what are artificial tears ?
Artificial tears are ointments, eye drops, or gels that lubricate your dog’s dry eyes.
There are two ways artificial tear products usually work in your dog’s eyes, either by adding to the aqueous (water) part of your pup’s tears or the fatty acid part of your pup’s tears.
Some artificial tears work to decrease tear evaporation and some contain thickening agents that keep the solution of your puppy’s eyes longer.
You can buy artificial tears for dogs without a prescription.
Best artificial tears for dogs
When it comes to choosing the best artificial tears for dogs, I suggest you ask your vet, so they could observe your dog’s condition and recommend the best one for your dog’s condition.
Also, if your dog’s condition would require long tear use of artificial tears, you should ask your vet to recommend artificial tears without preservatives.
Artificial tears containing preservatives usually come in multi-use bottles. The preservatives prevent the growth of bacteria after the bottle is opened, which makes the artificial tear last longer.
Your dog may experience irritation, and I advise that if your dog uses artificial tears multiple times a day, you should avoid using the ones with preservatives.
Examples of these preservatives are poly quad, benzalkonium chloride, polyquaternium-1 (poly quad), sodium perborate, oxychloride-complex (purite), and sofzia.
If your dog needs artificial tears more than four times daily, or if they have moderate or severe dry eyes, then you should get Preservative-free artificial tears.
Preservative-free artificial tears have fewer additives and are good for dogs using artificial tears multiple times a day.
They may come in single-dose vials because they do not last as long as those with preservatives
Natural alternatives to artificial tears for dogs
Castor oil
Castor oil is a great lubricant and also a topical anti-inflammatory, several people are using castor oil for their eyes and dog’s eyes and they find it to be very effective.
Most people say that the artificial tears they get don’t last long and they end up applying them every hour to their dog’s eyes.
Castor oil is more thick and viscous and it last longer, it is natural, it comes from the castor bean, and it is also quite soothing.
Dosage: pull down your dog’s lower eyelid and apply one drop, 2 to 4 times daily.
When using castor oil, you have to make sure it is sterile, make sure it is a brand new bottle new bottle from a natural house store, and has not been contaminated.
You should ask your vet if you could use it for your dog’s condition.
Cannabidiol /CBD
If you have done your research, you would know dry eyes have an autoimmune basis.
That is why cyclosporine, the traditional veterinary treatment often works because it is suppressing the overactive immune system and allows the tear duct gland to produce tears again and CBD is considered an immune modulator.
Cannabidiol can also be beneficial by naturally reducing the inflammation and irritation in the eye but most importantly modulating the immune system by attacking the tear duct in the first place and it is a natural anti-inflammatory.
Do a free trial for one month and see if it works on your dog.
Dosage: 3mg/ one drop for 10lbs body weight, daily.
Artificial tears side effect in dogs
Artificial tears are generally safe for your dogs, but artificial tears containing preservatives could have side effects like eye redness, irritation, and discharge.
FAQ about artificial tears for dogs
Can I use human artificial tears for my dog?
Most human artificial tears are not suitable for dogs, so before you give your dog any human artificial tears, consult your vet and if he/ she says it is okay, then go ahead.
How long does it take artificial tears for to work?
It could take between 4 to 6 weeks for you to start seeing improvement in your dog’s dry eyes.
For you to see improvement, you must be consistent, be applying artificial tears to your dog’s eyes.
What can I use for my dog instead of artificial tears?
I talked about some natural alternatives above, in this blog post. Scroll up and you would find it
How many drops of artificial tears should I give my dog?
it is usually a drop on both eyes, but the condition of your dog’s eyes would determine how many times you would need to repeat it in a day.
Is it okay to use artificial tears daily?
Yes, it is okay and acceptable to administer artificial tears on your dog every day, you may even need to administer it more than twice.
What do artificial tears treat in dogs?
Artificial tears are used to treat dry eyes in dogs. The dry eye is usually a result of a problem in the tear duct which is caused by the immune system attacking the tear duct.
Can I use saline eye drops instead of artificial tears for my dog?
It is important to ensure that your dog’s eye drop is a lubricating artificial tear, not simply an eye wash or saline. While the saline solution can be a useful dog eye care product in some cases, it should not be used for the treatment of dry eye disease.
Saline solution, are eye wash, it does not have any of the lubricating components required for the treatment of dry eyes.
In fact, excessive use of saline solution can disrupt your dog’s eye’s natural tear film and result in an exacerbation of dry eye symptoms.
Is saline the same as artificial tears?
No, artificial tears are a more complex solution than saline. Artificial tears contain salt and other electrolytes, a buffer, and a thickening agent. Saline is more of an eye wash and it does not have lubricating properties.
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