Corneal ulcer in dogs

Measured in 5 breeds across 3 sources. Figures are grouped by how they were measured, because those groups are not comparable with one another.

12.4%Highest recorded
5Breeds measured
$722Typical treatment cost

Lifetime, owner-reported

Share of dogs whose owners report the dog has ever had the condition.

Counts everything a dog has ever had, so it runs higher than a one-year rate and is not comparable with one.

  • Shih Tzu

    clinical or cohort Dog Aging Project breeds 2023, 2019-2022 n = 24

    27,541 US companion dogs in the Dog Aging Project, owner reported

    12.4% 8.5% to 17.8%

  • Pug

    clinical or cohort Dog Aging Project breeds 2023, 2019-2022 n = 18

    27,541 US companion dogs in the Dog Aging Project, owner reported

    9.6% 6.1% to 14.6%

Owner survey

Share of dogs whose owners reported the condition at one point in time.

Depends on owners noticing and recalling. Mild or resolved cases are undercounted.

  • Pug

    breed-specific finding KC survey 2017, 2014

    Live UK Kennel Club registered dogs, owner reported

    6.5% 4.7% to 8.8% $722 typical

  • Boxer

    breed-specific finding KC survey 2017, 2014

    Live UK Kennel Club registered dogs, owner reported

    4.8% 3.5% to 6.7% $722 typical

1-year clinical

Share of dogs recorded with the condition in a single year of veterinary records.

Not a lifetime risk. A dog that develops this at age 9 is not counted in a year it was not diagnosed.

  • Boxer

    clinical or cohort VetCompass Boxer 2023, 2016 n = 161

    3,219 Boxers under UK primary veterinary care

    5% $722 typical

Where these figures come from

  • Dog Aging Project breeds 2023 Grade B

    Forsyth KK, McCoy BM, Schmid SM, Promislow DEL, Snyder-Mackler N, the DAP Consortium. Lifetime prevalence of owner-reported medical conditions in the 25 most common dog breeds in the Dog Aging Project pack. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. 2023;10:1140417.

    View source
  • KC survey 2017 Grade C

    Wiles BM, Llewellyn-Zaidi AM, Evans KM, O'Neill DG, Lewis TW. Large-scale survey to estimate the prevalence of disorders for 192 Kennel Club registered breeds. Canine Genetics and Epidemiology. 2017;4:8.

    View source
  • VetCompass Boxer 2023 Grade A

    O'Neill DG, Skipper AM, Barrett K, Church DB, Packer RMA, Brodbelt DC. Demography, common disorders and mortality of Boxer dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK. Canine Medicine and Genetics. 2023;10:4.

    View source

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