The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Antibiotics
Posted by Faith77fairfield (Waterloo, New York, USA) on 08/28/2009
★★★★★
I tried apple cider vinegar and colloidal silver and both helped but the infection kept coming back. I couldn't afford $200 the vet wanted so out of desperation I decided to use my leftover antibiotic capsule (Amoxicillian). My sister who is a nurse used my cats weight times 5 mg. antibiotic per pound and figured that a 500 mg. capsule could be divided into 16 dosages. From information I read about, I gave my cat one dosage a day for 10 days and we are now 7 days off the amoxicillian and there is no sign of the infection coming back. You can tell that it is still healing as there is crusty stuff, like scabbing still coming out of his eyes. I am glad I used the antibiotic. This cat is a stray that just showed up in my yard one day and he is a delight. Lastly, I must say I am very angry that I can't afford to go to a vet. Everything is outragious. Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this sight.
Antibiotic Ointment
Posted by Jacki (Virginia) on 11/09/2015
I take my dog with me everywhere but I NEVER leave him in the car without the car running and the AC on and NEVER for more than a few minutes. There are many places where you can eat and sit outside with your dog right beside you and I prefer that to anything else. That being said, there are times when you have your dog with you and you have to leave your dog unattended momentarily. I wanted to mention that awareness is great and I absolutely agree that it is unforgivable to leave your pet in a hot car, BUT some people are very judgmental about how others care for their pets and it can be just ridiculous at times. I once was out riding around with my dog and decided to stop at a beer/wine store that was in a strip mall and I parked directly in front of the store, left the car running with the AC on, ran into the store and had to leave the store after less than 5 minutes because there was a woman trying to get into my car to free my dog. I could see her because I was in the store not 10 feet from my car. There was no way of mistaking the fact that the car was running with the AC on - she knew that she just simply didnt think my dog should be left alone in the car. Some people really are taking the "awareness" of leaving animals in cars too far and others continue to just leave their dogs in hot cars. For me, there is a difference between leaving your dog in an hot car with no ventilation and leaving your dog in an air-conditioned car in the shade. I would NEVER leave my dog in a crate for 8 hours either by the way...but people do that all of the time and it is considered "acceptable" to many of the same people who judge others for the way they raise their pets.
Apple Cider Vinegar, Colloidal Silver
Posted by Candice (Mesquite, Texas) on 09/18/2014
★★★★★
I was able to heal my cat's pink eye, but he had an underlying respiratory infection that needed Vet attention. Story as follows:
Over the weekend, I realized that my 6 year old cat was not feeling well. He had just endured a move a couple of weeks prior which really stressed him out, but I noticed that he was squinting and winking his left eye a lot. By Monday morning it was swollen and had yellow discharge running from the corner. I knew I couldn't get him to the vet until the end of the week, so I searched for at-home-remedies. That's when I came across the apple cider vinegar remedy. I used this in conjunction with colloidal silver to heal his eye. This is what I did:
I bought a $5 bottle of organic apple cider vinegar from the grocery store. In a small container I mixed 1 tablespoon of vinegar with 1 tablespoon of water. I put 3 cottonballs into the solution which absorbed it all. My cat has dense, thick, long hair - so, I parted the hair at the nape of his neck as much as I could and squeezed the solution from the cottonball onto the area. I used my fingers to really work it into his skin and saturate the hair there. After squeezing the majority of the solution from the third cottonball, I took it and wiped over his bad eye making sure to remove all of the gunk build-up.
Next, I got a small bowl and mixed the same solution: 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with 1 tablespoon of water. I sat this in my bathroom sink so I wouldn't make a huge mess. I picked up my cat and saturated each foot with the solution. He did NOT like this, but I was able to get it done without too much struggle. He would then run away and lick it all off of his paws.
I did these apple cider vinegar treatments twice a day, once in the morning and once before bed starting Monday morning and ending today, which is the following Thursday.
I also have a bottle of 10ppm colloidal silver (the cost was about $12 for a 2 ounce bottle at the local health food store) that I used. I remembered colloidal silver giving me relief years ago when I had viral pink eye in both of my eyes, so after doing some research and seeing that it was safe to use on my cat - I began dropping 1-2 drops into his bad eye a couple of times a day in between the apple cider vinegar treatments.
It took a while, in fact, it wasn't until Wednesday evening that his eye started to look better. However, I knew that something just wasn't right with my baby. He was incredibly lethargic and only drank minimal amounts of water and refused to eat. I called the vet and made the appointment, the main reason being for his eye although it looked to have improved by at least 85%. When the vet saw him, she said she wasn't worried about his pink-eye, that it seemed to be healing and didn't even need any ointment. She just wanted me to continue keeping it clean. She took a rectal temp as well and it was 105 degrees. She said that a normal temperature for a cat is 101. It worried her that his pink eye was nearly healed and he still had a pretty high fever. She deduced that he had an upper respiratory infection. She gave him fluids and antibiotics so hopefully he will be on the mend soon.
I wanted to write this to let people know that the apple cider vinegar and colloidal silver method really do work wonders for pink eye, but to be careful and pay close attention to your cat because he may have more than one problem going on that the at-home-remedy isn't solving.
Tea
Posted by Clearysage (Grants Pass, Oregon) on 12/07/2010
★★★★★
My dog was having a lot of discharge in her eyes. I took Dr. Jones, a vet in Canada, advice. Brew a strong cup of black tea let it cool then put 4 drops or more in the eye 3 to 4 times a day. Did this and it cleared up really fast. Brew a fresh cup each day to keep it fresh. Check him out online for many more natural remedies he really care about animals and wants us to treat them naturally.
Antibiotics
Posted by Allison (Houston, Tx) on 07/10/2010
Just a gentle reminder that anytime antibiotics are taken internally, whether for humans or for pets, it's a good idea to follow up with a course of probiotics (i.e. Lactobaccillis acidophiles, yogurt, etc.) for a week or two to replenish the good floras in the digestive tract. Even one course of antibiotics can wipe out all the good guys in your gut, which can compromise a weak immune system and create further problems down the road. I learned the hard way to have a cat that developed chronic constipation following a course of antibiotic, which eventually led to the development of a toxic mega colon that required multiple surgeries. So don't forget the probiotics anytime after completing a course of antibiotic, humans and animals.
Colloidal Silver
Posted by Julie (Hancock Park, IL) on 01/02/2009
★★★★★
Colloidial Silver is an awesome remedy for virtually any bacterial infection; internal or external. I have cured my dog's eye and ear irritations (and my pink eye) with a couple drops, the results were immediate. It comes in drops or spray and I have both. I spray my dog's cuts, sores, rashes and teeth because it does not sting. Antibiotics are inferior to Colloidial Silver, which was commonly used before antibiotics were popularized. It is found at health food and Meijer stores and is inexpensive for its many possible uses. Research it; you'll be glad you did.
Antibiotic Ointment
Posted by Mgew (Austin, Texas, United States) on 12/14/2012
★★★★★
I have used Antibiotic Ointment lots of times for my cats and kittens gunky eyes. Make sure you get the plain stuff, non with the pain reliever just the basic. I have even put in in my eye. When ever I had a cat with an eye that looked like it was irritated I would put a dab on the outside corner of the eye so he could blink it in. It has never bothered them and has always worked wonders. I usually do it for three days in a row and then they are good to go then.
Right now I have a feral cat in my a back yard with a gunky looking eye. It started out as a clear yellow discharge with red sometimes. He then started keeping it closed all the time. It has gotten really bad looking and seems to be moving into his other eye. I can't touch him he's too skiddish. One day I was able to prepare myself with a dab of ointment on my finger and I got it on him. His eye looked way better the next day but since then I am losing the catch a cat battle. I ordered Fishmox and it's on its way. Otherwise he may keep suffering and go blind.
Antibiotic Ointment
Posted by Wizzlet (Somerville, Mass) on 07/24/2010
The last comment talked about pouring 1 liter of water over the cat's eye. I would caution about doing this as, if any water gets into the cat's ears, your cat could end up having a lot more problems. Ear infections, loss of balance and many other issues. I would stick to cleaning the eye with a clean sterile gauze. Then use your antibiotic ointment.
Antibiotics
Posted by Sandra (Georgia) on 05/27/2015
You can buy Terramycin Eye Ointment at Drs. Foster & Smith Pet Supply online. This is an antibiotic eye ointment that will get rid of conjunctivitis after a few doses. Its the same thing the vets use and it only costs $15.99. I have used this for years and am very pleased with it.
Tea
Posted by Serbella (St. Louis, Missouri ) on 04/16/2009
★★★★★
Yesterday 4/15) I noticed my kitten, Maya, was not running around the house playing like she usually does. Her left eye was nearly shut, with a slight brown discharge and she seemed miserable. I went on the site, and I saw the posts about eye ailments. I brewed one tea bag of Green Tea in a clean glass jar about the size of a small jelly jar, cooled it, and then applied it to Maya's eye. She started fussing after three minutes or so, so I didn't force her to sit any longer than that.
I kept the tea in the jar, put a lid on it, and later on I soaked cotton balls in the tea and applied it to her eye again, 3 times that day in all. I kept an eye on her; she still ate and drank. She slept a lot. She and her siblings rough house a lot; I don't know if someone poked her in the eye or not.
Today she's bouncing through the house beating everyone up. I plan on continuing the green tea for the next 2 days, as a precaution. She has an appointment to see the vet later on this month.
I have no problem taking any of my animals to the vet, but at that time I had no money. Payday was two days off. Sorry to all those folks who try to guilt the rest of us about this, but let's be honest, vets don't work for free, at least they don't in my area.
Antibiotic Ointment
Posted by Jill (New Bern , Nc) on 10/20/2017
Get some virgin or extra virgin coconut oil put it in some canned cat food. About a teaspoon. Cats love it and it is good for them. It has antibacterial, antiviral & antifungal properties. Give it to him til infection goes away. To really turn it up a notch, also add a little(about 1/4 teaspoon) of diatomaceous earth ( make sure it is food grade) to the canned food. It kills parasites and most of the time these infections are parasite related. I am doing this very thing with a feral kitten at work who had a really bad case conjunctivitis. It looks so much better. I think it will eventually totally eliminate it. You could also put some colloidal silver in his food. Excellent for infections. No need to try and trap him. Put medicine in his food. Been working for me.
Coconut Oil
Posted by Homeremedyfan (Rochester, Ny, Usa) on 10/14/2011
★★★★☆
My Cocker Spaniel has suffered with "pink eye" for months and months. We've tried the diluted ACV, chamomile tea, baby shampoo, loratadine tabs and antibiotic ointment. Nothing has helped. She also had a really awful ear infection which did clear up with ACV and a skin condition and smell that has all but disappeared after I read another post on this site about probiotic enzymes and started giving her two a day. I've even taken her off of commercial dog food and make my own for her in case all of these issues started as a food allergy. But the eyes remained a problem so...
I started doing some research on the benefits of organic, extra virgin coconut oil and learned that it contains lauric acid which is antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral. Thankfully, I had some on hand so I melted a little in the palm of my hand and carefully rubbed a bit of the melted oil into each eye. I've done this every day, only once a day (I leave early in the morning otherwise it would be twice) for about a week and guess what? Her eyes are improved SO much! Not perfect, mind you, but her eyes are not crusty, not nearly as red and she doesn't have the goop anymore. She actually looks like a normal dog now! I'm very happy with the results of EV coconut oil!
Coconut Oil
Posted by Niti (Phila) on 05/26/2022
★★★★★
I have also used coconut oil with great success.
My GSD had goopy eyes for several months following a routine well visit to the vet. I tried everything without much change.
Warm, liquid coconut applied by hand once daily stopped it after just two applications!
Tea
Posted by Sunnieday (Baltimore, Md, Usa) on 12/17/2010
★★★★★
I wanted to leave feedback for this remedy because it really does work! I noticed that the whites of my dog's eyes were very red one day, and it really upset me because she's AWFUL to take to the vet (and I'm not exaggerating). The fact that she's a large breed (Akita) makes taking her to the vet even worse. So, I was looking for a home remedy to try before I put her (and myself) through the trauma of a visit to the doggy doctor. I steeped two bags (one for each eye) and let them cool so that they weren't hot to the touch (but they were still warm). I took the first bag, leaving it sopping, but not dripping wet, and simply wiped her eye with it, like I'd wipe off her "eye boogers. " She was a little leery at first, but once she realized that it wasn't going to cause her discomfort, she let me wipe; I imagine it probably felt soothing to her poor, red eyes. I discarded that bag, then used the other bag for her other eye. I mean to tell you, it was only a couple of hours (not the next day, like I thought) before the whites of her eyes were white again! This is an inexpensive, but more importantly, SAFE and GENTLE remedy that I recommend to everyone who has a pet with conjunctivitis.
Tea
Posted by Sjt (Kanto, Japan) on 03/12/2012
★★★★★
Tea works. A month or so ago my children got pink eye so I looked on this website for a cure and used the black tea method which brought immediate relief. So I figured if tea works for children, it might work for cats too. I thought I would give it a try since my old cat keeps getting eye infections. I knew tea is gentle and would not hurt her, but I was concerned she might not like the wetness so it might be hard if not impossible to use this method. However, right away she took to the tea. It seemed to give her soothing relief so she did not fight it, and with one application her infection went away.
All I did was hold the wet tea bag on her eye gently and I squeezed a little tea in her eye. That was all I did and it worked. Cheap, easy, effective, and I got a nice cup of tea out of it!
Tea
Posted by London (Sandusky, Ohio) on 05/10/2010
★★★★★
Every Spring, my shepherd gets this wierd eye infection, where they swell up and scab over in the corners, and ooze pus. She rubs them with her paw constantly, making the infection worse.
I drink alot of tea, and green tea. Last year I tried the green tea bags cooled and squeezed in her eyes twice a day worked perfectly to clear up her eye infection. Which was pretty severe, by the way. It took about a week and a half.
This year, I just used any old tea bags, Liptons, or peppermint tea bags, worked just the same. I caught it early this time, so its only taken a couple days and her eyes are completely clear, its amazing.
I told my X boyfriend from Russia, about this remedy, and he said, "O yeah, my Mom used to do that for pink eye all the time for us kids growing up"
Get Your Air Ducts Cleaned
Posted by Deirdre (Atlanta, GA) on 11/03/2008
★★★★★
Last winter each morning I would wake up to find greyish goop in each of our dogs' eyes. Our elder dog Max had it the worst, and I had to clean out his eyes 4-5 times a day. I finally put two and two together and realized that their eye problems probably had to do with what was coming out of our air ducts when the heater was on. So last summer we had all the intake vents and air ducts cleaned out by a company I found on Angie's list that had high ratings. Finally last week we turned the heat back on when it hit the low 30s during the night and I got to test my theory. I am happy to report that the dogs have no more eye gunk problems! We've only lived in this house for a couple of years, but the previous owners did a lot of construction in order to get the house ready to sell. Most of what came out of our air ducts was construction material.
Goldenseal Root Powder
Posted by Tia (Eugene, Oregon) on 08/09/2008
★★★★★
A long time ago, my parents stumbled across the medicinal properties of Goldenseal. Last year, during the rainy Oregon winter, a 1/2 feral litter of kittens started trying to find shelter on my porch. Not long after they started coming around, the mother left them (went into heat i assume) and came back with a hellish upper respiratory infection. She proceeded to spread it to the whole litter. I had no money to take them to a vet, and they were dying of it. I wasn't sure if the Goldenseal would be poisonous to them, but I figured they were so bad off, it was worth a try. I used the liquid extract, started small, maybe one dropperfull to two cans of wet food, and eventually raised it to 3 droppersfull (between 1 adult and 5 3-4 month old kittens). They improved from even the smaller amounts, and improved drastically from higher dosages. Although for those that couldn't smell the wet food, i had to mix a few drops in canned salmon or tuna juice to get them to eat it. It didn't harm them. I swear by the stuff now, and have used it on my own indoor cats (though I've never gotten them to take it without forcing them.) Everyone should be aware that goldenseal doesn't just work on humans.
Goldenseal Root Powder
Posted by Ps Harris (Maine) on 04/17/2015
Yes, I also have used it for both cats for respiratory virus. However, it should used with caution...each cat is different in terms of levels of sensitivity. I used it successfully on my Domestic Short hair (saved his life). However, my Ragdoll female developed Clostridium Dificile. Which means the Goldenseal killed too much of the good bacteria, in the intestine. That resulted in a permanent condition manifested as episodes of bloody stools because the bad bacteria overtook, and attacked the intestinal lining. There is no cure and the only treatment is Flagyl, which in turn causes food allergies to grains and carbohydrates.
Goldenseal Root Powder
Posted by Christa (Vancouver, Canada) on 01/26/2008
★★★★★
Dog with Conjunctivitus(SP?) Take 1/2 Tsp of Golden Seal root Powder and add 1/2 cup boiling water.let steep with lid on for 10 minutes. Let cool. Strain. Carefully wash mucous our of eye with warm water by gently dabbing on the corners of the eys. Be careful not to use same cloth on both eyes as reinfection could occur.
2 people makes this easier. Have someone hold the animals face with one arm and open the animals eyes with the other. Talk gental and flush eyes with golden seal liquid. I have done this twice today and the difference in mucus is remarkable. I will do this 3 times a day untill it is gone and at this rate, I think it will be gone by tommorow. I used one of those plastic syringes and it seems to be a great way to fill the eye with the liquid. Yes..It always works and always has. For an open wound on an animal or person, try to wash out wound if possible and then throw golden Seal powder on wound. do not worry after this. The Goldnseal will form a scab and will seal up the wound and the Golden seal is a natural antibiotic. It will amaze you. If the animal licks it , it will only help them..so no worries. Amazing Herb TTYL
Tea
Posted by baby kittens (North Manchester, Indiana ) on 06/12/2022
★★★★☆
My kittens had crusty gooky eyes. I'd clean their eyes with a green tea to clean the eyes and get the gook out. Then I started applying a small amount to keep up soft and moist. It seems to be working. Crossing my fingers.
Corn- Free Food
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.
Antibiotic Ointment
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.
Antibiotic Ointment
Posted by Diamond (Salisbury, Usa) on 06/26/2011
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.
Antibiotic Ointment
Posted by Suseeq (Sydney, Australia) on 11/10/2015
Good on you Jacki, you like myself never leave my dogs on their own, they are under my watchful eye at all times.
Tea
Posted by Robyn (Hampton, TN) on 05/24/2009
★★★★★
Orange Peko and Black Tea and 2 week old Kitten eye infection with pus...
My little 2 week old kitten had a really bad eye infection with pus and crust. It was like it was glued shut bless it's heart. I tried to order some ointment but the vet would not ok it so I had to make an appt. I had to try something to give the kitten some relief. I knew about your site so I read the tea trick for eye infections.
I put a large family size tea bag into a small amount- 1/8 cup of warm water- (just enough to get the tea bag covered by the warm water) in a mug and let it steep until it was dark--Two minutes or so. I let it cool but not get cold-- and then put a little ball of bath tissue in it to get it soaked. I dripped this onto the crusted shut eye, three of four streams of this slowly over the infected eye and gently wiped it. The eye did not come open from the tea, but I hoped some would get in there anywway.......there was yellow pus yesterday in it and had stuck closed again. I did this three times a day and by the end of the second day the eye had opened and the eye looked really good. The kitten feels a lot better. The ointment I wanted to order online would not get approved by the vet so I had to do something before the appointment. I couldn't believe how good the eye looked. Since I was going to do the ACV thing on the shoulder and paws today, I did it too, but the eye cleared up right away using an the everyday ordinary tea. Thanks so much for this wonderful collection of experiences using home remedies.
Goldenseal Root Powder
Posted by Tara (Texas) on 04/10/2017
★★★★★
My Schnauzer had an eye infection of some kind. Pus/gunk in his eye. Combined black tea bag/chamomile tea bag and one capsule of Golden Seal into a cup of hot water. Strained it and added a touch of salt. Day two and gunk was gone. Thank you so much. Side note: He loved the smell, I mean he wanted some of that brew. I let him have a little sip of it and he is crazy for it?
What did not work, colloidal silver. 3x a day. Did absolutely nothing.
Tea
Posted by SuzieQ (USA, USA) on 04/09/2008
★★★★★
HOLY MOLY, TEA WORKED!!! My cat had started to show symptoms of conjunctivitis; redness of the eye, swelling of eyelids, inner eyelid almost 'sticking' in place accompanied with tearing/goop near his eye ducts. Unfortunately some of us cannot afford to pay vet visits--I was putzing around the internet and came across EARTHCLINIC.com -saw the natural remedy of using tea (green, black or chamomile) to rid 'pink eye' and decided what the heck, let's try it. Within a couple hours the swelling had gone down and redness seemed to diminish. After 2-3 days of administering tea soaked cotton balls (a separate one for each eye) his ailment ceased. Earth Clinic rocks and more people should check out natural remedies. TRY IT I SWEAR IT WORKS!! THANK YOU TOO!!!
