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My dog got ear drops in his eye! Is it an emergency? What should I do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Bulldog | Male | neutered | 1 year and 4 months old

Hello, So I Accidentally put my dogs antifubgal ear drops in his eye. Is there anything I can do? Is this an emergency.

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA

Veterinarian, Certified Dog Trainer

Published on August 10th, 2016

This could definitely be a problem, since ear medications are not formulated for use in the eye and can be very irritating. If you have some plain saline eye wash on hand, flush his eye out immediately - then, I would recommend having him seen by a vet as soon as possible. The biggest risk is that he may develop a corneal ulcer, which can be severe in some cases and could cause permanent damage or vision loss. Your vet can evaluate the eye to make sure that all of the medication has been rinsed out, and will probably send you home with prescription eye meds to help heal the cornea if there is an injury.

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20Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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    Answered By Jessica Desrosiers

    Veterinary Technician

    Published on August 25th, 2018

    If the eye has been severely burned or injured it is best to seek veterinary care immediately. Your vet may need to further flush the eye, check it for additional injury, or apply medication to help it heal.

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    Answered By Sara Farmer, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 12th, 2017

    An eye infection is generally treated with a topical eye drop, but these eye drops are generally prescription only and not available over the counter. It would be important to rule out a corneal ulcer first since the medications used for conjunctivitis (eye infection) can make a corneal ulcer much worse. A corneal ulcer can also become infected and get worse rapidly, and in severe cases dogs can lose their vision or their eye can become irreparably damaged so I would urge you to see your vet as soon as possible. Unfortunately it's impossible for us to comment on cost since this can vary so much based on location even within the same city, but I would imaging your veterinarian would want to perform an exam and then stain the eye to look for an ulcer. You could always call your veterinarian to get a cost estimate.

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    Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT

    Licensed Veterinary Technician

    Published on September 6th, 2018

    There are no OTC drops that can be used for dogs. You can use plain saline solution to gently rinse the eye. Place an e-collar (cone) on him to prevent rubbing or pawing. Monitor for swelling, discharge, squinting or redness. He'll need to be examined by your veterinarian to diagnose corneal injury if symptoms persist. Images must be no larger than 5MB and in.jpg or.png format. If you still have difficulties attaching them, email them to customerservice@Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.co and we can have one of our experts look at them for you.

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