Natural Remedies for Conjunctivitis in Dogs and Cats
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.
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.
-----------------------------
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.
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.
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.
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 Amy (Madison, Wi, Usa) on 12/27/2009 ★★★★★
I decided to try some vinegar on my English Cocker Spaniel. He has a horrible problem with Conjuctivitis. He is always rubbing and scratching his eyes and they matter and he always has crusty stuff on his eyes. I didn't have any ACV so I used Balsamic Vinegar on a cotton ball on the back of his neck, right by his collar and also rubbed a little on the top of his front paws. In one day, his eyes cleared up! They aren't red anymore and I haven't seen him scratch his eyes once! Who would think that vinegar could have such a healing quality on my dogs eyes?!
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 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.
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.
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!
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 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 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.
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.
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.
-----------------------------
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.
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.
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