Managing corneal ulcers in dogs — painful eye injuries requiring prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
Corneal ulcers cause significant acute pain. The cornea is one of the most densely innervated tissues in the body — even superficial ulceration causes intense discomfort. Affected dogs blepharospasm (squint) continuously, produce excessive tears, and may become reluctant to open the affected eye. The pain interferes with normal activity, sleep, and eating.
Untreated or inadequately treated corneal ulcers have serious welfare consequences. Superficial ulcers that do not receive topical antibiotic protection can develop secondary bacterial infection causing rapid stromal melting — the cornea dissolves within hours from bacterial protease activity. Full-thickness perforation and loss of the eye is the catastrophic endpoint of inadequately managed infected ulcers.
Brachycephalic breeds require particular vigilance due to their protruding eyes — exposure keratitis and trauma from inadequate blink coverage predispose to recurrent ulceration. Corneal indolent ulcers in Boxers require specific treatment (debridement, grid keratotomy, or diamond burr debridement) as standard antibiotics alone will not promote healing of the loosely adherent epithelium.