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.
What is Cherry Eye in Canines
It 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 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
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
The symptoms are as follows:
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 problem. 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. This type of surgery costs about $250 and in certain extreme cases, it can cost up to $1000. In case of partial and complete removal costs 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.
Home Remedies
There are not many options related to home remedies for the condition. You have to visit a veterinarian to treat cherry eye. However, you can help you dog by trying these home remedies. 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.
It is thought that this 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 problem. This was all about how to treat cherry eyes in dogs. I hope this information was useful to you to some extent.
- Beagle Health Problems
Beagles belong to the hound group and are similar to foxhound in appearance. However, this breed of dog is small to medium in size with small and short legs, but long and soft ears. One of the well-known beagle facts is their sense of smell. Therefore,...
- Dog Eye Problems
Do you notice that your dog's eyes are red or swollen? Do you find him frequently rubbing his eyes against something? Do you feel that the eyes of your pet dog are unhealthy and making his life miserable? Well, alike humans, dog eye problems...
- Canine Eye Problems
Canine eye problems are an hindrance to dogs' health, which cause severe suffering. Eyes, are one of the most delicate body parts of humans, as well as, animals. Improper or neglected care and cleaning of eyes have all kinds of eye problems as...
- Cherry Eye Surgery Cost
Catherine and Joesph bought their children a Chihuahua, a few years ago. When the pet was five months old, they noticed that the bottom of the right eye appeared red and swollen. The family thought that the dog might have scratched its eyes or got...
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Ocular discharge in dogs may be associated with sleepers in the eye which is usually the result of the self cleaning action of the eyes to get rid of the accumulated foreign matter. However, if the dog eye discharge continues throughout the day then...
Dogs
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.
What is Cherry Eye in Canines
It 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 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
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
The 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
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 problem. 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. This type of surgery costs about $250 and in certain extreme cases, it can cost up to $1000. In case of partial and complete removal costs 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.
Home Remedies
There are not many options related to home remedies for the condition. You have to visit a veterinarian to treat cherry eye. However, you can help you dog by trying these home remedies. 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.
It is thought that this 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 problem. This was all about how to treat cherry eyes in dogs. I hope this information was useful to you to some extent.
- Beagle Health Problems
Beagles belong to the hound group and are similar to foxhound in appearance. However, this breed of dog is small to medium in size with small and short legs, but long and soft ears. One of the well-known beagle facts is their sense of smell. Therefore,...
- Dog Eye Problems
Do you notice that your dog's eyes are red or swollen? Do you find him frequently rubbing his eyes against something? Do you feel that the eyes of your pet dog are unhealthy and making his life miserable? Well, alike humans, dog eye problems...
- Canine Eye Problems
Canine eye problems are an hindrance to dogs' health, which cause severe suffering. Eyes, are one of the most delicate body parts of humans, as well as, animals. Improper or neglected care and cleaning of eyes have all kinds of eye problems as...
- Cherry Eye Surgery Cost
Catherine and Joesph bought their children a Chihuahua, a few years ago. When the pet was five months old, they noticed that the bottom of the right eye appeared red and swollen. The family thought that the dog might have scratched its eyes or got...
- Dog Eye Discharge
Ocular discharge in dogs may be associated with sleepers in the eye which is usually the result of the self cleaning action of the eyes to get rid of the accumulated foreign matter. However, if the dog eye discharge continues throughout the day then...