Client Education
Winrock Animal Clinic
Where pets are family!
Corneal Abrasions in Dogs and Cats
What is the Cornea?
The cornea is the outer capsule of the eye. The cells of the cornea are transparent.
The cornea is protected by tears (liquid). However, it is subject to injuries like scratches and ulcerations. These types of injuries are common in young active pets.
What causes Corneal Abrasions?
The most common cause of an abrasion to the cornea of the cat is a scratch from another cat. The most common form of abrasion in a dog is seen either from a scratch (a cat, a bush, a tree branch) or from soap getting into the eye following a bath. Abrasions are usually superficial and heal rapidly. They do require immediate and correct medical care.
What causes Corneal Ulcers?
The most common cause on ulceration to the cornea of dogs is “dry eye” (keratoconjuntivitis sicca). The most common cause of ulcer in the cat is infection from Herpesvirus-1. Ulcers can be shallow or deep. They are very painful and require immediate medical intervention.
How do we Diagnose Abrasions and Ulcers?
Fluorescein Dye strips are used to determine if there is a scratch on the surface of the pet’s cornea. The strip is moistened with a drop of saline. Then it is dripped into the pet’s eye. The excess stain is washed away with saline. In a normal eye, no stain will remain on the cornea. The fluorescein stain will attach to the abraded corneal surface. Using an ultraviolet light, the abrasion becomes very visible on exam.
How do we Diagnose Dry Eye (Keratoconjuntivitis Sicca)?
Schirmer Tear Testing can be done to determine the amount of tears present in the eye. The small test strip is folded and placed just inside the lower eyelid. The strip is held in place for 60 seconds. The amount of fluid running across the strip tells us the tear production. Normal is between 14 and 20.
This is an important test in dogs because KCS can be the underlying cause for many corneal ulcers.
How do we Treatment Corneal Ulcers and Abrasions?
Many different factors can influence the treatment of corneal abrasions and ulcers.
Superficial corneal abrasions are usually treated with antibiotic eye drops 4 to 6 times daily. Pets are often given pain medication to help with the discomfort of the injury.
Deeper corneal injuries may require additional eye medications. These are sometimes treated with atropine eye drops or ointment in the eye to help the discomfort. They are also given antibiotic eye drops to apply 4 to 6 times daily. Pain medications are often prescribed.
Corneal ulcers often require a special medication. At Winrock Animal Clinic, we use an Ulcer Mix formulated by the local ophthalmologist office. This mix has gentomicin, acetylcysteine, and artificial tears. We sometimes add another antibiotic drop to this regime. Most of these pets do require pain medication and we send them home with an e-collar.
Cats with Herpesvirus-1 infections (the carrier state of rhinotracheitis) are prone to recurring eye problems. These cats tend to develop conjunctivitis and often get corneal abrasions. The amino acid l-lysine has been found to help prevent flare-ups in these cats as well as resolve outbreaks. The suggested dosage is 250mg to 500mg of l-lysine sprinkled on the food once daily.
Dogs with “dry eye” require special attention. The actual tear production can be increased in these pets by using a Cyclosporin Drops or Ointment. The symptoms in these pet can worsen with certain medication (like Sulfa Antibiotics). Therefore, it is best to avoid certain things and always inform your Veterinarian if your pet has been diagnosed with “dry eye”.
Here you can see the cornea makes up the outer glassy surface of the eye..
Most patients will be painful. They are usually squinting the injured eye. Here you can see "Josephine" is squinting her right eye.
This is a good example of KCS (dry eye) in a dog. Look at "Sammy's" right eye. There is crusty discharge and mucoid debris all around the eye.
"Josephine" Gaines
"Sampson" Cable
