matted shut eye

Question
my dog has a matted eye  and is all red. I just tried to wipe it with a
warm wet cloth and he cried. I have a german sheperd that plays with the
shitzu with the eye problem. What can I do to help him till I can get him
into our vet? i'm wondering if his eye is scratched.  

Answer
Hi Cheyanne!  Aww!  A Shih Tzu, huh?  I have a little Charlie boy Shih Tzu.  Aren't they the sweetest?
Shih Tzus are prone to eye problems/infection, corneal ulcerations, ect.  Getting him to the veterinarian as soon as possible would be best.  Is there an emergency vet in your area?  If so, it may be in your best interest to get him there to prevent infection in his eye.  If you don't have an emergency facility in your area and can't get into your vet until tomorrow, get good old fashioned Saline Solution (not visine!) and keep that eye very moist by putting up to 5 drops in the eye every hour or two today.
By keeping the eye moist, it will prevent further scratching and irritation and help keep the eye flushed so that bacteria will not have a place to stick.
I hope this helps and give that little smoosie face (as I lovingly refer to them as) tons of get well kisses for me!
If you have time, please let me know how he does.
Hilary