Eye irritation

[jaimelyn79]

I have an Australian Shepherd and I noticed last night that his eyes are looking strange.  He normally has really blue eyes and now they are pale blue and he is having a hard time even keeping them open. They are a little red but not bad.  We did take him to the lake yesterday and we just moved to Eugene where the pollen and allergies are severe. Has anyone had a similar experience, I do not know wether it is an allergy thing or something I need to really worry about.

[BabaluandOtis2]

Could be just allergies. Lots of bacteria in lakes also though. How do his gums look? Are they pink as they should be or more pale/white? Same for his belly area? Is there an emergency vet nearby that you can just call and ask? Tell them you've just moved here and what happened. they would certainly know if the lakes around can cause some allergies or bacterial infections, especially since he's new to the area and not used to it.
Any emergency vet I've had to call was more than helpful just over the phone with suggestions to save you a trip and money if they thought it was just allergies and such.
Did he swim a long time? Could be just irritants from the water like people get red eyes from too much swimming, you know?
But it's you saying "hard time keeping them open" which concerns me. is he his normal self or more lethargic, sleeping a lot? Eating well? Etc..
I don't know where you lived before, but isn't Oregon a higher altitude also? (if you meant Eugene Oregon that is) Higher altitudes make people and animals sick too......just a thought....

[jaimelyn79]

thanks for the write back, he is his normal self,  other than a little bit lethargic. His gums and under belly are fine it is just his eyes. We moved from 6000 ft so the altitude isn't the issue. Is there anything I could give him that you know of?

[BabaluandOtis2]

Hi,
I really wouldn't recommend giving him anything until you know what it is. If it isn't allergies, giving him benedryl or something like that could make him maybe worse.

Since it's new area and lakes can have a lot of irritants in them I would hope thats it. He could have drank a lot of the lake water too and it's maybe making him a bit queazy along with irritating his eyes.  But for now I'd just keep a good eye on him, you know your dog better than anyone else. If he starts showing signs of being very tired, not eating/drinking or drinking way too much, if he's not pooping/peeing normal all those kinds of things are signs of something wrong. Not meaning terribly wrong, could be something very simple. But I would take him to a vet if he doesn't look/feel better soon. If it's a bacteria thing from the lake he may need meds. If he has bad allergy's from your new area he may need to take something for those.
I'd maybe google some info on lakes in your area, see if any issues are listed. I know here in Florida we can have some very bad nasties in the lakes and canals  (not just the gators, lol). But tomorrow I would definitely call your local office for parks and recreation or animal control to see if they have any possible info for you on issues with the lakes and swimming w/ your dog. Call a vets office and ask too. Maybe just make an app. to take him in if you can, they would be the best to know about all these possible irritants/allergies for pets in their area.

It's hard to say when you've moved to a new area. Especially with a pet.
I hope he's feeling better soon. Please post again and let us know how he's doing and what you may have found out.
Take care ;)