Why Are My Dog's Eyes Bloodshot And Cloudy?

A canine's eyes are a little different than a human's, with the iris of the eye taking up more space and leaving little white to see unless your pooch looks in a certain direction. If you notice that the white part around the iris of the eye is really red and your dog's eyes appear a bit cloudy, it can definitely be a little alarming. Most pet owners want to associate a cloudy appearance in their dog's eye with blindness, but there are a handful of conditions that can cause this kind of appearance in a dog's eye. Here is a look at a few of the common reasons your dog's eyes may look both bloodshot and cloudy. 

Your dog may be suffering from some type of allergy.

If your dog has recently switched foods, come in contact with something out of the ordinary, or perhaps ingested something different, the redness and cloudy appearance in their eyes could be relative to an allergy. In dogs, much like humans, inflammation and inflammatory responses in the body can show up in the eyes because the allergen irritates several systems in the body. The only difference between dogs and humans here is a human's eyes are not likely to get cloudy from the inflammation. However, dogs have more sensitive optic systems, which can mean excess discharge that coats the iris of the eye. 

Your dog could have what is known as a hyphema of the eye. 

If your dog sustains an injury to their eye, such as a scratch from another animal or their own long claws, it can cause a hyphema of the eye. A hyphema is almost like a collection of blood that accumulates in a certain area of the eye. When this occurs, the excess blood accumulation can also cause irritation that makes your dog's eye look cloudy or coated. Most of the time, a hyphema will go away on its own, but the condition should be checked by a vet at an animal hospital for a proper diagnosis. 

Your dog could have conjunctivitis. 

Dogs can get an infection in their eyes just like humans, so essentially what is referred to as pink eye is something that your dog can have as well as you. Conjunctivitis can occur in one eye only, but it will most often spread to both eyes in dogs because they will paw at the affected eye when it itches or feels irritated. Thankfully, conjunctivitis in dogs is easily treated with antibiotics.