Hi My 14yr old female Scottie called Daisy has conjunctivitis. I have bought Chloramphenicol eye drops from local chemist. I am sure the vet prescribes this but i am not sure how many drops and how often per day etc. Does anyone have experience of this. Will not use it till i know for sure. Was going to ring vet for advice but feel sure they would not give advice without seeing her and then may only want to prescribe their own medication (costly).
Thanks. Maggie

I had Chloramphenicol from the Vet about a month ago for one of my pups who had conjunctivitis and that was 1 drop in each eye, twice daily.  He said if no improvement within 5-6 days, to go back. But the drops worked :)

Would the concentrate for a human dosage be the same as that used for a dog though. I think I would rather go to the vet and pay to have the dog checked out than risk using the drops for humans that may be of a different strength to that used for a dog.

Me too. Eyes are so precious and so sensitive that there's no way I'd take a chance.

The eyes need checking for ulcers before any medication is applied.

The wrong medication will make the condition worse, not better.

> Would the concentrate for a human dosage be the same as that used for a dog though.

Both are made in the same factory, and are exactly the same.  Except, by law, the animal one has to have FOR ANIMAL USE on it.  The colour is different on the container.  The content is the same. 

But is it suitable for the condition this dog has, without a diagnosis no one knows. I would not be risking the eyes of my dogs no matter how old they were.

i understand going to the vet can be costly but i would pop their anyway just for peace of mind. Anything to do with eyes is worth checking out but it depends how confident you are that you know whats wrong with your dog. 
hope she's better soon.

Hi just an update to say Daisys eyes have cleared up lovely no more yucky pus.

Have you checked that she has not developed any ulcers or scaring?

Just adding this as a matter of interest.  I know there is a thread going somewhere, but can't find it again.

We had been discussing, on one of the threads, just how much more expensive a vet pays for his drugs as opposed to the chemist, who stocks the human version much more cheaply.

I got home from work tonight, to be told by my dog sitter, that my Border Collie looked as if he had something wrong with his one eye.

Racing out to the veterinary hospital after I had examined the eye, and thought a foreign body had got caught behind the eye, I spent almost an hour there while they examined my boy.  After numbing the eye, they used cotton buds to roll the eyelid back (yuk.)

The eye had been penetrated by something sharp.  It had gone in deep, but no sign of anything still in there.

When I got home after paying £82.91 I took the leaflets out of his 2 lots of eyedrops.  They were both the human version of Chloramphenicol and viscous tears!

Sorry to hear about your dog, what a good thing you did not just treat it with the medication unaware of what was going on underneath the damage could have been so much worse. TBH if they spent an hour working on him your bill was not unreasonable at all.

I don't think people will 'just' treat their dogs without getting vets help, regardless.  I think the issue is you can get it cheaper from the 'fit for humans'.  I don't believe in paying for something when you can get the same thing cheaper.

Hope your boys eye is ok now and the drops working.

Providing a medication has been prescribed by a vet where you buy it is of no concern, indeed most of my medication is bought on line except in emergency when I will buy it at the vet's surgery.

I think this is down to your vet to be honest.

I've had numerous dogs over the years with weepy eyes. Nothing as precious as sight so they're always whipped off to the vet for an examination. Green stuff in the eye and a check out for ulcers etc. If nothing shows, my vet tells me to purchase Golden Eye from the chemist and treat with that. They will always tell me if I can buy cheaper medication over the counter :)

Agree Colliecrew, a watering eye can turn into a real problem very quickly it is one of the seemingly minor events that should always be checked out, lose tummies and thorns in feet can wait a day or so but not eyes.

I don't think people will 'just' treat their dogs without getting vets help, regardless

I can guarantee that some people do just treat their dogs without a diagnosis from their vet - and there are a lot of people who don't take their dogs to a vet when they so obviously need treatment. Sad but true.

> Hope your boys eye is ok now and the drops working.

Thank you.

He certainly looks more comfortable, but, as you know, dogs will put up with a lot of pain.  And the vet did say that it was a proper little "crater" so obviously I do wonder how it will affect sight.  He has to have his 48 hour check up tomorrow, so I have all fingers crossed.  He is getting fed up of having drops 4 times a day (so 8, as it's 2 different ones.)

My bill was actually only £37 for the consultation - all the rest was simply the cost of the drugs.  So, yes, expensive drugs, that I could have bought much cheaper.  But I wasn't prepared to wait even one day to get him examined.  I felt that the eye would quickly become ulcerated and/or infected.  Eyes are too precious to risk.

Fingers crossed he's ok, sounds like an ordeal for him.  Agree you don't always wait for alternative's to treat especially when it comes down to swift action.