We all know that dogs can howl, yip, and whine. Dogs are incredibly empathic animals, but do they cry in the same way that humans do?
You may have once noticed your dog’s watery eyes or even seen your dog cry. However, unlike humans, dogs cannot cry for emotional reasons. Other ways that dogs communicate their emotions include wagging their tails or pinning their ears back in sadness.
So what does it mean when you observe your dog “crying” actual tears? Here are a few causes and their corresponding meanings.
Similar to humans, dogs can experience seasonal allergies as well as allergies brought on by other things like laundry detergent or food ingredients.
Take your dog to the vet for some tests to help you identify and remove the allergens if you suspect allergies are the cause of their crying.
Swelling, hives, sneezing, coughing, inflammation, and more are additional symptoms of allergies. Inform the veterinarian of any additional allergy symptoms you observe. This will enable them to identify the specific cause of your dog’s tears and suggest a course of action.
Like humans, dogs have tear ducts to support maintaining the health and function of their eyes. Dogs’ tear ducts drain the liquid back towards the nasal area of the throat and nose, in contrast to human tear ducts, which push tears out.
Tears from your dog may dribble outwards like when people cry if they have blocked tear ducts. This eye discharge is known as epiphora.
The fur around your dog’s eyes will be wet if they have epiphora, which can cause skin irritation or brown, reddish fur to surround their eyes.
If symptoms of blocked tear ducts last for a while, take your dog to the vet.
Instead of crying out clear tears, your dog may be suffering from an eye infection if they are crying out yellow, mucus- or bloody tears.
Other signs of eye infections include eye area swelling or eye redness.
You must immediately take your dog to the vet if they display any of these symptoms.
Another possible explanation for your dog crying is that they have an irritant in their eye, such as dirt or dust. Lift their upper and lower eyelids gradually to look for debris.
Tears in this situation ought to stop as soon as the dirt or dust speck is removed.
Flush the eye with cool water or vet-approved eye wash. Get to the veterinarian as soon as possible if your dog’s eye still exhibits symptoms of irritation.
Do not attempt to flush out larger debris or debris that is harming your dog’s eye. Bandage the eye and get to the vet right away. Before you arrive, make sure your dog doesn’t paw at it.
A scratched cornea is another factor that could cause your dog to cry. Active, playful dogs who may have been swarmed by another dog while playing are more likely to suffer from scratched corneas.
To avoid serious vision damage from a scratched cornea, take your dog to the vet if their eye is watering and they keep pawing at it.
Although your dog doesn’t cry emotionally, they can still show sadness in other ways. Dogs vocalize their feelings by howling, whimpering, and whining when they are in pain, frustrated, or grieving. They may also withdraw from activities they normally enjoy.
If you’re concerned about your dog’s emotional health, keep an eye out for these symptoms. Tears, however, signify a health issue that you should properly treat with the assistance of your veterinarian.
Let us know in the comments below if your dog has ever cried tears and whether it was due to an eye irritation or a health problem.
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Medical Issues that Cause Dog Crying
Although it may be heartwarming to believe that a dog cries when it is sad, the truth is that your dog’s tear ducts don’t actually spill out tears like they do in humans. Instead, dogs use body language and vocalizations to express their emotions.
Instead, the nasal cavity is where the tear ducts’ fluid drains. In order to help your dog get what he needs, it’s critical to understand what your dog’s crying actually means. After all, when a dog cries, it’s actually signaling some sort of medical issue.
Your dog may cry for a variety of reasons, so it’s best to have him examined by a veterinarian to identify the precise medical issue that may be causing excessive tearing.
The following list includes a number of typical medical conditions that may make your dog cry or develop “eye boogers.”
When your dog has tears falling down from his eyes, it’s something called epiphora. You might not always notice epiphora by seeing the tears themselves, but you might notice tear stains in your dog’s eye area.
Epiphora is a sign of clogged tear ducts in your dog and is a symptom rather than a diagnosis. That could be brought on by a variety of issues, such as parasites, an infection in his sinuses or nasal cavity, or an injury to the bones in his face or nose.
Long-term epiphora exposure can cause skin irritation and fur discoloration around your dog’s eyes. You need to bring your dog to the vet so they can examine him to find out what might be specifically causing the blockage.
Another cause of dog crying is an eye infection. If so, you might also notice that your dog is crying blood or mucus in addition to tears. This can also make them appear yellowish in color.
Additionally, you might notice some swelling and irritation in or around your dog’s eyes if he has an eye infection. You should consult your veterinarian as soon as possible if you suspect he has an eye infection because it could develop into more serious issues that could impair his vision.
Another cause of excessive tearing is a corneal ulcer. You might also hear this called a scratched cornea. This sometimes happens in people too, and it’s extremely painful. It’s very easy for dogs to scratch their cornea when they play rough with other dogs or when they’re snooping through thick brush. The cornea is a transparent membrane that covers the eyeball.
If your dog has watery eyes due to a scratched cornea, you may first notice it after he has been playing vigorously. Additional signs like excessive blinking, pawing at the affected eye, or even swelling around the eye may also be present.
Get your dog checked out by the vet as soon as you notice these symptoms because treating a scratched cornea can be challenging, and the longer it persists, the more severe the damage may become.
Conjunctivitis is yet another reason for dogs to tear excessively. The pink tissue you see inside your eye and in the corner of your eye is the conjunctiva. When that tissue becomes inflamed, it’s called conjunctivitis.
The pink membranes become inflamed, which results in swelling, an eye discharge, and excessive blinking. Your dog may also paw at his eyes. Conjunctivitis can cause blocked tear ducts as well.
You should visit the veterinarian as soon as you notice symptoms of conjunctivitis because it is simple to treat when caught early on.
Like in people, allergies in dogs can result in watery eyes. Additionally, your dog may be allergic to numerous things, including particular foods, pollen, dust, smoke, as well as various chemicals or scents, just like humans.
Your veterinarian will need to perform some tests to pinpoint exactly what your dog is allergic to, and these can occasionally take a while. You could try to identify the cause in the interim by keeping track of any dietary adjustments you’ve made for your dog or any other routine modifications.
Occasionally, you can identify the allergen to get rid of the source of your dog’s watery eyes without having to wait for the testing results. It’s still a good idea to complete the testing so you can pinpoint the allergen your dog is sensitive to and prevent exposure in the future.
Entropion is a medical condition that can be genetically inherited or develop as a secondary disease over the course of your dog’s lifetime. In either case, it results in your dog’s eyelids rolling inward so that his eyelashes actually rub against his cornea.
Since it lasts for a long time, it causes tear stains, excessive tearing, and can lead to corneal ulcers. Additionally, it can impact his upper and lower lids, as well as both of his eyes.
Due to the fact that it is genetically inherited, some dog breeds, such as pugs, boxers, and English bulldogs, are more prone to developing it. To force the eyelids into a normal position in young puppies under three months old, eyelid tacking can be used as a treatment. In older dogs, however, entropion requires surgery to treat.
Additionally, it’s possible that something as simple as a speck of dust or dirt in your dog’s eye is the cause of his excessive tearing. He can easily get dirt on his eyelashes when working in the yard.
This is the real reason tears are beneficial, and they’re usually harmless. After crying for a while, your dog’s eye is cleared of the foreign object. However, if the excessive tearing continues, he may actually have an object stuck in his eye or have a scratched cornea.
If the crying doesn’t stop, you should consult your veterinarian. It is better to be safe than sorry when it comes to eye health. If you want to prevent any major health issues, you shouldn’t disregard what your dog needs.
Do dogs cry? Yes, just not through tears. While we might assume that a dog’s watery eyes are caused by their emotions, the truth is that they are more likely caused by a medical problem that needs to be treated. There are many different things that can cause dogs to have watery eyes. Time is of the essence when it comes to serious eye conditions, so this is especially true if it lasts for more than a few hours.
Your dog may not shed emotional tears, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t experience emotions. Instead of crying, he simply expresses his feelings through body language and vocalizations. Therefore, if your dog is crying uncontrollably, it’s time to visit the vet to find out why.
Can Dogs Feel Sadness? What Causes Their Sadness?
Dogs certainly do feel sadness. Just think about how they act whenever you leave the house and how happy they are when you get home.
Now that we know, your dog isn’t crying because they’re sad. Mize says. “Sadness in a dog is typically manifested by a myriad of signs—some obvious, some not so obvious. So, how does your dog express sadness? Just like humans, dogs can express their sadness in a variety of ways, and most astute pet owners are aware of their own dog’s communication style in what they are trying to say. Common behaviors which may communicate sadness include vocalizing (such as whining and whimpering), trembling, clingy behavior, or the opposite—ignoring you. “.
So, what exactly causes a dog to feel sad?
“Loss—perceived or real,” Dr. Chavez explains. For instance, when their pet parents leave the house, some dogs with severe separation anxiety think they’ve been abandoned. “.
Other than separation anxiety and loss, dogs can also experience sadness for other reasons.
Dogs can experience sadness for the same reasons that humans do, according to Dr. Mize adds. Have you ever experienced sadness and had your dog comfort you in a kind manner despite the fact that they may not understand what made you feel that way? According to researchers, dogs have an emotional range comparable to that of a human child between the ages of two and two and a half.
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Dog tears dont directly correlate to their sadness. Instead, dogs usually show their sadness in other ways. Most often, as Dr. Chavez pointed out, these signs of sadness manifest as anxiety. According to Dr. A depressed dog, according to Chavez, may vocalize (whine or whimper), withdraw, hide, stop eating, and/or lose interest in activities they usually enjoy (like going for walks, greeting people, or playing with toys).
Although dog tears do not necessarily indicate sadness, it is important to be on the lookout for them as they may be a sign of a serious medical condition.
Excessive tearing is typically a sign of an eye problem, so if you see your dog crying, it’s time to look into their physical health rather than just assume they are sad. Mize says.
For example, dog tears may be a sign of allergies.
According to Caughill, if your dog exhibits excessive tearing along with itchy flatulence, it may be due to environmental or digestive allergies. Your veterinarian can assist you in identifying potential allergens for your dog. “.
FAQ
Why is my dog crying tears?
So, if you notice your dog “crying” tears, you should probably call the veterinarian. According to Dr. Simon, this may indicate an obstruction in the tear duct, allergies, an object in the eye, an infection, or an eye injury. Watch out for signs your dog is actually sick.
How do you know if your dog is crying tears?
Although dogs’ eyes can cry, as far as we can tell, they don’t appear to be crying out of emotion. They can definitely feel emotions, and they typically show sadness by whimpering, whining, or covering their faces. They just don’t cry when they’re sad.
Do dogs cry tears for their owners?
According to a recent study, dogs can “cry happy tears” when their owners return home. The love hormone, oxytocin, is overproduced by our furry friends when they reunite with their owners, causing them to cry, according to researchers from Azabu University in Japan.