Cherry Eye in Dogs

There are several dog breeds that commonly suffer from cherry eye. Some of these dog breeds include beagles, bloodhound, Boston terrier, Lhasa Apso, Saint Bernard, Shar Pei, Bulldog, etc. Any dog irrespective of age or sex can develop cherry eye. In the following paragraphs, we shall learn more on what is cherry eye in dogs.

What is Cherry Eye in Canines
Cherry eye in dogs refers to the condition where the dog suffers from a prolapse of the gland of the third eyelid. There are three eyelids in every type of dog breed, upper, lower and third eyelid. The third eyelid is not usually seen and functions as a wiper to protect the eye from external matter. When this third eyelid pops out it appears like a red mass of tissue in the corner of the eye. This is what is cherry eye in dogs.

This condition usually occurs within one year of the dog's age. It usually occurs due to weakness of the connective tissue around the third eyelid gland. This gland begins to move causing it to get irritated and swell. It leads to mucous discharge and the third eyelid becomes bloody, ulcerated and lead to conjunctivitis in dogs.

Causes of Cherry Eye in Canines
The causes of cherry eye in dogs is not very clear. This canine eye problem is thought to be a hereditary condition. However, doctors are not yet very clear on the genetics part. Some veterinarians believe it may be due to weak connective tissues of the eye. These tissues allow the gland to move away from its proper position, that is, prolapse of the gland. This makes it irritable and inflamed. The gland becomes prone to secondary bacterial infections leading to idiopathic third eyelid tear duct conditions.

Symptoms of Cherry Eye in Canines
The cherry eye in dogs symptoms are as follows:

• Red mass or oval pink colored tissue that protrudes from the corner of the eye towards the nose
• Thick discharge from the eye
• Watery eyes
• Red conjunctiva
• The dog tries to paw the eye sometimes

How to Treat Cherry Eye in Dogs
The answer to how to treat cherry eye in dogs is usually surgery. The veterinarian surgeon may try to replace the gland in its original position with a suture. There are several other surgeries that help in correcting the cherry eye in dogs. Sometimes, complete removal of the gland is done is the gland cannot be tact in. However, this is avoided in most cases as it leads to dry eye in dogs.

There are three types of surgery carried out for this dog health problem, the complete removal, partial removal and 'pocket technique'. The 'pocket technique' is the most effective and expensive of all surgeries for cherry eye in dogs. This type of cherry eye in dogs surgery cost about $250 and in certain extreme cases, it can cost up to $1000. In case of partial and complete removal of cherry eye in dogs surgery cost about $100 to $400 and if an alternate tear duct is created, it may cost about $500. The vet may also prescribe tropical or injectable treatments of antibiotics and steroids. Thus, cherry eye surgery cost may rise accordingly. The vet is the best person, who can advise you on the overall cost of treatment for cherry eye in dogs.

Home Remedies for Cherry Eye in Canines
There are not many options related to home remedies for cherry eye in dogs. You have to visit a veterinarian to treat cherry eye in dogs. However, you can help you dog by trying these home remedies for cherry eye in dogs. You can try gentle messaging of the eye using light, circular motion. This helps in unblocking the tear duct of the dog. Make sure you do not scratch the dog's eye or apply hard pressure.

Also, when you see the swelling on the eye reduce, you can try closing your dog's eye. Then gently push the gland in towards the nose to get the gland in place. You need to attempt this step with a lot of caution and if the dog feels any discomfort, stop immediately. You can even use warm compress to help in easing the process of pushing the gland back. Make sure you do this very, very gently as you do not want to cause any kind of damage to the dog's eye.

This was some information regarding cherry eye in dogs. It is thought that cherry eye in dogs is not a painful condition. However, it may cause some amount of changes in the dogs appearance. You should seek medical help to avoid any secondary dog eye problems. This was all about how to treat cherry eyes in dogs. I hope this information was useful to you to some extent.