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I have an American bulldog and she's 2 years old. I've noticed this for some time right now but I just wanted to know. Every time I see her in the morning she would come up to me and rub her head across my leg and sometimes when I look on my trouser leg, there would be a ball of this eye gunk on my leg.
I just wanted to know what this is and if its an issue I need to check with the vet. Thanks for all responses.
There are many causes of ocular discharge in dogs. There is no way anyone online can tell you the cause of the discharge. It could be a mild conjunctivitis, or there could be an infection. Given she is a brachycephalic breed, it's important to consider whether there is an underlying reason why she is having eye issues. Bulldog-type breeds are more likely to have conditions such as dry eye, entropion (rolled eyelid), or tear drainage issues, any of which could present as ocular discharge.
While you probably don't need to see a vet emergently, it is definitely worth having a vet look at her eyes to make sure there is not something structural that needs to be addressed, or an infection that needs to be treated. If an eye condition is left untreated, it could progress, and potentially irreversibly effect vision.
Bulldogs are also predispositioned to having allergies. It's possible he's having a mild allergic reaction to his food or it could be related to environment (plants he's getting into, grass, pollen, ragweeds).
If it's in combination with eye puffiness, redness, swollen lymph nodes, OR if the discharge changed in color from black/brown to greenish yellow, or goopy instead of dry it's most likely a bacterial or fungal infection that should be treated by a vet.
You could try changing his diet to a sensitive skin formula, one with reduced or no allergens (common dog food allergens are corn, wheat, and chicken). This is a common recommendation (my friend switched his bullie to a limited ingredient diet food that's protein source was fish, and his skin was less flaky and itchy, and the discharge improved).
Also, know a little bit of crusties is normal after prolonged periods of sleep, but I like to never assume, so that my pets health is risked by lack of reaction.
I have a staffy puppy and recently took her to the vet for eye discharge and this is what he told me:
If the eye gunk is yellow it's a general sign of conjunctivitis or infection. This is not uncommon and generally nothing to stress too much about. Dogs can pick it up from long grass, other dogs, anywhere really.
If it's not yellow it could be allergies.
If it's only one eye possibly there is some foreign body there like a hair, you could try remove this yourself but BE CAREFUL because:
There could be an injury to the eye.
Of course, it could also just be sleep.
I would take the dog to the vet if:
