So, this actually happened to me a while back, and man, it was a scare. We were out in the backyard, my dog, Buster, and me. Just a regular afternoon, throwing his favorite tennis ball. He’s usually pretty good at catching, a real pro, you know?
Anyway, I threw the ball, maybe a bit wild this time, or maybe he just misjudged it. Instead of a clean catch, the darn thing bounced awkwardly and smacked him right in the eye. WHACK! I heard this little yelp, and my heart just sank. You know that feeling? Pure dread.
He immediately started pawing at his face, squinting like crazy, and whining. I rushed over, trying to stay calm, but inside I was freaking out. Poor little guy.
What I Did Straight Away
First thing, I got him to sit. He was pretty agitated, understandably. I gently tried to pull his paw away from his face so I could get a look. His eye was already starting to look a bit red and watery, and he was keeping it mostly shut. It didn’t look like the ball itself was in his eye, thank goodness, but the impact was clearly painful.
I remembered reading somewhere that you shouldn’t mess too much with eye injuries. So, my first thought wasn’t to start poking around or trying to flush it with tap water or anything like that. I just wanted to assess how bad it looked to my untrained eye.
- I checked for any obvious bleeding – there wasn’t any, which was a small relief.
- I looked to see if the eyeball itself looked damaged, like cloudy or if the pupil was a weird shape. It looked okay, just very irritated.
- He was clearly in discomfort, still trying to rub it.
I brought him inside, into a slightly dimmer room, thinking the bright sunlight might be making it worse. I got a clean, damp cloth – just with cool water – and gently dabbed around his eye, not directly on it. He seemed to appreciate that a little.
The Vet Question
Now, the big question: vet or wait and see? Eye stuff can get serious fast, right? I watched him for about 15-20 minutes. He was still squinting, and it looked a bit swollen. He wasn’t his usual bouncy self, just lying down and looking miserable.
I decided, you know what, better safe than sorry. Eyes are too important to gamble with. So, I called up my vet, explained what happened. They said to bring him in, just to be sure.
The car ride was quiet. He just rested his head on my lap. Poor fella.
At the Vet’s Office
The vet was great. She did a thorough check. She put some special dye in his eye, a fluorescein stain, she called it, to check for any scratches on the cornea. That was the main thing I was worried about. You hear about corneal ulcers and stuff.
Turns out, he was lucky. No serious scratch, but it was definitely bruised and inflamed. She said it was a good thing I brought him in because even a minor trauma can sometimes lead to complications if not checked out.
She gave us some anti-inflammatory eye drops to use for a few days, just to help with the swelling and discomfort. And strict instructions: no ball playing for a bit, to let it heal and avoid another knock.
Recovery and What I Learned
Getting those drops in was a bit of a challenge, not gonna lie. He wasn’t a fan. But we managed. After a day or two, he was squinting a lot less. Within a week, his eye was pretty much back to normal. He was back to pestering me for the ball, which was a good sign!
Man, that was a stressful afternoon. It really showed me how quickly an accident can happen, even during normal playtime. I’m just glad it wasn’t worse. And it definitely reinforced the idea of not hesitating to call the vet if you’re worried, especially with something as delicate as an eye. You just never know, and it’s always better to get a professional opinion.
So yeah, that was my experience with a ball to the eye. Hopefully, it doesn’t happen to your furry friend, but if it does, stay calm, assess, and don’t be afraid to head to the vet!
