For Dog Owners

[susiestar]

I ran across a site with sunglasses for dogs. Is this something that is becoming "recommended" for dogs who are outside a lot? Or is it something that is another way to get your money but isn't needed for most animals? I know what UV rays and lots of light does to my eyes, and have wondered for years if dogs got similar problems. I know they have shorter lifespans, so I wondered if the UV rays were not a problem because they were not exposed to them for 30-80+ years.

I'm not trying to be a smartazz or be mean or insensitive. I truly wonder this and have since I was a kid. I know it wouldn't be a high priority for a lot of families, but even as a kid I wondered if the sun hurt our dog's eyes the way it did mine. Back then I got laughed at when I asked.

The site I saw is called Doggles (www.doggles.com) and they have a couple of types of eyewear for dogs, along with some other pretty neat dog stuff. They have a basic pair, a pair with interchangeable lenses and even mesh eyewear that isn't hard but can still be seen through and keeps the UV rays out. It seems like the other ones, made of similar stuff to people sunglasses, could become chew toys if the dog was unattended, but the mesh ones wouldn't.

Is this something that you would try for your dog if you were going to be outside with him all day? Or is it unneeded for most dogs? I know eye docs are pushing for kids to wear sunglasses when they are outside just like sunscreen to protect their eyes for the long run. I also know dogs get cararacts.

Sorry if this is a strange question. Seeing the doggles just made me wonder again.

 

[Hound dog]

Most likely guessing it's just a way to weedle pet owners out of cash.

Mr. Rowdy is like 12 yrs old. He has been outside since the day he was born. I can tell you that there is not a thing wrong with his eyesight! lol

in my opinion this goes along with the brushing the dogs teeth thing. I've never bought into it. And I've bawled out at least 2 vets over trying to get me to do it.

My dogs eat bones. They eat raw hides and they eat plenty of normal bones. Vets stopped recommending me brush their teeth after a few visits.........my dogs have always had great teeth, and clean! Well, Mollys are going bad now, but she's old and tends to chew at herself so much I think that is causing it to some degree.

 

[susiestar]

I kind of wondered. I know there are dogs with eye conditions and injuries that would need some kind of eye protection. One was featured on an episode of Dogtown on NGC - poor dog had been neglected and had a horrible skin condition and it ate his eyelids. The new owners had special sun protective clothing and glasses for him, esp when they went to the beach or on a boat. But for normal dogs? The dog we had when I was a kid lived to be 17 years old and was always an outside dog and loved it. She never seemed to have eye problems. I still wonder if it is because even if they are outside all the time they just don't have to use their eyes for as many years as we do. does that make sense? I just know how angry I would be if the dog chewed up a pair of $20 sunglasses - that is what I pay for mine ONLY because I have to have ones tha wrap around my reg glasses!

 

[DammitJanet]

I would imagine Star's dog would eat them in about 2.2 seconds flat...lol. For that matter, so would my little dog who chews up everything in sight.

I have seen people at the beach with dogs wearing sunglasses and some sort of hat but I think it is just attire. If they can get the dog to wear it, more power to them. Mine all look at me like they are absolutely miserable if I try to dress them...lol.

 

[donna723]

They are more for protecting the eyes from injuries than they are for protection from the sun. The "cute factor" is just a fringe benefit. For some breeds of dogs (like my Bostons) that are prone to eye injuries, they can be very helpful, especially if they are outdoors a lot. Bostons (also pugs, pekinese, etc.) have very prominent eyes and injuries are common. An eye injury that can cause a simple easily healed infection in another breed of dog can lead to the loss of the eye if it happens to a Boston. Sadly, you see a lot of little one-eyed Bostons out there - I have one myself, my little boy Trace. I know a lot of Boston owners whose dogs spend a lot of time playing outside and people take them with them when they go swimming, to the beach, boating, hiking and camping. The "sun glasses" protect their eyes and prevent injuries. I don't have them for mine but I would get them if they spent more time outdoors. There are several companies that make them but the Doggles brand fit the best and are sturdier than some of the others.

Meet one of my favorite little guys -

http://www.thebikerdogs.com/

http://www.doggles.com/

 

[AnnieO]

As long as they serve a purpose, great.

Me? I roll my eyes a lot at dogs in sweaters. Because mostly they just look miserable.

Bubbles would eat them in about 5 seconds... He loves plastic. And FWIW, I agree about the tooth brushing. Never have, cats and dog are just fine...

 

[DammitJanet]

My poor Nina looked completely embarrassed this last snowfall. It was so thick and heavy that Tony went out and brought her into the house because she looked so completely miserable in her pen. She was thrilled. Happy, happy happy. She was so happy that she actually jumped up with him and cuddled which is a major change in her behavior. Normally she is only my dog and shies away from him completely.

Well...because it was so cold, I found this old coat that Keyana had when she was about 18 months old and it buttoned down the front. I managed to put it on the dog. It was a fluffy pink coat. On my black and white bull dog. LOL. It looked like it would keep her so warm. She looked like she could just die of embarrassment. The head hung low. She walked around like she was in prison singing "Nobody knows the trouble Ive seen"...lol.

 

[donna723]

Mostly the sweaters and coats are for the "cute factor" but some dogs do need them if they're going to be out in the cold for more than a minute or two. My little guys can make a quick potty trip outside "naked" but for anything longer than that they do need something on them. They are cold-natured anyway and they have very little hair (completely bare on their underside) and they don't have the fuzzy undercoat that other breeds have. The smooshy face dogs without a long muzzle are breathing that cold air in almost directly to their lungs and they get cold very easily. They don't regulate their body temperature very well and can get too cold or overheat very quickly.

I wish I had a picture of my Katy (the one in my avatar) going with me to the local Christmas Parade last year! She loves socializing at the parade but it was really cold so I put a t-shirt on her and her winter coat. I always refer to the coat as her "pimp coat". It's very thick and warm with a fuzzy collar but it's gold colored with embroidery on it and sparkly sequin things. Under that she wore her Merry Christmas t-shirt with a green wreath on it with little multi-colored Christmas lights that flash when she walks. And when she walked, the flashing lights on her t-shirt were showing through the winter coat! She was the most festive girl at the parade and was a lot warmer than I was! It was fun, but without the clothes, it would have been much too cold for her to be outside that long and she would have had to miss it.

 

[susiestar]

Shirts are often extremely beneficial for abused dogs and nervous dogs. The pressure of the shirt helps them to feel more secure according to every trainer we saw when we tried to adopt a dog a few years back. Poor thing had a past we didn't know about (of course) and just shook and shook and shook. Putting a shirt on her really helped - not because she was cold but likely for the same reason that lots of people with sensory issues like deep pressure. The poor dog just could not adjust to a house with kids and got to the point that she was wanting to bite the kids so we found a single college guy who had raised a couple of dogs who had been abused before he got them. His dogs had passed away and he wanted just 1. I see her around town now and then and she is the happiest dog you could ever want to see, clearly remembers me and seems to have really adjusted well. He told us that with abused dogs it can really help to have shirts on them even if they look miserable sometimes - that look can be attributed to the abuse in some dogs, not the shirt. (Not all, of course.)

 

[donna723]

They make things called "Thunder Shirts" too that you can buy online or in the vets office. They're tight fitting shirts that are supposed to calm dogs that freak out during thunder storms. None of mine have ever had that problem so I've never tried one but they're supposed to work very well.