Your dog’s vision is important to his happiness and well being. Learn how to keep him seeing well using holistic and nutritional support.

It’s easy to take sight for granted – unless something happens to damage it. Although your dog has a much better sense of hearing and smell than you do, he also relies heavily on vision to navigate the world. That’s why it’s vital to include your dog’s eyes in his wellness program.

Take a close look at your dog’s eyes on a regular basis to check for any sign of a problem. If his eyes are healthy, they’ll have a good, clear “coating” over them. The pupils will be shiny and dark and of equal size. They should constrict with light, and dilate when the light is removed.

The “sclera” around the eye should be pinkish white. If it’s all white, it signals anemia. Yellow indicates severe liver trouble (jaundice), while a red sclera means possible fever, overexertion or poisoning (with other, severe symptoms). If it’s murky and oddly colored, it shows infection. Tear discharge should be clear and thin. Any thick, yellow or green discharge could mean an infection. A white, opaque discharge can also signal infection or be a reaction to a blow. Blood in the eye is an emergency – seek veterinary care as soon as possible.

Healthy eyesight and protection from injury and infection depend on good nutritional support and preventive measures – click here for a list of foods to preserve your dog’s eye health. Be sure to talk to a holistic or integrative vet before introducing any new herb, supplement or remedy to your dog’s diet.

Additional tips

1. Keep your dog’s environment safe to avoid injuries to his eyes. Look at the world from his viewpoint. Trim and remove low branches in the yard, watch for sharp objects at canine eye level, keep chemicals out of his reach, control dust in the environment and do not use chemical floor and carpet cleaners or pesticides.

2. Externally cleansing a dog’s eye can be done with sterile cotton soaked with a clean saline solution – a pinch of pure sea salt in one cup of pure warm water.

3. Make soothing drops for irritated eyes using one teaspoon of goldenseal leaf (the root is too strong!) and one teaspoon of pure rose petals in two cups of water just off the boil. Add a pinch of sea salt to make it isotonic. Steep for 15 minutes, cool and strain very well. This solution will keep in the fridge for seven days. Always warm the liquid slightly before use.

Preserving your dog’s vision and eye health is easy if you take the right steps. Regularly check his eyes for potential problems, and take him to the vet promptly if something doesn’t look right. Eliminate potential hazards in and around the house and nourish him with eye-healthy foods and herbs