Can I Really Buy Sunglasses for my Dog?

As it turns out, dogs can fit the description of man’s best friend even better when dressed like one. Chic canines can now sport stylish protective eyewear to better match their owner’s look. Designed after a model of sporting goggles, sunglasses for your dog, or doggles, are now made with the purpose of protecting canine eyes from debris, wind, and ultraviolet (UV) light in all environments. Sunglasses for your dog are one of the more recently popularized items in the line of fashionable pet accessories, including doggie sweaters, booties, kennels, leashes, and food dishes.

Retailers of sunglasses for your dog, also known as “doggles,” market them as stylish apparel for both good aesthetics and good health. The interchangeable lenses, usually made of polycarbonate, are also typically anti-fog, shatterproof, and 100% UV protecting. To keep the sunglasses in place and prevent slippage, there are adjustable elastic straps included for the head and chin. The frames themselves are padded with foam. In this way the fit is both lightweight and comfortable. Sunglasses for your dog can be purchased with complementary products including lens cleaner and an assortment of colored lenses. Dogs can wear them in all situations but the health-conscious part is emphasized for sports activities, such as boating, camping, and skiing.

Necessity is the mother of invention, and sunglasses for your dog are an interesting, contemporary example. Dogs, like any other living thing with eyes, are susceptible to potential eye damage and infection. Prototypes of sunglasses for your dog first began as a medical implement for post-surgical or post-injury eye protection. Now couture eyewear for dogs is just another developing segment in the pet industry. However, its health-conscious origins have not been lost.

Scratches to the cornea, the clear membrane around the eye, can be caused by irritation in the forms of foreign objects, desiccating wind, and UV radiation. Bacteria can also get into the eye and result in conjunctivitis, one of the most common eye infections in canines. Conjunctivitis is characterized by redness around the eye, and a greenish or yellowish discharge. Anytime any of the following occurs, however, veterinary attention should be sought immediately: chronic redness, cloudiness, blood in or around the eyes, tearing, dilated pupils, swelling, or rubbing/squinting. If you buy the proper sunglasses for your dog, you as a dog owner can prevent the frequency of these conditions from happening and show your pet off with style.