Like people, our canine friends can often develop dry eyes due to allergies, weather, or the environment in general. If your American Akita appears to have red or irritated eyes, give your veterinarian a call. Your Akita’s irritated eyes could be from a variety of things in which your vet will need to exam his eyes and possibly run tests.  The medical term for dry eyes in dogs is Keratoconjunctivitis sicca or KCS. Dry eyes can be caused by weather or allergies, but they can also be caused by an immune-mediated disease, systemic diseases such as canine distemper virus, medications, or hypothyroidism. Dry eye can develop in dogs of all breeds, but is especially common in breeds such as the American Cocker Spaniel, Bloodhound, Boston terrier, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, English bulldog, English Springer spaniel, etc. Your vet Tri-Cities, MI may prescribe medicated eye drops for your Akita’s eyes. To learn more, click here.