Natural Remedies for Conjunctivitis in Dogs and Cats
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Posted by beverly (elkhart, in) on 12/29/2023 ★★★★★
My cat gets ferral, so when she comes in to eat I grabbed her by the back nape of her neck and held her just long enough to put a wet tea bag across each eye just once for 2 days morning and nite when she came in to eat, the eye infection went away after two days, then I left her alone.I would boil the water then let it cool down to warm then put 2 tea bags into the warm water and then swiped each eye just once.with one tea bag on each eye.
The wonderful Theresa from Minneapolis, MN has been helping pet owners and their beloved pets around the world on Earth Clinic since 2013.
About Theresa
Theresa from Minneapolis was born and raised in the inner city, always wishing she had been raised on a farm.
Her love for creatures great and small began at an early age, starting with caterpillars - which continues to this day, along with an interest in all insects and 'creepy crawlies'.
Theresa's interest in pet health started with a bird keeping hobby at age 14, where she learned from another hobbyist that the simple addition of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in a bird's drinking water kept fungal infections away; she was able to share this with her avian vet who in turn prescribed it to her own clients; Theresa was surprised to learn that she could teach her vet a thing or two. This important lesson - that each of us can be a teacher - was a turning point for Theresa, and fueled her quest for the knowledge held in lore, and remedies passed by word of mouth. That quest for knowledge continues to this day, as new and old remedies alike are explored. She may not have experience with a particular issue, but she will research it to the best of her ability and share what she finds freely, in the hopes that you can heal or improve your pet's health.
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The following recipe has been handed down through my family. Boric Acid Eyewash is very beneficial in fighting eye infections, irritation from foreign particles in the eye or contact lenses, air pollution (smog). It is very soothing. Basically, boric acid creates an inhospitable environment in eye for germs and bacteria. At the same time, it cleanses and sooths the eye.
Purchase boric acid powder at your local pharmacy. Ask the pharmacist for "medicinal" boric acid powder. (There is another type, which is used as a bug-killer.) This is very important!!!!!!!!!!
Supplies needed:
1 level teaspoon of Boric Acid Powder ((((medicinal quality))))
1 cup boiling water in a Pyrex measuring cup
Cotton balls
Small clean bowl or teacup
Instructions:
Boil one cup water either on the stove or in the microwave oven. (I use a Pyrex measuring cup in the microwave.)
Add one level teaspoon of Boric Acid Powder (medicinal quality). Use a measuring spoon, not silverware!!!!!!! Stir until dissolved. Let cool to a luke warm temperature.
Pour 1/4 cup of the cooled solution into a small clean bowl or teacup. Soak a cotton ball in the solution in the bowl and apply to affected eye, cleaning away discharge from the eye.
Throw used cotton ball away after one use. Repeat using new cotton ball until all the solution in the bowl is used up. Try to flood the eye with the solution and wipe face with a clean towel.
Cleanse both eyes with the solution to prevent the infection from spreading to the unaffected eye.
Repeat procedure at least twice a day, in the morning and before bed at night. Eye infections usually take two or three days to resolve themselves using this treatment.
Store unused portions of eyewash in the Pyrex measuring cup. Just cover with plastic wrap to keep it sanitary.
Posted by Katie (Northport, New York) on 05/24/2013
My Cavalier occassionally gets eye infections (where he gets a thick yellowish-greenish discharge in his eyes), . I think he gets these infections from scratching his eye accidentally with a claw, or by scratching the eye with a branch. In the past I used to bring him to the vet for an antibiotic, until I tried Colloidal Silver with a Saline Solution wash. This works so well.
What I do is I put a couple of drops of colloidal silver in his eye (3 maybe) and then I immediately flush the eye with saline solution. Don't use colloidal silver without the saline - it will cause alot of discomfort in the eye. It would be like putting regular tap water in your eye and it will cause the eye to become very red and inflamed.
I just gave this to my dog the other night for the greenish goo in his eye. 3 drops of CS in the infected eye, followed by a flush of saline solution twice in a one day -- and by the next day the infection was completely gone.
Posted by Lisa (Wichita Falls, Texas) on 05/31/2010 ★★★★★
pet eye problems
a kitten that I rescued 2 or 3 years ago( I still have him) kept having eye problems. For 2 or 3 weeks I would clean his eyes with a warm wet wash cloth. They were better but not cured. Someone told me to put antibiotic ointment just under the eyes being careful not to get it in the eyes. Just put some on your finger and rub it in the fur around the bottom of the eye. I did this 3 times a day for about a week or so and his eyes were cured! No more problems.
Wizzlet; I agree with you about pouring any water on any animal. Animals aspirate (suck in) where humans breath in & out normally. It is not good to pour so freely any liquids on an animal's face.
I would like to add another off subject please.
I have been seeing and hearing that when people go out for rides in very hot weather they take the dog(s )with them, then decide to stop in the grocery store or stop for a bite to eat!!! It only takes a few seconds for an infant or dog of any age or size to die from the heat & humidity. I am hoping people will be active in help protecting these innocent beings, I have printed up signs for cars that have any animal sitting in the car even if all the windows are down; the humidity is a killer.
I recently was in a store for several hours an saw an older dog sitting with all windows down but barely breathing, I went and told a police officer about this dog, generally this is not my thing as I do believe in the slogan "Live & Let Live "but what about your loving pet? Granted even I need more education about life in general etc. but I do have the willingness to learn.
Thank you for allowing me to share this with others. God bless.
My kitty has been squinting, with discharge in one eye for probably 3-4 weeks now. As soon as I could get an appointment with the vet I took her in. They said conjunctivitis. Did stain test to look for scratch on eye, found none.
They gave me antibiotic ointment, I gave twice a day for 10 days, no help. I tried lysine twice daily for 3 or 4 days, no change. tried diluted apple cider vinegar (braggs) between shoulder blades and to wipe eye and even a few drops in her eye, and even put on her paws also so she would lick it off, for several days. nothing has worked.
I going to try tea bags next. Noticed today for the first time the discharge is blood tinged. Sometimes her eye is glued shut after sleeping. I use warm water to loosen up the crust so it opens and I wipe away the weepy discharge.
She has another appointment with the vet in two days (two weeks after initial appointment. they said go to a specialist, but I really cannot afford it. I have spent several thousands on my cats in the last two years.
Thank you so much for this remedy, I used green tea on my English Springer Spaniel and after the first application within 1 hour his eyes cleared up and looked a thousand times better. I'm continuing for a few day every few hours to make sure. Thanks again for sharing!
The tea tree oil and rosemary may have been the wrong thing to use on a cat as I have read that their livers cannot cope with essential oils and herbs but the vinegar was the right thing to do for its eyes. It has healed many cats and dogs eye infections from my own experience and many testimonials here on Ec. I put it full strength on the back of my cats neck between his shoulder blades and on the tops and bottoms of his paws and he got better within an hour. An elderly lost dog found his way to my house with a massive double eye infection with ulcerations under the pus which I assume occured because of the long term nature of the pus around the eyes and it helped him right away to start getting better although he was in such bad shape I added several other things and he is almost totally cleared up now.
Posted by Victoria (Chilliwack, British Columbia) on 04/18/2009 ★★★★★
My Bengal hates the vet and just getting her there is always a pain and it stresses her right out so when she came down with symptoms of conjunctivitis I was not wanting to take her to the vet unless I really need to. so I went on line and found this site and decied to try the tea remady cuz i have tea in the house and saw that it had helped in other cases. So I made a cup of tea in a mug and let it cool down till it was lukewarm and then used a cotton swabbed to apply to to her eye, I did this 3 times that day and by the next morning she looked like it had never happened, I did the treatment for one more day and she has been fine since. thank you so much.
Nothing to feel guilty about anyway, I'll exhaust all means for my kids and myself before wasting my time seeing my doctor, not gonna waste time and money if I can take care of it naturally, just going to get harmful chemical compounds from a doctor anyway. Being willing to do this for your pet is a good thing, people just want to feel good about themselves by bashing others for no reason
Posted by Pamela (Richmond, VA) on 07/31/2007 ★★★★★
I have a Yorkshire Terrier that had gotten pink eye..I went to this site and tried the black tea remedy,,and sure enough it was gone in a couple of days.. Thanks earth clinic.. Keep the natural remedies coming.Saved alot of money not going to the vet.
Posted by Wealthyheart (Northern Cambria, Pa) on 04/13/2010 ★★★★★
I have a 2 week old kitten. It's one eye was sealed shut with crust. I heard putting a tea bag in a little bit of warm water then wiping the eye with it and letting a few drops drop on the eye 2 or 3 times a day would do the trick. All I had was Decaffeinated Tea bags. I did this 2 times one night and the next morning both eyes were open. I have another kitten. He's the only one that looks like he is chinese so I am doing the same thing with him and his eyes are opening a little more each day It's been 2 days now and I will keep doing this until both eyes are fully open.Thanks for the tips everyone.
Posted by Soazburrolady (Southern Az) on 11/20/2015
For conjunctivitis in pets (and humans for that matter), the very best treatment I have used is colloidal silver. Conjunctivitis can be bacterial, viral, or allergic. The silver works for all. Most of my work life was in the medical industry and I had access to every ophthalmic pharmaceutical, and I would choose the colloidal silver over them all. My dogs get an allergic conjunctivitis every spring. I take a clean soft cloth, soak it in colloidal silver, and gently wipe the area around their eyes. I use a dropper to instill it directly in their eyes. Within a day or two, their eyes are clear. My husband uses the drops in his eyes whenever they itch. Another great feature concerning the silver is that it doesn't sting at all, so my dogs aren't leery of treatment. Hope this helps. All the best.
Posted by Tina (Sparland, Ill) on 10/31/2014 ★★★★★
I was so pleased to find this site. I had a litter of kittens with pink eye and the turmeric cleared it up in 7 days! I mixed 2 tsp with one cup of bottled water and applied a few drops in the infected eye twice daily. Even after one treatment I could see a dramatic difference. Being a multicat household, vet bills are expensive. For mere pennies I treated and cured the kittens. One vet trip alone would have cost over $200.
Candice, next time, add Lysine to your mix and that should take care of the pink eye and respiratory infection in just a few days. I crush a 500mg pill and mix it in the infected cats' wet food (can also use yogurt or smashed sardines if the cat is finicky) or put it in some broth or something and syringe it in the mouth (last resort). Give the powder twice a day, along with the ACV (with mother) on his fur (so he has to lick it off and will ingest it) and you should see improvements within a day or two.
It is one of the things I keep it in my 'arsenal' of pet things along with the ACV (apple cider vinegar with mother) and colloidal silver.
Posted by Sally (Baton Rouge, La.) on 06/06/2011 ★★★★★
I fought conjunctivitus for 3 cats for about a year with eye sav and Lysine orally. I found that feeding them corn free food has cleared it up. I don't know why the vets never suggested it. They said (told by 3 vets) that they would always have it, that there was no cure!
Posted by Cheryl (Richmond, Va) on 12/26/2010 ★★★★★
My cat suffered with chronic conjunctivitis for many months. I felt so helpless. The ointment worked temporarily, clearing the eyes for only three or four days out of the month. I tried vinegar, removed all of the carpets from my home, cleaned my hardwood floors daily and made countless trips to the vet with no long lasting solutions. FINALLY I FOUND THE CULPRIT. Through trial and error, and changing my cats diet, I realized she was allergic to Meow Mix Seafood Medley cat food! I changed brands and she has not had a problem since. That was over 3 months ago and she has been happy and playing since then! What a relief!
I used a drug called Pink Eye Remedy for humans on my cat. You can get this at any drug store. My cat is 1 year old and she had eye redness with swelling very teary and little yellow puss like discharge at the corner of one eye. And just redness in the other eye. She was not playing much and would hide and sleep most of the day. I tried the Apple Cider Vinegar and the Neosporin they helped a little but was not effective enough. I bought the pink eye remedy cleaned her eyes with a wet warm face cloth. Held my cat down had my daughter drop 2 drops per eye. I did this twice daily for three days. My cat is all better now she is playing and is her old self. Her eyes are clear bright and normal.
Posted by Alexandra (Vancouver, Bc) on 01/08/2010 ★★★★★
I have a ten week old Maine coon kitten. She has had a weepy eye on and off for just over a week. When I noticed it starting to get red I made a very wheak solution of Rosemary essential oil, tea tree oil and warm water to rinse her eye in . The Rosemary is antiseptic and pain relieving and tea tree also fights infection.then I applied some apple cider vinegar to the nape of her neck, And let her lick the rest off my fingers. Within fifteen minutes her eye became bright and wide open. If I thought she was a handful before... Her energy level has doubled and I haven't seen any signs of squinting in her eyes.
Posted by Diane (Uniontown, Pa) on 08/02/2009 ★★★★★
I starting using colloidal silver for pinkeye for our cats several years ago. It only takes a drop or two in the eye a couple of times, (not a day, just a couple of times total) and poof! the pinkeye will be gone. It's not any more painful than a drop of water would be. Also works great for humans! Just costs a fraction of what you would pay at the vet or doctor, plus you don't need to pay for a prescription.
Posted by CandyPaps (Merseyside, UK) on 06/01/2009 ★★★★★
Home Remedy for Cats? Ordinary Cooled Boiled Water!
Our poor 9yr old Daisy has suffered with feline conjuctivitus since she was a kitten, our vet said when she was 2yrs old that if she gets any more she will be blind, every year twice a year she gets glue eye and severe reddening of the lids. She also suffers with heyfever. And every year i use ordinary cooled boiled water with 4 balls of cotton wool for each eye, each ball soaked generously in the water and i wipe her eyes 4 times a day for 5 days. I do not leave the eye wet but slightly damp after dabbing with a soft cotton cloth.
The water i use is boiled from the kettle and placed in a jug to cool in the fridge, then i put the same water back into the kettle, boil it again and pour some into a clean dish to cool. the remainder of the water i tip away.
7 years later after vets saying she will be blind and offers of expensive ointments (which i continued to turn down) she is still going strong and has 20/20 vision! Our Daisy is a Pure white persian cross with very slight tortoishell markings on her head and tail and would be an extreme shame if she ended up blind. After all, pets are there for care and attention!
Posted by Mary Ann (Rural, South Africa) on 11/03/2008 ★★★★★
Green Tea-for eye infections
Thank you all for your input on this site. We live on a farm and one of our dogs came home after being out in the bush. Her eyes were swollen shut and full of mucas. We suspect she had come across one of the many types of cobra that we have here and this had spat in her eyes. In a panic I searched your site and found the Green Tea remedy. Too far from a Vet I rinsed her eyes twice a day for 3days. After the first day her eyes started to clear. One is now slightly opaque, but I believe had it not been for this remedy it would have been a tradgedy. Thank you once again.
Posted by raymarie (atlanta, usa) on 09/07/2007 ★★★★★
2 week old kittens each had one eye crusted shut. Vet sister, who lives in another state, suspected conjunctivitis (common in newborn kittens). I steeped a chamomile tea bag, let the water cool and added 2 drops lavender essential oil. Soaked a soft cloth and bathed (do not rub) the eye area until the extra crud was removed. I repeated the process 3x per day until it cleared up! Worked awesome!
Over 3 years ago, our cat, Flora, developed a mass (tumour) in her abdomen and lost a significant amount of weight. She was about 12 years old at the time. I started giving her a dropper of concentrated essiac tea once a day and mixing about 1/2 teaspoon of the powdered herbs in her food. The tumor went away and she put weight back on. She is now 15 years old and doesn't look or act like a 15 year old cat. I've continued to give her the dropper of concentrate at least once a week up to every other day. I've also given the powdered essiac herbs to our dog for allergy eye drainage that would easily get infected. Since we started the dog on this, her allergy eye problem has been gone for over a year now. Again, about 1/2 tsp once a day.
Washing the eyelid and conjunctivitus area with warm water and baby shampoo significantly cleared up the conjunctivitis. I didn't wait to see if washing the affected eye with baby shampoo cured the conjunctivites and pink eye, however I did notice that the affected eye was significantly better by the time I was able to get my dog into the vet's office two days later. I simply wet a face cloth with warm water and applied some baby shampoo, using the running water to foam up the shampoo, and then cleaned the eye lids and as close to the conjunctiva as I could. I reapeated this every couple of hours throughout the day. The weeping was significantly diminished. I also noticed that the next morning the eye seemed to have improved and was weeping considerably less than the morning before. She also stoped rubbing her face, and appeared to be more comfortable. I still saught anti-biotic medication from the vet to properily cure the problem.
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