German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America

[Eric]

I have just been to the vet with my pup and he has conjunctivitis from running in long grass and through the brush.

Has anyone had this sort of trouble and other than walking him on leash how can it be prevented.

[cheerio]

I have never had this problem with my GWP, but I do with one of my Belgian. One way to prevent it is to put a drop of artificial tears in each eye before taking the dog out and then again once you return home. Product such as Isopto Tears at 1% usually is very effective.
In the more sensitive dogs, which has been the case of my Belgian, the artificial tears may work for awhile and then stop protecting the eyes. In this case, the only recourse is...GLASSES! Yes, you read correctly, a pair of Doggles will protect your dog's eyes 100%. I too thought that it was a rather strange idea at first, but when I realised that it was that or having a dog who would never be able to enjoy the outside again, I decided to try it. And sure enough, not only it worked well, but my dog comes running to the kitchen where I keep his Doggles and demands them each time he wants to go out! He also gained quite a popularity in the local off leash park where he regularly and proudly go sniffing around. He thinks he is beautiful with his glasses, and so do I. Here, see for yourself:

[Eric]

Well - just when I thought I had heard of everything! I'm not sure that my pup would be able to keep them on given his energy level when we are out for a walk. It appears my pup has picked up some kind of infection (bacterial, viral, fungal..?) from being in the woods. Oddly enough my friend's father who lives nearby recently contracted identical symptoms after working in the bush. It is all a bit of a mystery.
The Docs are saying that whatever has caused this may be the result of our unusually warm and wet autumn.

Thank you for the info Cheerio - I learned something new today.

ps - very nice looking boy you have there.