Best drops for dry eye

[DryEyes24]

Ddog just back from vets and apparently has dry eyes. Vet said to just use lubricating eye drops for humans. So I’m after your recommendations as to the best ones. Surely they’re not all suitable for dogs?

I used carbomer eye gel off Amazon, a couple of quid a tube. Spaniel was getting through a lot so bought it ten tubes at a time which was cheaper. My father took a tube when he forgot his on a visit. Or look at simple eye ointment (not Simple the skin care brand). If it's OK for human eyes it's all right for dog eyes.

Optixcare plus or lubrithal neither of which need a prescription both made for animals - i'm a vet nurse.

What were the tear test readings? It’s very difficult to lubricate often enough to protect the cornea - I’m very surprised the vet didn’t prescribe Optimmune which actually addresses the root cause. If it’s not properly treated dogs often eventually go blind due to chronic keratitis and pigment deposition.

Not sure what the readings were tbh, she said it’s probably due to his breed - Shih tzu, and they just need a bit of lubricating. His eyes do stick out a bit 😬

Thanks for the recommendations.

There’s a difference between exposure keratitis (poor blink rate and sticky out eyes due to short skull) and KCS which is an autoimmune condition causing failure of tear production. He should have had a Schirmer Tear Test which is strips of filter paper to soak up then measure year production over 30secs. Ask what the readings were - >15mm is normal.