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Can You Use Human Eye Drops on Dogs? (Answered)

Your doctor might suggest eye drops for different problems. Even sometimes, people buy eye drops for simple purposes without doctors’ consultancy. However, your dog might have allergic reactions to his eyes. Moreover, the eyes being red, squinting, eye cloudiness, etc., can be different problems of the dog’s eyes.

You might be confused about whether you can use human eye drops on dogs or not. Well, you have to know details about the type of eye drops. Moreover, knowing about the safety of using human eye drops for dogs is essential. Besides, learning the solution to your dog’s eye problem is also necessary.

Using human eye drops on dogs

You should not use human eye drops on your dog. Generally, human eye drops have different chemicals that might not be safe for dogs’ eyes. Some particular human eye drops, like artificial tear drops, might be suitable for dogs. But medicated human eye drops are not safe for dogs.

However, first, you must know the difference between human and dog eyes. Generally, the basic constructions of human and dog eyes are generally the same. But there are some differences between their eyes.

For example, dog eyes have some extra parts that might not be present in human eyes. For example, dog eyes have a third eyelid to offer extra protection. This eyelid is also called the nictitating membrane or cherry eye.

So, eye drops will not be the same always for humans and dogs. Human eye drops can irritate the dog’s eyes. Moreover, sometimes wrong eye drops can lead to severe problems in the dog’s eyes.

You should also know why your dog might need eye drops. Generally, when your dog has dry eyes or an eye infection, he might need eye drops. Moreover, eye allergy, irritation, and other problems might also need eye drops.

You might think that these are common problems like humans. But this doesn’t mean you can use human eye drops on your dog’s eyes. Human eye drops might have different chemicals that might not be suitable for animals’ eyes.

However, you can use some specific human eye drops on your dog’s eyes. But you must not use medicated eye drops on dogs. Generally, eye drops can be of different types. For example, medicated or non-medicated eye drops are two different types.

Sometimes, you can use human artificial tear drops on dogs. But never use medicated eye drops on dogs. Medicated eye drops are specifically made for humans.

If you see that your dog is rubbing his eyes, he might be facing eye problems. You should take your dog to the vet immediately. You should not use any eye drop randomly on your dog’s eyes. Even you can’t use one of your dog’s eye drops for various purposes. Because different eye problems will need different eye drops.

The eyes are one of the most sensitive parts of your dog’s body. So, using human eye drops on dogs without a doctor’s consultancy is unsafe. If you put inappropriate eye drops on the dog’s eyes, this might affect the dog in the long run.

If you accidentally put human eye drops on the dog’s eyes, you must take the dog to the vet. Besides, for any eye problem of your dog, you should consult the vet first. Otherwise, random eye drops might affect your dog’s eyes badly.

Is it safe? Can I use over-the-counter eye drops for my dog?

Using human eye drops on dogs is not always safe. Because human eyes and dog’s eyes have some differences. So, human eye drops especially medicated eye drops, can cause a problem in your dog’s eyes.

However, you might find some over-the-counter eye drops for dogs. These eye drops will be safe because they are for dogs’ eyes. For using these drops, you need not consult with the vet. But you must know about the function of the specific eye drop.

If your dog has less severe eye problems like dry eye or eye allergy, you can use over-the-counter eye drops for your dog. These drops will heal your dog’s eyes and stop tearing. But if the problem is severe, you must consult the vet first.

However, if the human eye drops are not medicated, you can use them on your dog’s eyes. But using human eye drops on dogs is not recommended at all. You can use over-the-counter eye drops on your dog’s eyes if the drops are made for the dog’s eyes.

Three factors that determine what eye drops to use for dogs

Now that you know you can’t use random eye drops on your dog’s eyes, you might want to know the reasons. So, let’s see the factors determining what eye drops to use for dogs.

Type of eye problem:

The first thing that determines eye drops for dogs is the type of eye problem. For example, your dog might be going through allergies or infection. Sometimes, the dog might have dry eyes. So, these different problems have different eye drops. That’s why the type of problem is important in choosing eye drops for dogs.

Type of eye drop:

Eye drops can be of different types. Medicated eye drops should never be used on the dog’s eye without a vet’s consultancy. On the other hand, you can use non-medicated or artificial tear drops on the dog’s eyes. So, the type of eye drop is another factor determining the eye drops for dogs.

Functions of the eye drops:

You also have to consider the functions of specific eye drops. For example, you can’t use the dry eye solution eye drop for infection. So, different eye drops have different ingredients. That’s why the functions are also different. Functions of the eye drops are also important to determine the eye drops to use for dogs.

What human eye drops are safe for dogs?

Generally, most human eye drops are not safe for dogs. But some of the non-medicated eye drops are safe for dogs. These eye drops are over-the-counter eye drops. So, you can find these eye drops without a doctor’s consultancy. Moreover, using these eye drops will not harm your dog’s eyes. Let’s see what human eye drops are safe for dogs.

Artificial teardrop:

Generally, artificial tear drops for humans are also safe for your dogs. These drops don’t have harmful elements. So, using these drops will not harm your dog’s eyes. These drops are also known as Genteal gel, Tears Naturale, etc.

Antibacterial eye drop:

Antibacterial eye drops are the most common drops for dogs. These drops are also available for humans and dogs separately. But you can use human antibacterial eye drops for your dogs also. Generally, antibacterial eye drops will not cause any problem to your dog’s eyes.

Over-the-counter eye drop:

Over-the-counter eye drops are easily accessible. You will easily find these eye drops. Moreover, you can use these drops for your dogs also. Generally, these eye drops don’t have harsh chemicals for dogs. So, you can use these eye drops for your dog’s eyes.

How do I get rid of my dog’s eye infection?

Your dog might be rubbing his eyes too often. This might be a sign of your dog’s eye infection. Even some dogs might go through from eye infections too often. Let’s see how you can eliminate your dog’s eye infection.

Cleaning the dog’s eye at home:

When you see signs of eye infection in your dog, you have to try to treat it first at home. For doing this, you can use saline eye drops. These eye drops will flush irritants out of your dog’s eyes.

Moreover, these drops are not harmful to the dog’s eyes. These drops are safe and temporarily relieve your dog from the inflamed eye.

Treating bacterial infection:

If the infection is a bacterial infection, you have to use antibiotics for bacterial infection specified for dogs. Generally, you should not use any random antibacterial drops. You must consult with the vet and use the drops prescribed by the vet.

Allergy treatment:

Eye allergy is also a common problem in dogs’ eyes. So, you have to use antihistamine eye drops for the dog if you suspect allergies in the dog’s eyes. But you should not use any random eye drops. It will be best if you take your dog to the vet and use the prescribed eye drop for the problem.

Final Thoughts

You can use non-medicated, or over-the-counter human eye drops on dogs. But using human eye drops on dogs is not recommended. Because humans and dogs have differences in their eyes. Moreover, human eye drops might have ingredients that are not suitable for animals.