Topical Serum Efficacy for Infected Corneal Ulcers in Dogs

Source

Davis RL, Latham EA, Townsend WM. Clinical outcomes of infected corneal ulcers in dogs with or without the use of topical serum. Vet Ophthalmol. 2025. doi:10.1111/vop.70021

Research Note

The cornea is composed primarily of collagen, and collagenase and other matrix metalloproteinases play a role in corneal infection and breakdown. Serum has been shown to have antimatrix metalloproteinase properties in vitro and is widely used clinically to treat infected corneal ulcers in dogs¹; however, clear data regarding in vivo efficacy is lacking, and veterinary ophthalmologists are divided in their support of its use.

This study evaluated clinical outcomes of canine infected corneal ulcers with or without topical serum treatment. Patients were divided into medical (medical therapy alone) and surgical (topical medication after corneal surgery) groups, which were further divided into serum and no serum groups. Patients in the serum group received topical medication a median of every 3 hours, with a median number of 4 medications given. Patients in the no serum group received topical medication a median of every 8 hours, with a median number of 3 medications given. Results showed that serum use did not impact healing times, visual outcomes, or need for enucleation. The authors concluded that topical serum use did not impact clinical outcomes in dogs with corneal ulcers, and topical antibiotic therapy alone may be as effective as antibiotic therapy with topical serum.