redness and draining of JRT eyes

Question
My son & I have had our JRT (Scout) since he was 12 weeks old.  He will be 1 yr old next week.  He is a wonderful, spoiled rotten puppy that loves to cuddle - though at times he can get very excited.  A couple of months ago his eyes started draining and tend to apear red around them.  I have taken him to the vet and he said he did appear to have some conjunctivitis (allergies to dust, etc) but didn't think it neccessary to take action, although he did offer to give a shot.  I have to wipe his eyes clean several times a day.  I currently feed Scout and my 3 year old poodle (Heidi) Lassie Natural Way dog food and probably 2 times a week I will put a little virgin coconut oil on their food.  He started doing this before I started using the coconut oi.  Do I need to change his food or what?  Any & all help would greatly be appreciated.  Thank you & God Bless :-)

Answer
Hi Tara,
Scout sounds awesome! I don't know where you're writing from but it sounds like it could be seasonal allergies, because the summer started a couple of months ago which is when you said this started. . It could also be simple contact dermatitis -  runny and itchy eyes from something he is in contact with... did you get him a new blanket? pillow? Have you changed laundry detergents? Added bleach? Using a new house spray? It's something to think about, and if you do find the culprit, just remove it and he should get better right away.
Conjunctivitis is usually treated with an antibiotic, but allergies are treated differently with antihistamines or cortecosteroids.  I'm not sure why your vet didn't do anything. It sounds pretty serious if you have to wipe his eyes several times a day. If I were you I'd take him back to the vet and ask for a prescription allergy medicine to help get him through whatever is bothering him this season. Usually when the fall comes, the allergies do get better. Although there are bothersome allergens during every season.
On a different note however, if it's a food allergy, unfortunately you're in for a long and sometimes complicated chore of trying to find what Scout is allergic to. Food allergies tend to affect more areas than the eyes though and include itching of the feet, armpits and groin. MOST allergies in dogs are reactions to dairy and beef and unfortunately almost all dog foods have these ingredients.
Food allergies are extremely hard to diagnose and a regimine of testing and eliminating things from the diet takes lots of time and patience.
It sounds to me like Scout is suffering from a seasonal allergy which can be treated with an antihistamine, so try there first and if that doesn't help, you might have to start thinking about the food he eats.
Hope I helped, I know there is a lot to consider here, just take one step at a time and you should be able to figure it out.  Why are you giving coconut oil? I don't know of any benefits this has for him?
Very best of luck!
Carol