Dogzilla, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, was brought to the clinic after developing a suddenly painful left eye. On examination, we discovered a small ulcer in the centre of her cornea – the clear outer surface of the eye – along with significant inflammation of the surrounding tissues.

Anyone who has experienced a corneal ulcer, or even had a speck of grit trapped in their eye, will understand just how painful these injuries can be. Although Dogzilla’s ulcer appeared relatively small, it was causing her considerable discomfort.

During her examination, we also noticed a tiny, cauliflower-like growth on the upper eyelid of the same eye. The growth had first appeared several months earlier and, until now, had never caused any obvious problems. At the time, it seemed unrelated to her sore eye.

What Causes Corneal Ulcers?

Corneal ulcers are one of the most common eye conditions seen in dogs. They can develop for a variety of reasons, most commonly following trauma such as a scratch from another animal, self-inflicted rubbing, or irritation from a foreign body like a grass seed. Sometimes, tiny eyelashes growing in the wrong direction can repeatedly rub against the surface of the eye and create an ulcer.

In many cases, however, we never identify the exact cause. Initially, this appeared to be true for Dogzilla. Looking back, though, we suspect that the small eyelid growth may have been playing a much bigger role than we first realised by repeatedly irritating the cornea every time she blinked.

Treating a Corneal Ulcer

Treatment for a straightforward corneal ulcer follows several key principles:

• Prevent infection with antibiotic eye drops.
• Protect the eye from further trauma using an Elizabethan collar or inflatable collar.
• Provide pain relief and anti-inflammatory medication to reduce discomfort and support healing.

For more complicated ulcers, additional medications such as lubricating eye drops or specialised treatments may be needed to encourage the cornea to repair itself.

Most uncomplicated ulcers heal remarkably quickly, often within a week, provided treatment is given consistently.

When Healing Doesn’t Go to Plan

Despite receiving her medication exactly as prescribed and faithfully wearing her inflatable protective collar, Dogzilla returned one week later with disappointing news. Rather than improving, the ulcer had become dramatically larger and now covered most of her cornea.

At this stage, we all agreed that the eyelid growth was almost certainly interfering with the healing process and needed to be removed.

The following day, Dogzilla was admitted for a short general anaesthetic. During the procedure, the eyelid growth was carefully removed, and we performed a technique called a grid keratotomy. This procedure involves creating tiny, superficial scratches on the surface of the cornea to stimulate healing in ulcers that have become slow to repair.

After surgery, Dogzilla went home with antibiotic eye drops and an additional medication designed to protect the deeper, delicate layers of the cornea while healing continued.

A Happy Outcome

Over the next two weeks, Dogzilla returned for several recheck appointments. Thankfully, each visit brought good news. The ulcer became progressively smaller until it had healed completely.

Although she has been left with a visible scar on the cornea, this is expected to improve over time. Just like a scar on our skin, corneal scars gradually remodel and become less noticeable as the tissue reorganises itself.

Dogzilla is now back to enjoying life with comfortable, healthy eyes. While we’re sure she’s relieved not to be having multiple eye drops every day, we can’t help but wonder whether she secretly misses lounging around in her rather cosy inflatable neck cushion!