Dog swollen eye

[TheDawg]

So apparently our dog came in this morning after being outside scratching his face. I myself only got back a little while ago and just noticed it. It seems his eye and whole side of the face, or at least around the eye, is swollen.

I just gave him a benadryl. Anything else I can do?

He's had benadryl before when he got stung by a bee. Which has been at least 3 or 4 times but he only got the benadryl once or twice. He usually gets stung on his ear so this is a little different and strange but idk.

I am thinking that this is a sting too.

Although it's been kind of rainy so would bees be out?

I just gave him another benadryl. He's a very large dog, 130-140 pounds.

Besides the benadryl, how else can I make him more comfortable? He keeps scratching his face.

I have pictures if needed

He normally tries to eat bees sooooo

 

[TheDawg]

Apparently he has also been sniffing around under the deck and near the woodpile so maybe he got bit too? But I don't see any bite marks or puss or anything.

Anyway, just gave him the second benadryl but what else can I do?

I am hoping the benadryl makes him sleepy too and he stops scratching

 

[cassie]

I can't help you. Could he have gotten bitten by a snake? If it doesn't get better soon, he may need to see a vet.

 

[TheDawg]

I can't help you. Could he have gotten bitten by a snake? If it doesn't get better soon, he may need to see a vet.

I don't think so as we don't really have any venomous snakes here or really any snakes but I suppose it's possible. Would a garter snake cause that? Or only venomous ones?

And oh yeah, if he's not better by tomorrow or if the benadryl doesn't help we'll definitely take him. But my dad just wants to wait and see first and I can't really argue since he's too big for me to take by myself and I'd have no way to pay anyway. Plus they'll probably recommend benadryl or doggie benadryl for way more money anyway.

But we're definitely not opposed to taking him if he doesn't get better.

And I went and looked more closely at his face and I still didn't see bite marks or anything and he doesn't smell

He's sleeping on the bed right now. I guess that's the good thing about the benadryl

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have had dogs get stung by bees and wasps. Boxers, one of my dogs, are notorious for trying to eat them. The swelling should go down in 24 hours. If the benadryl doesn't work they might give it a steroid shot at the vet. As long as your dog is breathing okay it will be okay.

 

[TheDawg]

Thanks old hen! (Btw what's your real name? Feel bad still calling you that since we talk so often lol if you dont wanna share though, it's cool)

Anyway, at first it didn't seem to go down at all, even a couple hours later (after benadryl) and I was worried, but then it finally started going down and he was opening his eye again. Gave him two more at 7pm and the swelling has continued to go down and he is looking at feeling a lot better. Still rubbing his head on things and scratching it but not nearly as much. He seems to have little fits of it (I suppose itching it makes it itch more?) Then he's okay a while. He is sleeping a lot with the benadryl. Was sound asleep on the bed for a while lol

BUT.

Before he went to bed, he was feeling well enough to steal a yogurt cup from the recycling so that was a relief. AND. He is now feeling well enough to do his job too. Something was outside and he started growling and barking a little but wasn't sure it was necessary to get up until he heard me open the door, came over, let out a few loud barks, I hooked him up to his rope and let him out, went barrelling out the door, off the deck, and to the left towards the woods, then ran around the yard sniffing, letting out barks here and there. Brought him in when he started barking too much as it was like 11:20 but my point is he was feeling well enough to not only simply alert but do everything he normally does. So I am definitely relieved.

Of course now he's back to being sound asleep, completely passed out again lol

I am thinking we will give one more dose of benadryl in the morning or afternoon if he needs it and then just wait and see and let it go down on it's own. If he still needs it though, of course we'll still give it and if not, we won't. Don't want to overdo it but want it to go down.

It's looking much better though.

I'm wondering if maybe it wasn't a spider bite or something? Dad saws he was sniffing some fire wood we have in a kiddy pool but was also sniffing by a wood/junk pile we have behind a fence panel on the edge of the woods. And says he was removing pieces of wood from the pile. The dog was that is lol so maybe something did not like him disturbing their nest? Or maybe there were bees or wasps in there too.

He's been after a chipmunk family that lives under our deck lately so has surely gotten himself into lots of trouble.

This was maybe unexpected but with the bees, you would think surely they would learn after being stung 4+ times LOL

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Some never learn. Good he's doing better. I sometimes worry too much about my dogs. My name is Lisa. Call me whatever you like.

I don't know if a spider bite would make them swell up that much, but maybe you have more scarier spiders than we got. Could have been an allergic reaction to something too. That benadryl really knocks them out doesn't it.

 

[TheDawg]

Lol true. And yeah, I'm a worrywart and awesome, thanks!

Hmm that's true. We don't have many poisonous spiders here I don't think so probably not that I suppose. I hadn't thought of an allergic reaction, that's a good idea. Was probably that or a bee.

And yes it really does! Lol

 

[TheDawg]

Looked pretty horrific yesterday (though a lot of that is the flash making the hair loss look worse and I think the hairless was him constantly scratching and rubbing it), but it went down a lot by last night and is looking better this morning. These pics are all yesterday though, I'll get pics this morning

And there he is out like a light LOL he didn't even get up when I shut the window and we were talking, he normally at least looks up. Benadryl. Lol.

That was before the critter passed through

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Aw poor baby, it does look like a sting to me. We get hornets and wasps which makes the face swell up like that. They are so well behaved on benadryl.