Natural Remedies for Conjunctivitis in Dogs and Cats
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I rescued a 1 1/2yo cat on 2/14/24 from my back yard. He had an array of issues, which were all addressed by the vet. One of his ailments was an upper respiratory infection, which was treated by 2 rounds of antibiotics.. My questions regards the use of Borax. His left eye had a discharge of semi clear liquid, which significantly cleared with the antibiotics but now on occasion, 4 months later, his eye will have a small bit of clear liquid. Does he need another round of antibiotics? Or can a mild solution of Borax Acid help him?
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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If you would like to thank Theresa for her helpful posts, she asks if you would please consider making a donation to one of her favorite local rescue organizations, or by making a donation to help the genius contributor, Ted from Bangkok, recover from his stroke.
You may wish to consider a boric acid eyewash. Some pharmacies and drug stores stock boric acid on the shelf and some who do not stock it will order it in for you. It costs around $10 for a bottle of the powder.
This is the recipe I use:
Boric Acid Eyewash
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.
One of them has had chronic problems since puppyhood with ear infections, and had pyothorax at 16 months. She also has problems with recurring furuncles (boils) between the pads of her front feet and between her toes.
The other has never appeared to have any type of infection or illness until the pannus.
They are from bloodlines as far apart as you can get and still have two German Shepherds.
After much research and trial and error, we are successfully managing the pannus in both without steroids or cyclosporine (which I did not want to use). What I mean by this is that the redness in the whites of their eyes has completely to almost completely disappeared and that their corneas are now completely clear to almost completely clear after being completely covered over. Also, no more of the yellowish discharge you describe. But whenever we've tried to taper this regimen, the symptoms have returned. So we assume we're doing this for life.
So, what we're doing, same for both dogs, is:
2 raw egg yolks a day for dog with pannus plus infections, 1 raw egg yolk a day for dog with pannus only
Magnesium threonate, 144 mg 2x/day (in a.m. and at bedtime)
Turmeric capsule with bioperrine 1/day
CoQ10,50 mg every morning (using liquid drops in bite of food)
Melatonin, 2.5 mg at bedtime (the dogs had issues with being awake all night and sleeping all day--no longer a problem since the CoQ10 and melatonin)
Optizinc (30 mg capsule once a week)
I noticed that their eyes got worse every year in early November, so we give cod liver oil and grass fed butter (a couple of tsp/day of each) through the winter months.
Diet:
They get 3 oz of wild Alaska salmon every night
They get half raw food diet prescribed by their holistic vet and half grain-free bison or lamb dog food
A vet-designed combo of essential oils (tea tree oil, yucca oil, aloe vera, chamomile, clove oil, echinacea) applied to feet once a day and povidone iodine (applied to feet once a day later in the day), plus occasional epsom salt foot soaks (3-5 minutes in warm water once or twice a week) cured the furuncles and keeps them away.
I never thought my dogs could possibly be magnesium deficient, so we were doing everything but the magnesium for about a year and getting significant improvement, but never fully clear eyes.
Once we added the magnesium, the dogs' eyes finished clearing up quickly--I don't have a diary of this, but my memory of it is that a week after we started the magnesium, I checked their eyes and they were clear.
I am pretty much at the point now where the first thing I try for anything is magnesium threonate.
My GSD has been diagnosed with full blown Pannus. He will be 3 at the end of June. I have him on steroid drops and cyclosporine ointment. Do you think it would be all right to add your treatment protocol while doing this treatment? He goes back to the vet June 29th after 30 days on his meds. I have been adding colloidal silver to his food because it is my go to natural treatment.
Posted by Wishapup (Southeastern Area, Ontario, Canada) on 05/13/2013 ★★★★★
Just thought I'd share a remedy that really helped us with conjuctivitis/eye infection in our dog. She did go to the vet at one point, but we did not want to put her on antibiotics. Her eyes had some discharge and were a bit itchy/sore. She could not get rid of the infection. We searched online and eventually created the following recipe.
Canine EyeAid Tea: Home Remedy
about 1 quart water
handful of dried chamomile blossoms
handful of dried eyebright
handful of dried calendula flowers
handful of dried Red Clover flowers (ask specifically for this type of clover)
In a pot, wait until the water is boiling before lowering temperature and stirring in dry ingredients (all of which can be purchased at a health food store). Leave to boil on low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and strain the mixture through a sieve to trap the largest pieces. Finally, strain the liquid through a coffee filter to remove any minute specks that could irritate the surface of the eye. Refrigerate in an opaque bottle.
Warming the mixture slightly before each use, apply ½ dropper (don't remember the measure, unfortunately--this was for a 65 pound dog) to each eye 2-3 times a day. Gently squirt the liquid into the corner of the eye.
I additionally used it with daily applications of raw organic Apple Cider Vinegar rubbed into the skin on the back of her neck and head. She recovered rapidly from her infection, as she had been suffering from it for a couple of weeks.
Posted by Stephanie (Antelope, Ca, USA) on 08/17/2012 ★★★★★
We have two pugs one of which had sever conjuctivitis after a trip to the park. The poor thing had white creamy drainage from his eye and and one point could harldy open his eye. We are against antibiotics on less they are truly needed. We used a combinatin of ACV and colloidal silver. We wiped his eye with ACV on a cotton ball and then flushed his eye with colloidal silver using an eye dropper twice daily. We also cleaned his paw with ACV due to him rubbing his eye with his paw. He showed improvments in a day or two and by a week the infection was gone.
Posted by Tami (Oklahoma City, Ok) on 05/17/2012 ★★★★☆
I have an eight year old German Shepherd who has recently been diagnosed with pannus (it's a disease affecting the cornea and causing membranes to grow over the cornea). The vet first gave me an antibiotic/steroid eye drop. That worked for a while and made the pannus in the right eye recede. Then, in March the disease flared up in both eyes. They itched, had a yellow discharge, and membranes grew over both corneas. She is now virtually blind. I think that colloidal silver has helped to make the discharge run clear, but I am wondering if anyone has succeeded in reversing this.
Have you considered using organic black tea? And/ or goldenseal? You would make the tea with less water for more concentration and soak a cotton ball and squeeze in the eye... goldenseal make a homemade saline solution with a couple drops of goldenseal and do the same. Also look into Lactoferrin.
Posted by Tfmiller71 (St. Louis, Mo, Usa) on 09/06/2011
I LOVE this website. I believe in home remedies especially when incoming money doesn't meet the outgoing!
I tried a cayenne pepper, pumpkin filling, plain rice and boiled chicken diet w/my dog who had diarrhea and today for the first time-solid poop.
He has really had a rough time this year, he's a 10 yr old bischon/poodle mix. I believe he has an eye infection. Conjunctivitis describes his symptoms perfectly. I think it's a spin off of his skin allergy that I am currently remedying through antibiotics (I will backup w/probiotics after the last dosage! ). He's had it for about 6 years and after antibiotics, it just comes back. He is also on prescription dog food since it is believed that he has maybe a food allergy.
Anyway, I will definitely post after trying the Apple Cider Vinegar which I keep in the house for many reasons.
A vet told me to stay away from meow mix completely. She said the dyes they use were bad for cats. At the time we were talking about the dry food but if you look at the wet food it does not look natural either, especially the seafood flavors. In any case I would NOT buy any meow mix food for any cat- wet or dry!!! It's purinas attempt to make their cheap crap look a lot better than it really is!!!
The nape is the top of the neck, right? Where the mom would carry kittens in her mouth? The apple cider vinegar sounds like a good thing to try, do you dilute it, or what if your cat tries to lick it off?
Thank you for this post! My boy is an akita, and he is also an absolute nightmare when going to the vet, he hates other dogs other than our female dog. I've been washing his eye with salt water for a day and came across your thread. I've just tried it so fingers crossed x
Posted by Trulyjen (Tucson, Az, Usa) on 09/10/2010
I have been using the Detox Kit from Heel on my pets. It was recommended to me by a naturopath. She said they only needed a few drops per day, (the instructions in the kit call for a much higher number of drops). I have really noticed an improvement in my dogs! Especially my German Shepherd, Gunner. We have been battling Pannis, which is a disease of the eye which causes redness and lesions in the eyes. His eyes are always red and itchy and irritated. The only help for him is prescription drops, that I have to do daily to prevent them from getting worse. Well I realized that I have been forgetting the drops lately, because his eyes aren't red! They look clear and bright and amazing! I would highly recommend this homeopathic detoxing method. Safe and effective.
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.
-----------------------------
How To Show Theresa Your Appreciation
If you would like to thank Theresa for her helpful posts, she asks if you would please consider making a donation to one of her favorite local rescue organizations, or by making a donation to help the genius contributor, Ted from Bangkok, recover from his stroke.
Posted by Racer (Hampton, Tennessee) on 08/12/2009
What do you think of fish antibiotics that you can buy on line without a prescription for cats and dogs when they have an eye infection... The doses are on the internet. Is this safe? Robyn
Posted by Faith77fairfield (Waterloo, New York) on 01/24/2012
I don't know about the fish stuff. I do know that I have used the Amoxicillian several times on my cat, another time for upper respiratory infection. Worked like a charm. I got the info off an internet site, I don't remember where, but it was vet info on dosage of amoxicillan for cats. My Skippy is doing great, although now he needs to lose a little weight.
Also, I have cured worms in 3 of my cats with diatomaceous earth. Thank God for Earth Clinic.
Posted by Eric S (Hobart, Tasmania) on 06/26/2009 ★★★☆☆
WORKED TEMPORARILY
my cat was in a fight with another cat and injured his eye lid from a bite its been a week since that happend .his eye started to get stuck together i was cleaning around his eye and droping salty water in his eye this hasnt done anything apart from a little bit of relefe for the cat that lasted about 30min now its in both eyes ..after reading about apple sider vinegar im going to try it out by puting some on his neck ill get back to you to see what will happen thank you for your info hope it makes my cat happy
My pug has a eye infection. I'm going to try the tea bag
I'm just I'm wondering what does the ACV do for the paws and the shoulder??
EC: Hi Nanny, the poster from 2008 probably meant that she was going to apply ACV topically to the area in between the shoulder blades and on the paws to treat the eye infection. Learn more about the topical ACV method here: https://www.earthclinic.com/pets/acvfordogs.html
My dog has a thick strong smelling discharge coming from both his eyes and I wanted to try the Colloidal Silver on him. How much should I give him, he is a 7 lbs yorkie/poo.
Posted by Linda (York County, Maine) on 05/08/2009
Katelyn - for myself, when I thought I had conjunctivitis, I would put a drop or two in the affected eye a couple of times a day. Within 3 days, my eye was clear.
Can I use colloidal silver on cats? One has a skin rash between eye and ear...reddish and itches her..if not any other suggestions..this really bothers her and I can't seem to clear it up..
Posted by Nicole (Redding, California) on 09/16/2008 ★★★★★
I have seven cats and most of them, at one time or another, have suffered from conjuntivitis or other eye ailments. In the past I spent a fortune going to the vet for pills and creams, some of which did not work too well. Then someone told me to try saline solution. Since I am a contact lens wearer and this is something I always have on hand, I decided to give it a try. Thus far, it has always worked like a charm! I just soak a cotton ball with saline solution and then clean the cat's eye with it. For the first couple of days, I try to do this at least 3 times per day, and then once it starts to clear up, I do it once a day for about 5 days. It's not only a more effective remedy, but it is a lot easier to administer to an angry cat than creams and ointments.
kitten/conjunctivitis: my vet refused to treat male 5.5 wks old kitten due to flat chest syndrome so I quickly found your website. used a diluted 2/1 mix of sterile water to honey applying twice a day alternating with warm compresses, for 10min. time in thrre hour intervals. the following day I saw Kit drinking milk- cream -egg yolk, mix.I then tried stepping it up a bit, on day three and used diluted ACV [Apple Cider Vinegar] but seems too strong. Now after concocting a mixture of tea bag (tepid) soaked in honey as a compress Kit is roaming aroud with affected eye opened more then closed. Rubbing me to distraction. HOPE THIS HELPS!
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.
-----------------------------
How To Show Theresa Your Appreciation
If you would like to thank Theresa for her helpful posts, she asks if you would please consider making a donation to one of her favorite local rescue organizations, or by making a donation to help the genius contributor, Ted from Bangkok, recover from his stroke.
I am sorry to hear of the Clostridium Dificile in your girl. I wonder if humic acid would help to restore the balance in your rag doll's intestines. Check out Ted's postings under Crohn's disease.
Not getting whole story here, but I understand CD can be treated and is short term. Goldenseal is an anti-microbial, and effectively clears up bacterial and viral infections in humans and animals. I have never heard of a problem where it destroys healthy flora. And I've used G for decades, personally, for family members, children and animals; for viral and bacterial infections (including severe flu). I have spent thousands of dollars on two cats, where ultimately the vet still didn't know what the sickness or infection was; to finally go home and treat my sick cats myself; very happily and successfully with Goldenseal, and when called for, including Echinacea (for treating allergy, and immune related conditions). Both cats had nearly died before treatment. I have found a safe and effective dosage for cats is 3 drops of G diluted in about a teaspoon or less of water, given orally though a syringe (8-10 cc) . Only administer small squirts (about 2 cc) at a time in corner of mouth. Give the cat time to handle between each. (Best to wrap your cat in a big towel, snug (not too tight) around neck) administer twice a day. You'll see improvement every day. Depending on severity of infection, should take one to two weeks to clear up. A recent story: One of my cats was suspected for an immunity deficiency. Vet suggested more testing to confirm. That would have cost $1000 and counting. She had been diagnosed anorexic after blood test etc that showed nothing. A 9 month old cat, she was down from 10-1/2 to 5 pounds. I force fed her for two months. Finally, I started administering G twice a day. One week later she was eating on her own. She is now bright eyed, agile, playful, completely healthy, and weighs 10-11 pounds.
Posted by Maria (Milton, Florida) on 06/23/2008 ★★★★★
Who would have thought that in a million years, a tea bag would help cure the lump on my 6 day old kittens eyes. We think that the 2 kittens had Conjunctivitis. Like everyone else we didn't have any money for the vet and so we decided to try searching the internet. We found the wonderful Earth Clinic and tried making some tea. We cooled the bags off and squeezed them onto the kittens eyes that have the lumps in them. I woke up this morning and the lump is 90% gone. It's definitely amazing!!! Their eyes are not yet opened because they are a few days too young, but hopefully the tea will continue to help them.
Eye infection.. I just purchased a dog, upon his arrival I noticed some buildup around his eyes. I immediately used lukewarm water and soaked two tea bags, one for each eye. I wrapped him in a towel so he couldn't squirm around and placed a slightly dripping tea bag on each eye for a moment. It must have felt good as he didn't move. I did this a couple times a day for the weekend. I always recommend a vet for eye problems, but this will work in a jiffy until you can get to the vet.
Another solution, you can boil 1 qt of water for a 10 mins to sterilize and mix in a tbsp of boric acid, not borax.. After the water cools, you can use it to wash out the eyes carefully. You can do this two or three times a day.. If the infection is in both eyes, use two separate cloths or cotton balls, one for each eye.
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