Corneal ulcer

[dottiesyrky]

Hi.
As well as the Hills food issue I am going crazy about my poor baby who has a corneal ulcer. I also have the flu and not at my best to deal with all this. Bring on the violins.
My dog was squinting in one eye but seemed to improve when I flushed it with saline. My eye specialist in the past said that is often better than chemicals. Anyway I took him to the vet last week and the vet confirmed it was an ulcer from staining etc. He prescribed antibiotic drops which I administered for a few days. My dog kept his eye shut mostly and I assumed that was his way of protecting his eye. He has never rubbed or scratched his eye and does not seem in pain. However yesterday when I looked in his eye it looked red and puffy around the lower lid. So I thought he was reacting to the AB drops and decided to stop them. The vet was out yesterday but I see him this morning. I am so worried about his eye and don’t know what to do. If drops don’t work it seems a corneal graft is the next move. This is a very hard procedure and I don’t want to put my baby through all this. He seems so sad and I feel so bad for him. Has anyone else been through this corneal ulcer issue! I so need help and reassurance. Thank you.

[dottiesyrky]

Update after vet visit. The ulcer has not improved, so another antibiotic for another week!
I am not optimistic the ulcer can be cured. If anyone has been thru this I would be glad to hear of experiences.

[nanajoy]

My first "little" dog was a yorkie-poo named Elmo. When we first moved to Florida, he used to hunt the lizards in our screened lanai. He scratched his cornea on one of the plants in the flower beds, and it got very inflamed. The vet prescribed antibiotic drops, as well as an ointment. It took awhile to completely heal, and he squinted for almost a month. It did heal completely though, and he did not ever have trouble with the eye after that.

Hope that with time he heals too!

[dottiesyrky]

Thank you so much Joy for replying to my plea and for your positive experience.
I got a negative vibe from my vet and from what I read about ulcers. Like loss of sight or eye!
I don’t know how my dog did the damage, but he does grovel under bushes etc.
The ulcer is said to be one millimeter wide circle and that did not seem too terrible to me.
He had four days of one AB liquid eyedrop, but his eye seemed swollen and worse, so when I took him back to the vet he gave me a different AB but in ointment form. He seems to be doing better with this and is keeping his eye open more. The trouble is that he is getting very upset now when I apply the meds. I shall have to invoke the treat technique!
I am so encouraged by your experience that after a time the ulcer did heal.
I am keeping a soft cone on him and he stays in the house sleeping most of the time. He is still eating well thank goodness and seems to be in no pain. He has never rubbed his eye as far as I could see.
So you have given me hope to go on and be patient.
Thank you for taking the time to write, I do so appreciate it.
Warmest wishes. Dottie. Hugs.

[nanajoy]

Originally Posted by dottiesyrky

Thank you so much Joy for replying to my plea and for your positive experience.
I got a negative vibe from my vet and from what I read about ulcers. Like loss of sight or eye!
I don’t know how my dog did the damage, but he does grovel under bushes etc.
The ulcer is said to be one millimeter wide circle and that did not seem too terrible to me.
He had four days of one AB liquid eyedrop, but his eye seemed swollen and worse, so when I took him back to the vet he gave me a different AB but in ointment form. He seems to be doing better with this and is keeping his eye open more. The trouble is that he is getting very upset now when I apply the meds. I shall have to invoke the treat technique!
I am so encouraged by your experience that after a time the ulcer did heal.
I am keeping a soft cone on him and he stays in the house sleeping most of the time. He is still eating well thank goodness and seems to be in no pain. He has never rubbed his eye as far as I could see.
So you have given me hope to go on and be patient.
Thank you for taking the time to write, I do so appreciate it.
Warmest wishes. Dottie. Hugs.

You are so welcome! We both know how terrible it is to worry when we see our little ones sick or hurt. I also know how stubborn they can be when they need to be treated...especially if they are beginning to feel better, and do not want to be bothered/messed with! Hang in there, and please let us know how he is doing. I will keep you both in my thoughts. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

[dottiesyrky]

Thank you again for your kind words and concern. I pray you are right that he is not liking me messing with his eye kindly as he is feeling better. I managed to open his eye more just now and it looks like the swelling around the eye is improving. We shall see when I put more meds on tonight. But since talking with you I am so much more hopeful.
I appreciate your good wishes and will update as things change.
I only hope the vet does not want to do more to the eye next visit, as I would like to keep going with this ointment for longer.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by dottiesyrky

Thank you again for your kind words and concern. I pray you are right that he is not liking me messing with his eye kindly as he is feeling better. I managed to open his eye more just now and it looks like the swelling around the eye is improving. We shall see when I put more meds on tonight. But since talking with you I am so much more hopeful.
I appreciate your good wishes and will update as things change.
I only hope the vet does not want to do more to the eye next visit, as I would like to keep going with this ointment for longer.

There are other things to do besides ointment!! If he doesn't know how, then I suggest you go to an opthalmologist. I have had many corneal ulcers over the years and never lost a pup's eye.

[dottiesyrky]

Thank you Lady Jane.
My vet did the stain test and debrided the ulcer twice. The first AB drop seemed to cause more trouble so the vet redid the tests and debridement and gave new AB in ointment form. He was trying the simple treatment and did suggest a visit to an opthamologist.
It was my choice to get locally treated.
I am an ex stroke senior patient with anxiety and depression and in the middle of a nasty bout of the flu and it is all I can do to keep going. I did go to my local vet with a high fever and the flu and have been taking taking the best care of my pet that I am able to.
I came on here for support and Joy gave me that. My dog is doing well now and I hope he continues to do so. I hope too that I feel better soon and can do whatever it takes to cure my dog.
I also read all I could about eye ulcers and the vet seemed to follow the treatment. I also saw that untreated ulcers or severe ones can result in disaster.
At this time I need kindness and support.
Thank you. I do know that I should have gone first to the vet specialist, but it is far away and my vet did seem to know what to do. He also understood my situation.
I know you are able to do wonderful things for your pets and I admire that, but I am a weak old lady without your stamina under difficult circumstances.
Apologies for any typos or grammar.

[dottiesyrky]

Just to add, I have contacted a local rescue in case I am unable to care for my dog. If I am too sick or should get another stroke! But I think that at this time I am doing my best for the dog. People need care as well as dogs.

[Maximo]

My Max battled corneal ulcers years ago. His last one didn't want to heal and he was scheduled for the surgery where the doctor makes scratches in the cornea to promote healing. He ultimately did not have the surgery because the ulcer closed up the night/morning before.



I learned a lot -- Cool, fresh outdoor air promoted his healing. Warm, dry air from the furnace aggravated his eyes. Heat and humidity during warmer months caused his third eyelid to pop out. Very scary. I thought he was going to lose his eye.



I carried him around outside in the early morning and evening. Had to carry or sit outside holding him so that he wouldn't stick his face in grass or anything else. If this isn't practical for you to do, hopefully someone can help out.



Second, I held off on washing his head, especially after the last one. I waited over a month to wash his head in the bath. The healed cornea needs time to strengthen or the ulcer will open up again.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by dottiesyrky

Just to add, I have contacted a local rescue in case I am unable to care for my dog. If I am too sick or should get another stroke! But I think that at this time I am doing my best for the dog. People need care as well as dogs.

I am no spring chicken and have had 5 surgeries since around March 2017 so I do understand about health issues. No matter what, my pups get the care needed...or have so far and yes, I would surrender them if I could not provide the needed care. It is a scary thought but I never want them to suffer.
I have NEVER heard of any vet suggesting that a saline rinse would suffice for care for an eye. I didn't see where anything was done but antibiotics so I simply stated facts! I sure hope this poor baby does not lose his eye.
I am offended by your response as it is the pup who is suffering and I was offering SOUND advice. He doesn't have a choice and cannot drive himself to a vet for needed care. I understand you may not feel well, but maybe you are right...might need someone to care for him if you cannot.

[dottiesyrky]

That is why I admire you so much as I know you have had many health scares but have soldiered on. I wish I had your constitution and stamina, but the thought of another stroke at any time has really worn me down. I did my best for the dog and have faith in my vet.
My statement about the saline was from many years ago when my eye specialist who did my dog’s successful juvenile cataract surgery was treating at the specialty hospital a bad case of blepheritis that the treatments and many meds did not solve. So after many weeks she said to stop all meds and flush the bottom eyelid area well with saline. She said contaminants tend to accumulate in the bottom of the eye, where eye drops tend to miss. The problem was solved in a week, so that is why I mentioned it. Please do not suggest the eye specialist was not good either, as that is the best we have in the area!
I hope that my further explanation of the pre AB drop treatment eased your mind about the local vet.
I am sorry if you were offended but sometimes humans get sick and need help too. And I do believe that so far I have done the best for my dog. If he needs further specialist treatment of course he will get it. I will agree that I am in rather bad shape mentally and physically at this time, at 84 years old, but that does not mean I don’t care for my dog. Please forgive me for being such a bad dog mom, I will try to improve.
Thank you for all you do for rescues and for your comments.

[Maximo]

Max only had saline put in is eyes after the staining tests and the saline aggravated his eyes. The antibiotics are necessary to prevent infection, worsening.



Cool, moist outdoor air really helped Max. His last ulcer healed within hours before his scheduled surgery. I took him in and insisted the doctor take one more look -- surgery was cancelled!

[dottiesyrky]

Thank you for your comments and experiences. From my reading corneal ulcers can be sometimes hard to cure. I am sorry you had to go through so much with your dog.
My vet is very experienced and agreed to treat my dog when I said I could not go to the specialist. He explained the anatomy of the ulcer and the various ways they can be treated,. He also spelled out the dangers!
His explanations agreed very well with the research I had done on the topic.
After staining he saw a very small ulcer and debrided the edges to help healing and then had be give AB eye drops to prevent infection. After a few days my dog would not open his eye and when I looked in, I saw swelling. I decided to stop the drops and take him back to the vet. It seemed the dog was reacting badly to the AB. So the vet debrided the edges again and gave me a different AB in ointment form, since then my dog has opened his eye more and his eye looks better. After my next vet visit we will decide what to do then. I have a soft cone on him and try and keep him resting and sleeping as much as possible.
Thank you for your tips, and I certainly will not wash him until all is well healed and safe.

[dottiesyrky]

I don’t know if the vet used saline after staining, certainly in the past my dog was not affected by it.
My dog is ten and this is the first ulcer he has experienced. I hope it heals and is the last! It was small , one millimeter wide circle. He has never pawed or scratched his eye and does not seem to be in pain. He does wear a soft cone at all times on the advice of the vet.
As for atmosphere, that is interesting. At this time it is rainy and cool outside but I do not have the inside heater on. I have not taken him out much since the ulcer except to potty. I do not know how he got the ulcer, maybe from a hair or something else got in his eye and damaged the cornea.
If this hopefully gets better, I will ask the vet to trim the hair around his face so it does not get in his eyes. I think I will then have him washed and groomed at the vet in future, asking that a vet tech supervise!
This has been scary and I pray he gets better soon without the surgery you mention. Certainly it will be done by a specialist. Thanks again for your helpful hints and advice. Hoping Max stays well.