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Can I use old Tobramycin eye drops for my dog's green eye discharge?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Pembroke Welsh Corgi | Male | neutered | 17 years and 8 months old | 27 lbs

My dog just had slightly greenish color discharge from his eye. I have Tobramycin 3mg eye drop prescribed to him before. Can I apply this to him?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on December 20th, 2018

If it is just a little bit of discharge, then I would continue to monitor it. Tobramycin is an antibiotic, and if it was prescribed for Jackie, it should be safe. But you don't want to accidentally treat a bacterial infection when the true cause of the discharge is something like a corneal ulcer. Applying this medication before a vet makes a diagnosis may make it harder for the vet to determine the cause of the issue, if needed. Use a warm wet washcloth to remove the discharge. If it continues in a couple of hours, I would recommend that you call the vet that prescribes the medication to see if they recommend an exam or that you use the ointment.
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