Senior dog's eye infection won't heal, skin splitting. What to do?

Although a picture would be essential to determine clinical development, if you think there is no improvement at all, I would recommend to have it checked again immediately. Certain type of corneal ulcers can actually start melting and get worse very rapidly. Different type of antibiotics or treatment may be needed. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

I am so sorry to hear that Kaimana is experiencing these problems with her eye. Start by placing an e-collar or cone on Kaimana to prevent scratching or rubbing. If the eye is injured, inflamed or infected it is likely painful, this will prompt Her to scratch or rub her eye. However, this could inflict further damage, infection or even an ulceration. An rlceration is a tear in the top layer of the eye and is a serious condition. Because eye concerns with dogs, such as infections, corneal ulcerations, cataracts and glaucoma, can progress rapidly I would have her examined by your veterinarian to diagnose the issue immediately. The precise medication can then be dispensed by your veterinarian. Your vet will use a special tear stain drop to visualise the eye and the top layer to make are there are no ulcerations, and check for other conditions before prescribing medications. Please do not attempt to treat an eye infection at home with any over the counter medications, drops or ointments. This can lead to permanent damage and unnecessary pain or discomfort. I hope this answer was helpful and that Kaimana feels better soon. Warmest regards to you both!

Oh my. Poor guy. This infection is severe. I would have cultures taken of this skin immediately if the broad spectrum antibiotics that your vet gave aren't working. I would also consider getting biopsies of this thing. The area may need surgical debridement as well, because there is some diseased and necrotic (dead) tissue there that will prevent this from healing well if it isn't removed. I am so sorry your pet has such an aggressive skin condition. This certainly will need further medical management from your vet for sure. With the suggestions above, you should be able to get a better handle on this thing. Best of luck and take care!

It's a little too soon to get to the conclusion that the diagnosis is not correct but if you do not see any improvement until Monday i strongly recommend taking Arya to the vet again in order to have it rechecked, possibly under sedation this time as in some cases a foreign body could be hiding deep under the third eyelid causing these symptoms.

What type of testing has been done? My concerns at am that age for red eyes with a discharge would be glaucoma and KCS with a secondary infection. Your vet can check the pressures for glaucoma. There is a test that can tell how many tears she produces in a minute and if it is too low then she has chronic dry eye or KCS. Often times there is a secodnary infection due to the chronic dry eye. Both glaucoma and KCS require life long management with eye drops to control symptoms and there is more than one medication to try as everyone responds differently. oral steriods or antibiotics may be needed initial to get it under control the fastest but generally are not needed long term

I'd recommend contacting your veterinarian to discuss what other tests might be recommended. It may be that Bella has a resistant infection, allergy or autoimmune disease. If your vet isn't sure about the next step you could also ask about referral to an ophthalmologist who would be able to do a thorough evaluation. I would recommend stopping any home remedies as many essential oils can harm the sensitive eye.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Oakley. No, it is not normal for an eye infection to continue for so long in a puppy. I would recommend he has eye tests done or repeated as his condition is not resolving. I typically stain both eyes to look for a scratch on the surface, take a swab to look at under the microscope, and then measure the pressure and tear production in each eye. Care should also be taken to see if there is an eyelash contacting the surface of his causing chronic irritation. His eyes can also be numbed and checked for a foreign body under the third eyelids. I hope this information helps!