When to Use Eye Wash for Dogs Homemade (Simple Ingredients for Gently Cleaning Dog Eyes)

Okay, so my dog, Buster, had some gunk in his eyes the other morning. Nothing crazy, you know, just that usual sleep crusties but maybe a bit more than normal. Looked a little red around the edges too.

First thought, vet trip? Nah, didn't seem that bad, and you know how those visits can add up. I figured I'd try a simple homemade rinse first, see if that cleared things up. I've done this before when things looked mild.

Here's what I did

It's super basic, really. I just went with a simple saline solution. Less chance of irritation, I reckon.

What I grabbed:

• Some regular table salt (the non-iodized kind, apparently that matters).
• Water, just tap water is what I used.
• A clean pot for boiling.
• A clean glass jar with a lid for storing.
• Cotton balls or pads.

So, I put about a cup of water in the pot. Brought it to a rolling boil. Gotta make sure it's properly boiled, kills off any nasties in the water, right?

Once it was boiling away, I took it off the heat. Then I stirred in just a tiny bit of salt. Like, maybe a quarter teaspoon for that cup of water. Stirred it really well until it completely dissolved. You don't want salty water, just barely saline, kind of like tears.

This next part is super important: I let that water cool down COMPLETELY. Like, room temperature cool. You absolutely cannot put warm or hot water near your dog's eyes. Common sense, but worth saying again. I just left the pot on the counter for a good while until I could stick my finger in and it felt neither warm nor cold.

Once it was cool, I poured it into that clean glass jar I had ready. Then, time to actually use it. I dipped a clean cotton ball into the cooled saline water, squeezed it out so it wasn't dripping wet, just damp.

Then I gently, very gently, wiped around Buster's eye. Started from the corner near his nose and wiped outwards, away from the eye. Used a fresh cotton ball for the other eye, always do that. Don't want to spread anything if there is an issue.

He wasn't thrilled, naturally, but he let me do it. Didn't seem to sting or bother him much, which was good. I just did a gentle wipe to clean away the goop.

Did this a couple of times that day. By the next morning, things looked much better. Less gunk, less redness. Seems like it just needed a little cleaning out. Of course, if it looked worse or didn't clear up fast, I'd have been straight to the vet. This was just for that mild, everyday kind of eye crud.