharge:

When you wake up in the morning, first inspect your dog’s eyes so that you do not see any redness, discharge, or irritation. If you see any conjunctival signs or corneal ulcers, then your dog is definitely having eye problems.

Picture Credit: Pintrest – Yandex

Using appropriate eye wipes and solutions:

Picture Credit: Fjb.kaskus – Yandex

Remember that the area around the eyes is very sensitive and should not be cleaned with a rough cloth. Instead, try using an eye-cleaning solution or wipes.

Massage the eyes area:

Picture Credit: Mein Hustier – Yandex

For your tzu dog’s best eye health, massage the area around his eyes well with coconut oil before bed. This will prevent him from many eye infections.

What are Common Eye Problems and their solution for Shih Tzu?

We have heard this phrase many times that shih tzu dogs are prone to many eye problems, but pet parents should always know which eye diseases can affect the dogs of this small breed. Of course, like me, you are curious to know about these diseases, so let’s read about the major diseases that affect the cute eyes of Toy-breed dogs!

Tear-Staining:

Picture Credit: Commans.m.wikimedia – Yandex

This disease is very common in Shih Tzu dogs, who carry it in their genetics from their ancestors. Many environmental factors, such as skin allergies, dust allergies, or improper tear drainage, can cause eye strain, which decolourises the eye areas and causes discomfort.

Prevention:
Take daily eye care.
Use a high-quality eye-cleaning solution.

Conjunctivitis:

Picture Credit: The pet supruce – Yandex

This painful situation arises due to inflammation of the white membrane of the eye called the conjunctiva. It mainly occurs due to allergies and dry eye infections.

Prevention:
Avoid contact with allergens.
Use dog eye-clean drops.

Dry Eyes:

Picture Credit: Vistapointie – Yandex

This is an aging issue in shih tzus in which the tear duct is unable to produce tears optimally, resulting in dryness and irritation in dog eyes.

Prevention:
Lubricate eyes.
Use eye drops.
May adopt surgical options.

Entropion:

Picture Credit: The pet supruce – Yandex

This anatomical default disease occurs when the eyelids roll inward or outward. If the condition is too severe, it can cause vision loss and severe pain.The basic cause of this disease is genetics, but it may also occur due to injury around the eyes.

Prevention:
Warm and compress the eye.
Use an eye-cleaning solution.
Go for dog eye surgery.

 

Corneal Ulcer:

Picture Credit: The pet supruce – Yandex

This disease results from infection in the eye or injury and trauma, in which open sores appear on the front surface of the eyes and cause pain, redness, and irritation.

Prevention:
Use prescribed anti-bacterial medicine.
Avoid environmental contact.
Go for eye surgery.

Common Symptoms of Eye Issues in Tzu

Eye infection affects shih tzu dogs in different ways depending on their age or how strong their immune system is, but some symptoms are common to all dogs with eye infections, such as:

Symptoms

  • Redness
  •  Swelling
  • Excessive tearing or discharge
  • Rubbing eyes
  •  Squinting or rubbing the eyes
  • Stress
  • Cloudiness in the eye
  • Itching
  •  Visible discomfort
  • Less activity
  • Debris around eyes

Note:  

If you notice any of the above symptoms in canine, don’t try tricks yourself. Just visit the vet and prescribe the medication for Shih Tzu eye care!

Basic steps for Diagnosis and Veterinary Care of Shih Tzu infected eyes

Picture Credit: Pupvine – Yandex

If you feel that your dog has an eye infection, you must contact a veterinary doctor and take your dog to get a proper diagnosis of the disease. Here are three steps to Diagnosing an Eye Infection!

Regular check-ups with a vetVisit the vet regularly until the dog’s eye infection is eliminated. Never be lazy and compromise canines’ health.
Diagnostic tests for eye conditions

The following tests were done to identify eye infections!

  • Schirmer Tear Test
  • Fluorescein Dye Test
  • Slit-lamp Biomicroscopy
  • Corneal Scraping
  • Impression Cytology
Treatment plans and medications

The vet prescribes the duration of eye drugs, but there are few common medicines for eye disease in Shih Tzu!

Note:

All medicines should be used according to Vet instructions!

What Preventive Measures should be taken to avoid tear strain in Shih tzu eyes?

If you want to protect your beloved dog from eye infections at home, then of course, along with the daily eye cleaning routine, you will also have to take some preventative measures that will improve the beauty of your beloved dog’s eyes and protect them from infection. Taking care of Shih Tzu’s eye is simple; let’s try it out!

  • Regular cleaning

Try to clean dog eyes daily with eye-cleaning solution and wipes.

  • Avoiding irritants 

If your dog has dust, smoke, or fog allergies, try to provide an allergen-free environment to maintain eye health.

  • Proper grooming to keep hair out of the eyes

Trim your shih tzu hairs around the eye area two times a week so as not to irritate the surface.

  • Nutritional support for eye health

Try feeding your dog a diet rich in omega-6 fatty acids, antioxidants, and vitamin E to help improve your dog’s vision and protect against eye infections. The following foods are ideal for eye health.

  • Carrots
  • High protein food
  • Broccoli
  • Salmon

Essential Grooming Practices Impacting Eye Health

There is no doubt that these small dogs have very loyal and friendly behavior, which is why they are also called best companion dogs. To improve your pal eye health, you must follow the grooming tips given below:

  • Keep the hair around the eyes regularly trimmed so the canine enjoys a broader view.
  • Use hypoallergenic cleaning products.
  • Avoid sharp, sharp blade tools,  and promote the use of gentle grooming tools so dogs enjoy cleaning.

Ensuring clean grooming equipment is sterilized and cleaned.

What products and Tools for Eye Care of Shih Tzu are used?

The following tools are used for Shih Tzu puppy eye care!

  • Eye wipes
  • Saline solutions
  • Scissor
  • Cotton cloth
  • Warm water
  • Tear stain removers
  • Eye drops and ointments
  • Protective goggles 

Conclusion

Finally, like humans, eyes are a gift from nature to dogs. These small breed dogs are prone to eye infections, usually due to bulging eyes and constant contact with the environment. But by using a better eye solution or taking a course of medications, we can protect our dog from these eye infections. For more information on the shih tzu breed, visit our official website!

Reviewed By: Jason Reynolds

Team My Angel Shih Tzu

References

Research By: Brian Mitchell

Team My Angel Shih Tzu

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