Does Dog Eye Mucus Indicate Canine Allergies

by Sue
(Elkton Maryland)

We have a German Shepherd that we found out has a dog food allergy to chicken. Not that she has a real bad reaction, she just gets diaherria.

This year the summer has been really wet - we live in Maryland. In the past two months our dog wakes with a kinda yellow-green mucus in her eyes. Sometimes its heavier then other times but just wondering if this is an allergic reaction to maybe mold or something else.

She spends alot of time outside. She also has been scratching alot but she has always be an itchy puppy. She also has been chewing at her back end near her tail. This is something else she does from time to time-mostly in the spring.

Do you think it's allergy's or something else?

Vet Suggestion Dog Allergy Mucus in Eyes

Hi Sue,

Yes, from your description your dog could certainly be suffering from canine allergies. Many dogs with allergic tendencies develop additional allergies as time goes on. She might be allergic to another component of food in addition to chicken now.

You might want to consider a food trial with a product containing hydrolyzed proteins (e.g., Purina HA or Hill’s z/d). If most of her symptoms disappear after a few weeks to months on this diet (and absolutely nothing else!), she has food allergies and you can decide whether you want to try to find out what she is allergic to by gradually adding individual ingredients back into her diet or if you want to simply keep her on the prescription food.

Dogs can also be allergic to flea bites, and the fact that your dog chews at the base of her tail (a favorite place for fleas) makes this another possibility. If you aren’t already using a powerful monthly flea preventative like Revolution or Frontline or its generic equivalent all year round, start now even if you don’t see fleas.

Pollens, molds, and dust mites are common environmental allergens. If your dog is still itchy after addressing the above, you might want to consider allergy testing or symptomatic treatment if your veterinarian is comfortable with that. Of course, something other than allergies could be going on too. If your dog were my patient, I’d also be considering skin scrapings to look for mites, a fungal culture to rule out ringworm, and skin cytology to look for infection.

Regards,
Jennifer Coates, DVM