Corneal Ulcer!? I am so upset!

[tracyb1023]

Remy started acting super-weird a few days ago-just not his usually perky self. AND THEN, I noticed that he had an abnormal amount of drainage coming from his eye. He was also squinting and his eyes looked 'teary.' So, of course I take him to the vet, thinking it is going to be something simple and they tell me he has a corneal ulcer.

Of course, I am trying to be calm at the vet, but I am really freaking out! Not only does he have to wear an e-collar (aka: lampshade) over his lil head, but I have to put 2 different kinds of drops in his eye 5 times a day. I can just tell he is miserable and it breaks my heart.

I have been reading online a lot about how these things can lead to surgery, blindness, and even removal of the eye if they do not heal properly!!!!!! So, obviously i's STRESSED! Has anyone here dealt with this before and if so, how did things turn out??

any advice and/or moral support would be greatly appreciated!

[megansmomma]

Did they say how he got the ulcear? All you can do it take it one step at a time and hope that the drops clear it up. If its anything like a scratched cornea that is very painful and it could take a very long time to heal.

[Ladymom]

Lady has had a couple corneal ulcers. (She has dry eye which is why she's prone to them.) I've had no problem with them healing. The danger is ignoring the symptoms and not taking them to the vet. Since you did and have the drops, he should be fine.

I'm sure your vet told you that they are very painful. That's why poor Remy hasn't been himself. Hopefully he'll feel better soon.

[tracyb1023]

i have no idea how it happened, but vet said that he most likely scratched the eye somehow and she said that in itself is very common. It can also occur when shampoo or any other chemical gets in the eye [don't think this is the cause b/c I would remember] i'm guessing he scratched it but i have no idea when/where/on what...we just woke up to a nasty eye tues. morning

[tracyb1023]

ok, thanks Ladymom So is this more common than I thought?

He is such a pitful sight-on top of his eye itself, having to wear that awful collar. poor baby

And about how long would you say they heal up?

[Ladymom]

Originally Posted by tracyb1023

ok, thanks Ladymom So is this more common than I thought?

He is such a pitful sight-on top of his eye itself, having to wear that awful collar. poor baby

And about how long would you say they heal up?

It's very common. Here is some information for you:

Corneal Ulcers In Dogs and Cats And Their Treatment In ThePetCenter.com.

[BelwoBelwo]

Bella had the same thing last month. Her eyes was blood shoot red and she was whimping. It looks really bad .

It will go away in a few days. If everything goes well. My vet gave me an antibioitic, topical team and eye drops. No worries, your baby should be fine.

[BlondeYorkieMom]

I hope Remy's eye gets better and it isn't anything that requires surgery.
Good Luck with the eye drops, that doesn't sound easy
Keep us updated

[Nancy1999]

Joey got this and I freaked out, it came on so suddenly, a Saturday when the normal vet is closed, so we I called the emergency vet, and they said I should bring him in. With Joey, he was just squinting; there was not discharge. Apparently, with a corneal ulcer the conditions are ripe to lead to infection, and that's why treatment must take place as soon as possible, as it can lead to blindness if not treated. They did a stain, and gave us an ointment and collar. He actually accepted the collar much better than I thought he would, and it's best if you can get one that not too big. The doctor didn't know what caused it, but we had been growing out that hair that above the bridge of the nose, and sometimes I would spray a little hair spray on a toothbrush and brush this back. It would usually come back down sometime later in the night, and at that point the hairs and spray may have irritated the eye. I stop using the hairspray after that, and warn everyone not to use it, just in case, it caused the ulcer. Like I said, I never sprayed any on, it was only spayed on a toothbrush. It took about 10 days for Joey's eye to get better, I think he had to have 2 more stains done. By the second day of treatment he seemed much better. Since than we have been using Petsilk Topknot gel to keep the hair out of his eyes and no more problems. Best of luck with his treatment, and the sun may bother him till his eye heals.

[jadecomputergal]

I've never had a pet that had one and it had never occurred to me, though I'm sure any animal can have one now that I think of it.

I don't know if they affect pets the same as humans, but I had one because of a problem with contact lens and I was miserable. I couldn't stand any light, and I mean not any light. I had to stay in a dark room for three days, and it wasn't comfortable even beyond that. No computer, no TV, no books. Just darkness, and it was very painful as well. I really hope your baby gets better very soon.

[BamaFan121s]

Awww...poor little thing. I can imagine that is extremely uncomfortable. What drops are you having to use for him? Can you give the names of the medications?
These things can be caused by many different things...it's almost impossible to tell most times. (Unless it is viral, which they detect with the stain that Nancy mentioned.) It will most likely get better, so long as you keep the area clear of stray hairs and such and keep up w/ the drops.

[tracyb1023]

we went back to the vet today for a re-check. He has been wearing the e-collar and he has been really great with letting me put the drops in. Vet said it is looking a lot better: we were using two types of drops-Ofloxacin an antibiotic and Atropine a pain/itch reliever. Now, vet said to stop with those two and prescribed us a new antibiotic called Tobramycin. Phew-what an ordeal. So now I just have to use one type of drops 3x a day. He still needs to wear the e-collar for 2-3 more days-ugh-he looks so pitiful but I know it is for his own good.

thanks for all of the advice and kind words! we needed it

[Nancy1999]

Oh, I'm so glad it's clearing up. When this happen to Joey, I felt like such an awful mom, and when the people of YorkieTalk posted that it had happened to their dogs as well, I felt so much better. Be sure and take a picture of him in his collar, one of these days, we should have a thread with collar pictures posted. They look so pitiful.

[Ladymom]

I'm so glad he is getting better! I know how worried you were.

[jadecomputergal]

Originally Posted by Nancy1999

Oh, I'm so glad it's clearing up. When this happen to Joey, I felt like such an awful mom, and when the people of YorkieTalk posted that it had happened to their dogs as well, I felt so much better. Be sure and take a picture of him in his collar, one of these days, we should have a thread with collar pictures posted. They look so pitiful.

It would help prepare people. I had two of my girls in for spaying on the same day, and when the vet's office called to say they were ready to be picked up, they said, "They look so cute in their little collars!" I got there to get them, and it wasn't at all cute. They looked miserable. I lasted about two hours after we got home before I took the collars off. They just sat and looked at me like, "Why are you doing this to me?"

Don't get me wrong, because collars can be necessary. It was an advantage for me that I work from home, so I could keep an eye on them to see if they were biting or scratching at the incisions. I still put the collars back on at the times I couldn't be there with them. Just having some pics as Nancy suggested would help people prepare for having one on their own baby.