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My dog's eye is swollen and painful after an injury. What should I do?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Shih Tzu | Female | spayed | 10 years and 2 months old | 11 lbs

With the strong winds today Suzie has something in her eye. It is swollen around the eye and she has pain when I open her eye. I have been using nutri vet eye rinse for dogs to rinse her eye. What should I do?

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Destini R. Holloway, DVM

Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on December 17th, 2019

Poor girl. Because she is keeping her eye closed, it is very likely she has a scratch or ulcer on her cornea (eye surface). Because of this type of injury, Suziee Lu will need to see your vet to have the eye checked. If there is a scratch, as suspected, then she will need topical prescription eye medication to get this to heal properly. It is ok to wipe the outside of the lid with warm salt water until you can get her in to your vet for further care. Try to get her seen soon to avoid further trauma to the eye which may be irreversible.

I hope that Suzie Lu's eye injury resolves soon! Best of luck and take care. : )
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Related Answers from Veterinarians

  • Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on October 5th, 2018

    Sure thing.
    An indolent ulcer is where the ulcer doesn't heal after topical eye ointment. It initially starts as an ulcer and then develops into an indolent ulcer. You cannot tell at first diagnosis if an ulcer is indolent or not, because it is dependent on the rate of healing. Indolent ulcers are more common in brachycephalic breeds (Bulldogs, Pugs, Pekingese, etc). Indolent ulcers often require a sx procedure called a grid keratotomy or autogenous serum (using the pets own serum) to allow them to heal properly.
    I hope this helps answer your question. Best wishes with your pet Lily. Take care!

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    2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Answered By Sara Farmer, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on December 20th, 2019

    Red lines might be blood vessels growing over the cornea - this can be a normal part of the healing process, but it could also be continuing because the ulcer is not completely healed. It will be very important to make all follow up appointments until the ulcer is completely healed. Unfortunately many dogs do not like eye drops, and it is possible that they are uncomfortable for her, but there is not much to do to increase the comfort and it is very important for her to get the drops. You can offer a treat afterwards and try to make the experience as positive as you can for her.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

  • Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on October 1st, 2018

    Poor girl. It sounds like your pet has a superficial corneal ulcer, which is typically caused by a cut or chemical burn on the surface of the eye. If it is not healing well, your vet likely did a keratotomy procedure, where they will rub the edges of the ulcer to stimulate new tissue growth and the infiltration of more blood vessels in the area to aide in healing. This is the correct approach to an eye ulcer that is not healing quickly enough.

    https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951434

    Best of luck with your pet Lily and I hope her eye heals well soon! Take care.

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    1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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