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My pug has a corneal ulcer. Is it serious? Will antibiotics help?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Pug | Male | unneutered | 2 years and 11 months old | 18 lbs

It looks like my pug is suffering from corneal ulceration. I'm so worried about him. Does this looks serious? Will this be okay with antibiotics? Is this a possible life threatening condition?

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jeffrey Milner

Veterinarian

Published on January 24th, 2018

Based on this picture, that looks like a fairly superficial corneal ulceration. Oral antibiotics are not the treatment for this sort of issue, as direct ophthalmic medications will be required. The treatment will be aimed at preventing secondary infection,, reducing inflammation / pain, and mending the corneal surface. Otis will also need to wear a cone to make sure that he doesn't try and scratch at the eye and make matters worse for himself. This issue is not life-threatening, but the ulcer will definitely get worse if it is not treated quickly and properly, particularly if he is the kind of dog that will bother at it. If you've been to the vet already, he may have put a stain in the eye and then looked with a special light to see the actual depth of the ulcer. He will be able to tell you if the ulcer is actually superficial or if goes deeper than it appears in the picture. Hope this all makes sense.

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