Using Boric Acid for Dog Eye Infections: Is It OK?

Okay, so the other day, my dog, Buster, got something in his eye. It was all red and watery, and he kept pawing at it. I was freaking out a little, not gonna lie. I remembered someone mentioning boric acid eyewash for dogs, so I decided to give it a shot.

Figuring Out the Recipe

First things first, I needed to figure out how to even make this stuff. I did some digging around (no fancy medical journals, just good old-fashioned searching). I found that you gotta be super careful with the measurements. Too much boric acid, and you could hurt your pup, and who wants that? Not me!

Mixing It Up

I grabbed some distilled water – important: it has to be distilled, not tap water! – and boiled it. I let it cool down a bit, because, you know, boiling water near eyeballs is a big no-no. Then, I measured out a tiny, tiny amount of boric acid powder. I used like, an eighth of a teaspoon, I swear. I used it into a clean, sterilized glass.

I carefully poured the warm (not hot!) water into the glass and stirred it like crazy until all the boric acid was completely dissolved. It looked just like regular water, which was kinda reassuring.

The Washing Part

This was the tricky part. Buster is not a fan of having things near his eyes. I got a clean cotton ball and soaked it in the boric acid solution. Then, holding Buster still, I very, very gently wiped his eye, starting from the inner corner and going outwards. I used a fresh cotton ball for each wipe, just to be extra safe. The amount I used was not much, just wet the affected area. I repeated it 2-3 times.

The Aftermath

Honestly, I was holding my breath. But Buster seemed okay! He blinked a few times, but he stopped pawing at his eye. Over the next few hours, the redness started to go down, and the watering stopped. I kept a close eye on him (pun intended!) to make sure it didn't get worse.

I did the eyewash thing a couple more times that day, and by the next morning, his eye looked pretty much back to normal. I was so relieved! I felt like a super-dog-mom.

Important Notes (from one dog owner to another)

• Make sure everything is super clean. Sterilize your containers!
• Use distilled water, seriously.
• Be ridiculously careful with the amount of boric acid. Less is more!
• If your dog's eye looks really bad, or if it doesn't get better, go to the vet! Don't mess around with eye stuff.

This worked for me and Buster, but every dog is different. Just be careful, and if you're unsure, always, always check with your vet first!