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Your dog’s ability to see is one of the things that is most important to them. Anything that reduces that ability is a threat to them, not only to their quality of life but also their ability to live their lives. The good news for your dog is that many ocular issues are treatable if caught early and one of the most common is a condition known as cherry eye.
Recognizing Cherry Eye
If your dog has cherry eye you will know it. Just look at them as they gaze back lovingly at you. One eye (or both) will have a dark red protrusion coming out of it. It is hard to miss and for some is hard to look at. It occurs when connective tissue in the eye that holds the tear glands in the nictitating membrane (their third eyelid) becomes weak or damaged. These tear glands produce anywhere between 35% to 50% of the moisture in a dog’s eye and are vital to your dog’s ocular health. Cherry eye happens when the nictitating membrane’s tear gland collapses and comes loose from its pocket near the bottom corner of the eye. When that happens a fleshy, bulbous protrusion will become visible and will have a dark red hue.
Causes
What exactly causes cherry eye is unknown but it is genetic and thus passed from generation to generation. It can affect any breed of dog at any age but breeds with shorter muzzles and toy breeds are particularly susceptible. Since the exact cause is unknown prevention is difficult to impossible and the only real method of prevention may be to feed your dog food or supplements that can enhance tissue strength. If you need a product like this check out our selection at Doggie DoLittle. We offer some of the best pet foods available on the market so that your dog can live a happier and healthier life.
Treatment
For treatment it is best to consult your veterinarian before beginning any course of action. If caught and treated early it can be successfully stopped in nearly all cases. Treatment can be as easy as massaging the gland and using eye drops until it goes back into place. Topical antibiotics or anti-inflammatories can be used as well but in many cases surgery will be necessary. Surgery will stitch the gland back into place or will create a new pocket for the gland to fit into. Removal of the gland used to be the preferred method and could also be necessary in extreme cases and this will require lifelong treatment afterwards with artificial tears to prevent chronic dry eye being administered several times a day.
If left untreated it will cause a painful situation for your dog. The out-of-place gland restricts blood flow to the eye and it will continue to swell the longer that it is exposed. As it becomes more uncomfortable the dog will paw or scratch it which will irritate it more and could create an infection. Even if cherry eye is successfully treated it can reoccur and it can lead to other ocular issues so be wary. Successful treatment will also not prevent cherry eye from occurring in the dog’s other eye either and it is possible for both eyes to be affected at the same time.
Cherry eye can also occur in cats, particularly Burmese or Persian breeds. The course of treatment is typically the same as with dogs.
As with any medical issue the sooner an issue is caught the better the chance of recovery is and cherry eye is no different. Consult your veterinarian as soon as possible to determine what course of action is best.
http://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/cherry-eye-in-dogs-dog-health-facts-tips-prevention-treatment
http://www.petwave.com/Dogs/Health/Cherry-Eye/Treatment.aspx
http://dogsaholic.com/care/cherry-eye-in-dogs.html
https://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/eyes/c_ct_prolapsed_gland
One of the many misconceptions about the blind is that they have greater hearing, sense of smell and sense of touch than sighted people. This is not strictly true. Their blindness simply forces them to recognize gifts they always had but had heretofore largely ignored.
–Rosemary Mahoney
