Pitbulls can be just as finicky as other dog breeds about the clothes and accessories you put on their faces. However, it is worth training them to wear prescription sunglasses. There are many medical benefits to having your pitbull wear prescription sunglasses. Let’s take a closer look at the advantages of your dog wearing them.
Preventing eye injuries or worsening conditions
Sunglasses can be more than everyday fashion accessories. They can also be protective gear that makes your pitbull’s everyday life a little easier, too.
Dust, dirt, and debris
Active dogs that play or walk around outdoors a lot will often kick up a lot of dust, dirt, or pollen. This can then easily fly up and irritate your dog’s eyes. If your dog scratches or rubs at its eyes to dislodge it, its eyes can become scratched or damaged.
Putting fitted sunglasses or other protective gear on your dog can prevent dirt from entering their eyes in the first place. The prescription may also help them to see better or protect their eyes from UV light.
Glaucoma
According to Veterinary Partner, glaucoma occurs when the aqueous humor, or clear fluid in the eye, does not drain from the eye properly. This can be caused when the drainage area is blocked by dirt or debris that lands in your dog’s eyes. The build-up of this fluid can create intense pressure against your dog’s eyes, which can be painful. Sunglasses can help to prevent this blockage from happening.
Cataracts
Though cataracts are mainly found in older dogs, they may sometimes be found in younger pitbulls as well. Trauma-based cataracts occur when something damages your dog’s eyes. Again, sunglasses act as a wonderful protection tool to prevent these painful cataracts from forming in the first place.
Consult with a veterinarian
It is important that you talk with your veterinarian about the best protective eyewear for your dog. They can help you find great sunglasses that will fit your pitbull and help with their eye conditions and needs.
Veterinarians can also provide you with additional treatments for your dog’s current eye conditions or issues.
Training your Pitbull to wear sunglasses
Introducing any new accessories to your pitbull can be a bit of a challenge. Below are a couple of tips you should try to train your pitbull to wear their new prescription sunglasses.
Train for short periods of time every day
First, take your time when introducing the sunglasses to your pitbull. Let them sniff it and understand that it is meant to go over their eyes. These training sessions can be as short as a minute every day. Once your dog grows more comfortable with the sunglasses, you can extend the period of time they wear the glasses until they wear them without a fuss.
Positive reinforcement
Many dog owners find that positive reinforcement is a much more effective training tool than any other they have tried. Positive reinforcement rewards a dog for good behavior. In the case of training your dog to wear sunglasses, you will want to reward them with treats and praise when they wear them without shaking them off.
By working together with prescription sunglasses, you can help your pitbull have optimal eye health for years to come.
Some Reasons Sunglasses Are an Important Accessory
There are lots of reasons why sunglasses can be an important accessory for your dog. This not only applies to pitbulls, but also to other dogs with more vulnerable eyes. Many breeds have eyes that protrude, and this makes them far more open to issues such as debris, infections, and similar. By training them to wear sunglasses, you can help to protect their eyes, which then means that you can help to protect their health. Some of the reasons why sunglasses are an important accessory for many dogs are:
Protection While Outdoors
One of the things you have to keep in mind is when your pet is outdoors, there are various problems that can occur in terms of its eyes. One of the issues that can occur is dust and debris getting into the eyes, and this can cause discomfort, pain, and lead to other issues. This is something that can happen both while out and about and even in your own backyard, so getting your dog to wear sunglasses can help to provide protection when in any outdoor environment, It is also important to remember that we, as humans, tend to wear sunglasses not just as a fashion statement but also to protect our eyes from the dangers of the sun. Well, when your dog is outside for long periods, it will also be at risk from the harmful rays of the sun. Wearing sunglasses can provide additional protection against this for your pet.
Reducing the Risk of Infections
One of the other important reasons to consider sunglasses for your dog is to reduce the risk of infection. There are all sorts of infections and problems that can affect the eyes of dogs, and some dog breeds are at heightened risk of these. Once these infections set in, they can cause many issues ranging from discomfort and pain to impacting your dog’s sight. By making sure your dog wears sunglasses, you can provide an extra layer of protection that will enable you to more easily keep eye infections at bay.
Preventing Serious Diseases
As mentioned above, there are also serious diseases and problems that can stem from something as simple as your dog getting dirt and debris in its eyes. This is something that can easily happen when your dog is playing, exercising, or even walking outside the home. In fact, it can also happen inside the home, so the risks are everywhere. By training your dog to wear sunglasses, you can prevent foreign objects from entering the eyes, and this can then help to reduce the risk of serious diseases and health problems occurring.
Protecting Overall Health
When you protect a vulnerable part of your dog’s anatomy such as the eyes, you can also help to protect its overall health. As you can see from above, there are all sorts of issues that can arise if your dog develops any type of problem with the eye, and this can affect its quality of life and well being as well as its overall health. By making sure that the eyes are protected, you will more easily be able to protect the overall health of your pet, which means a healthier and happier life.
Important for Outdoorsy Dogs
One last thing to keep in mind is that sunglasses are especially important for dogs that spend a lot of their time outdoors. There are some dogs that like to be indoors most of the time and lounge around in the comfort and warmth of the home environment. However, there are also those who love nothing better than to be outdoors having fun, experiencing adventures, and enjoying some excitement. This could be trips to the park, going on regular long walks, hiking with their owners, spending time at the beach, and much more. Naturally, dogs that spend a lot of time in these outdoor environments are at higher risk when it comes to their eyes, so it is particularly important to provide protection for them.
More Than Just a Fashion Accessory
You might have seen dogs around wearing sunglasses and thought that the reason behind this is that their owners want to turn them into little fashion icons. However, this is not necessarily the case, and the reason why many pet owners invest in sunglasses for their dogs is to provide protection as a responsible pet owner. This is in the same way that many dog owners get winter jackets for their dogs to wear outdoors in order to stay warm and protected.
It is important to keep in mind that dog sunglasses are, therefore, more than just a fashion accessory, and they can make a big positive difference to your pet’s eye health and even its overall health. While the training might take some time, it is well worth putting the effort in because of the benefits that sunglasses can provide for your dog.
You should keep in mind that there are various factors that you should consider when choosing dog sunglasses, as there are different variations that are available these days. Rather than looking at the outward appearance of the sunglasses, you should consider things such as whether they offer UV protection, if they have anti-fog lenses, whether they are shatterproof, and whether they are adjustable to fit in with the needs of your pet. These are some of the key things to look at when making your choice.
Once you have found the ideal dog sunglasses, you can enjoy greater peace of mind by providing increased protection for your pet.
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