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Dog scratched eye with dew claw, yellow discharge. Should I see a vet?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Male | neutered | 48 lbs

my dog scratched his eye with his dew claw, there is a visible scratch with a little bit of yellowish mucus, will antibiotic eye drops for dogs help? If not what should I do? I've also bandaged his dew claw, so tat he can't continue to scratch his eye

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Alysia Van Scoy, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on October 23rd, 2017

Ouch! Corneal ulcers hurt. I would recommend taking Rusty into see a veterinarian as soon as possible. Eyes heal quick or get bad quick. The vet will stain the eye to see how bad the ulcer is. They will prescribe drops, pain meds and oral antibiotics most likely. I always like to re-stain corneal ulcers in 48 hours to make sure that they are healing. I like to use an e-collar on the dogs to keep them from scratching at the eye. An infected ulcer can cause serious problems including loss of the eye. Please don't use human over the counter pain meds as they are not any that are safe and effective. Thanks for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH
Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner
Published on January 14th, 2018
Unfortunately, it can sometimes take a while for an injury to the cornea (the clear outer part of the eye) to heal and some of the medications that we use to relieve pain can delay healing. I have attached more information on corneal ulcers below.
https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=554
I always recommend repeating the dye test (fluorescein stain) 1 week after starting treatment to make sure that it is healing and that we don't need to change medications. I would recommend having your veterinarian examine Misty again and see if the scratch is just not healed yet or if there is another problem. In the meantime, make sure she does not rub or scratch her eye since that can make it worse.
Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Makenzie Kurth, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on February 27th, 2018
I’m sorry to hear about Lilly! This looks like it could be a corneal ulcer or laceration. These are very painful and often do not heal without antibiotic eye ointment/drops. I strongly recommend taking Lilly into the vet as soon as possible to get it checked out. Your vet may recommend a special stain to see if the scratch penetrates the surface of the eye or not. If so, an ointment or drip will be recommended, as will an E-collar. In fact, if you have an e-collar, put it on Lilly now and leave it until you can get to the vet. This will prevent scratching and rubbing at the eye which is the number one reason eye ulcers do lot heal.

Hope this helps! Best of luck to you and Lilly!
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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