Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How well dog owners follow eye drop treatment instructions
By Bowyer, Ashley N et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2025·College of Veterinary Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Retrospective study of compliance and persistence of topical ophthalmic medications prescribed to dogs at a veterinary teaching hospital.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of dogs receiving eye medications were evaluated to see how well their owners followed the treatment plan. Out of 381 clients, about 72% gave their dogs the medications as prescribed. Factors like how often the medication needed to be given and how soon the dog returned for a follow-up appointment affected whether the owners stuck to the treatment. Dogs on immunomodulatory or glaucoma medications had a higher success rate in compliance compared to those on lubricants. To help improve treatment success, it's important for vets to provide enough medication and schedule follow-up visits more frequently.
People also search for: dog eye medication compliance · why is my dog not taking eye drops · dog glaucoma treatment · dog eye medication follow-up care
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate compliance and persistence of topical ophthalmic medications prescribed to dogs. METHODS: Retrospective review of medical records from dogs examined by the Ophthalmology Service at Kansas State University from April 2022 through July 2024, prescribed at least 1 topical ophthalmic medication, and returned for 1 recheck examination. Medication compliance and persistence (MCP) was reported by clients and evaluated at the client level and individual drug level. A general linear model and χ2 tests were used to analyze variables. RESULTS: Overall, 273 of 381 (72%) of clients administered all medications as prescribed and 496 of 592 (79%) individual medications were given as prescribed. Factors significantly associated with MCP included appointment type (P = .002), medication frequency (P = .006), recheck interval (P = .002), and recheck compliance (P = .002). Patients presented to other services had reduced odds of MCP when compared to appointments directly with the Ophthalmology Service (OR, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.08 to 0.57). Odds of MCP were lower with a recheck interval > 30 days (OR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.15 to 0.62) and a prescribed frequency > 4 times daily (OR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.12 to 0.61). Immunomodulatory and glaucoma drugs had a significantly higher MCP rate (92% P = .02 and 89% P = .04, respectively), while lubricants had a lower MCP rate (70% P = .04). Depletion of medication supply was the most common reason for non-MCP. CONCLUSIONS: Type, frequency, and access to medication, appointment type, and recheck factors influenced MCP in this population. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Shorter recheck intervals and providing an adequate supply of medication may improve MCP of topical ophthalmic medications prescribed to dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40499572/