Cherry Eye

runarabbit Wed Jan 05, 2011 9:23 pm

A neat article with a video: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/01/04/how-to-recognize-and-treat-cherry-eye-in-your-dog.aspx

Cherry eye in medical terms is the prolapse of the third eyelid gland.

Unlike people, dogs have a membrane in the corner of each eye, located underneath the lower lid, which houses a tear gland. When this gland is healthy it's not visible when you look at your dog.

But occasionally this gland will pop or bulge out and you'll see red, thickened, irritated-looking tissue inside the corner of your pup's eye. And once this gland pops out, it can become increasingly inflamed and even develop an infection.

If your dog has cherry eye, he probably seems to be managing just fine. Fortunately, the condition isn't really painful for dogs. However, because the gland is no longer seated in its normal position, it can prevent adequate lubrication of the eye.