A little eye ulcer

I didn't like the look of Cheddar's right eye this am and booked him straight in to the vets.

Sure enough, he has a little ulcer and we have antibiotics and some NSAIDS for him. Heaven only knows how he's done that - probably poked it with a parrot feather during the revenge pluck. Still, we've caught it early so it shouldn't be a big drama.

I don't like them in direct sunlight when healing from an ulcer, so I will have to be evil Pugslave again and crate him and no walks for the next week or so. He is going to go stir crazy for sure so I will have to organise an indoor toy chasing course or something.

I was pleased when the vet couldn't get over how fit he was - which made me realise they hadn't seen him for over six months. He wasn't obese or underweight when I got him but he was a bit lacking in muscle tone, he is a lovely boy now. Correct diet helps too!


He is SUCH a good boy - I had to cancel helping out in a grooming session to take him to the vet, but I dropped by on the way back to drop off an extension cord and let myself get talked into staying just for an hour to help. Three hours later, I escaped, tired of being referee between the owner and the groomer. They were friends, it was not a business deal and they could not agree on details - sheesh.

Cheddar was an angel for that three hours. Just sat in his crate and watched with interest.

Poor little guy! Hope it heals soon. Remind me of Cheddar's history - he was the one you rescued not long ago, isn't he? What was the story? I'm old and senile and forget things.

He was probably being entertained by the machinations at the groomers!

Awww I love your puggy's name, Cheddar. Super cute !!
Poor baby with an eye ulcer, but WELL DONE to you mom for catching it early !!

If you dnt mind me asking, what does it look like? I like to know these things ! :)

Hugs to Cheddar for a quick healing process!

Stace, it's not so much the ulcer you notice first, it's the effects of the ulcer that will probably catch your attention. The ulcers are usually too small (INITIALLY!) to be seen unless you're looking for them. These are the classic signs all us long-time Pug-owners know too well...

*Winking/half-closing of one eye;
*Watery discharge from eye - you'll probably notice the hair surrounding the eye is damp;
*Redness of the sclera (white of the eye) - bloodshot;
*The Pug's demeanour is depressed, they can't get comfortable as they are in EXTREME pain (eye injuries HURT LIKE HELL).

If you see any or all of these signs check the eye and see if you can find any tiny hole on the eyeball. Don't try too hard as you really need to get your Pug to the vet AS A MATTER OF URGENCY. Ulcers can become critical very quickly and the loss of sight or the eye is a distinct possibility if they start to spread and go deeper. When they are at the "scratch" stage and haven't deepened and become infected, they are usually easily treated. Time is of the essence. The vet will apply some drops that will turn green under an ultraviolet light and clearly show any injury.

I once awoke in the middle of the night to find my Pug going through the classic signs I mentioned above. I rushed her to the emergency vet at 1.20am, where she spent the next few days having a serious ulcer treated.

Thanks a million Rona !!!!
This is why I love all you fabulous pug moms and dads, we are here to help each other and learn from each other, and I never knew much about this before. Now I do.

I will keep Cheddar in my prayers !!!!

Phhhfftt, Rona! Old and senile my foot! Still, whatever your reasons, here's his story:

Cheddar is my first foster failure, he was offered to all and sundry as a free to good home young entire papered male and a cabal of us got together to make sure he wouldn't end up with a pf or byb. He came here to be fostered with the aim of neutering him then finding a deserving home, but one dose of his sweet personality and I was totally hooked. I think it probably made a difference that I had lost my oldest Puglady, the cheeky monkey Velvet, five or six months before.

He was being rehomed for various shonky reasons, most of which boiled down to laziness IMO and the fact that a pet rabbit needs less care and attention than a pet dog. When he arrived, he appeared to have breathing problems, some sort of intermittent shoulder injury and a small growth on this chin, so it is possible that his previous family were worried about health care costs (although nothing like that was ever mentioned out loud.) He was a bit fluffy, but not enormously obese. I was worried about his palate and asked for it to be checked during his neutering cum lumpectomy. Well his palate came through with flying colours and the lump was benign, yay! The lameness has entirely disappeared as his fitness has improved with daily walks, as has his breathing.

His papers came with him, and I realised that I had known him as a new-born, at the time I was mentoring his breeder who was trying to learn about the breed. We had lost touch, and when I tried to track her down I couldn't find her. Unless she registers another litter under the same prefix, I don't know if I can find her to tell her what happened to him.

Entertained by the machinations at the groomer would be an understatement...

That explanation of symptoms is perfect, Rona! It probably needs to be a sticky.

Yes what Rona said. We have had several and they always start with the winking. I often find if the ulcer is very small you may at first not be quite sure if you are seeing the winking. I usually try to get the pug to look into the light in such cases (not really bright sunlight but if you are near a window it works) and if there is any discomfort you will get the winking.

If there is any problem with eyes it is always best to get to a vet ASAP. Better safe than sorry.

I now try to keep a spare tube of the antibiotic cream they always prescribe and start treatment as soon as I see the signs, pending getting to the vet. This does save me from paying emergency vet fees if the sypmtoms are not unusual, because they invariably give me the same type of ointment to try for a week. However I would not recommend such an approach unless you have had the misfortune to live through more than one ulcer because you do need to know how things generally progress with such things in order to know whether something might be going badly wrong.

If you ever do decide to keep some antibiotic cream on hand in case of a future ulcer you also need to make sure with the vet it is safe in every eventuality. Some creams and drops can cause damage if used on the wrong condition.

Puggered - sending best wishes to Cheddar. Hope the ulcer clears up quickly.