When do puppies open their eyes and what does it depend on?

All creatures that have just been born are extremely defenseless and vulnerable, including newborn puppies. They, like other baby animals, need special care, warmth and affection, as they are born blind and deaf. Let's see from what point their eyes open and why this happens over time.

It is worth saying that newborn puppies immediately begin to distinguish smells and feel heat, but hearing and eyesight erupt later, and this period is called “awakening”. In the same litter, puppies may not go through the stage of awakening at the same time. In addition, the period of labor affects this. If the puppies are premature, then the stage of awakening can occur a couple of days later than the average statistical term, and vice versa, born puppies can cope with opening their eyes and hearing more quickly than the established norms.

Eye opening occurs after the complete formation of the eyelid and takes from one to several days. As a rule, both eyes open together, but it also happens that the difference is one to two days. First, a small gap forms and gradually the entire eye opens. Puppies with initial insight can see obscure silhouettes, distinguish shadow from light, see fuzzy images. Everything is the same with hearing - at first they can only distinguish a sufficiently loud sound.

Dogs can fully enjoy the variety of sounds and images after 20 days of life. The first 20 days is an important period in the development of the puppy, it is on these days that the physical and mental abilities of the dog are formed.The development for each puppy occurs individually, but if we take the average indicators, the puppies begin to open their eyes by 10-15 days of age, and different breeds have their own terms. For instance:

• German Shepherd - 13-15 day hearing and vision;
• chihuahua - 10-13 day vision, 9-10 day hearing;
• Toy Terrier - 14-15 day vision, 7-8 day hearing;
• Husky - 14 day vision, 17-18 day hearing.

It’s considered normal if the eyes open fully during the 20 days of life, and this will not be a developmental delay or pathology. If the eyes did not open completely or did not open at all, you can try to wipe with a cotton swab moistened with warm boiled water. Only clean your eyes with clean hands to prevent infection.

Another good remedy is a decoction of chamomile - brew the finished bag in boiling water for 30 minutes. Or pour a teaspoon of the collection with a glass of water, simmer for 10 minutes. In both cases, the broth should be allowed to cool to a temperature that is 2-3 degrees above the body, and wipe the eyes with cotton swabs. Each eye needs its own tampon, do not use the same one.

Closed eyelids are a kind of protection from an aggressive environment in the first days of life. In one litter, as a rule, many puppies are born at once, and all of them are premature. The mother dog is simply not able to convey this burden, and childbirth occurs a couple of weeks ahead of schedule. Therefore, the formation of babies often occurs already in external conditions.

The fact is that the puppy's eyelids are not yet formed after birth. The muscles that are responsible for blinking are too weak and cannot control this process. Thus, the cornea of ​​the eye is not able to hydrate in time, and the ingress of dust, dirt on the still unformed eye can deprive the puppy of vision forever. As well as an excessively bright light. This is the main reason that the eyelids open later than the puppy is born.

There are times when a puppy does not want to open its eyes because of pain, since the eyelids have stuck together so that it is very difficult to open them. Do not immediately run to the veterinarian, you can wipe your eyes with a solution of furatsilin and observe. If the eyes began to open a little, albeit badly, you should continue to rub and carefully monitor the condition of the pet.

You don’t need a doctor, and if the eyelids stick together due to dust, just wipe with water or soft antiseptics 6-8 times a day. In addition, a caring mother can help the eyes open naturally, licking the cubs and thereby removing unnecessary secretions.

If, after a 20-day period, the eyelids have not opened, you should contact your veterinarian. Cases when the eyes do not open can be different, and the reasons most often are as follows:

• purulent discharge (conjunctival inflammation);
• fusion of the eyelids;
• dirt and specks trapped in the palpebral fissure;
• microbes (infectious diseases).

With such symptoms, you should immediately contact a veterinarian. In some cases, even surgery is required, so it is recommended not to waste time and take urgent measures.

It happens and vice versa that puppies open their eyes too early, when the eyelid has not yet formed. This can lead to infection, clogging of the eyes, drying out of the lacrimal canals. There is a risk of a disease such as dry eye.

More dangerous is twist of the century. Most often, such an ailment is found in rocks with folds on the face:

• mastiff;
• sharpei;
• bloodhound;
• pug;
• English bulldog;
• bassed;
• mastino.

This disease is rare in newborn puppies, more often it can be found in dogs at an older age, up to the elderly. Such a pathology looks as follows: due to folds on the muzzle, the eyelid bends inward, thereby irritating the mucous membrane of the eye.

Further, an ulcer develops, which deforms and destroys the internal organs of the eye. Although this is not a threat to the life of your pet, however, it entails serious problems. If left untreated, this can lead to loss or blindness.

There is a twist of the century for several reasons:

• corneal damage resulting from a failed delivery;
• congenital pathology with a reduced size of the eyeball, which affects the support for the eyelids, as a result of which an inversion occurs;
• congenital eye diseases.

See how the puppies open their eyes in the next video.