What Is a Cherry Eye in a Dog?

Pinkish tissue protruding slightly from the side of your dog's eye, next to the muzzle, is called cherry eye and needs to be surgically corrected.

Affected Area

This condition occurs in your dog's third eyelid, which is located in the corner of the eye. When your dog's eye is normal, the third eyelid can't be seen and helps produce tears.

Medical Term

Medically, cherry eye is called nictitans gland prolapse. Nictitans gland refers to your dog's third eyelid, and prolapse refers to the eyelid swelling and protruding from its position. The prolapse and swelling can occur at any time in your dog's life.

Affected Breeds

Certain breeds have a higher likelihood of developing cherry eye; they are Beagle, Bloodhound, Boston Terrier, Bulldog, Bull Terrier, Lhasa Apso, Saint Bernard and Shar-Pei. However, cherry eye has also afflicted other breeds.

Cause

Veterinarians are not sure what causes cherry eye, but the belief is that the tissues that connect the third eyelid to the rest of the eye reach a point where it no longer holds the nictitans gland in place.

Treating Cherry Eye

Your dog will need surgery to treat cherry eye. It used to be that all surgeries removed the gland, but now the gland is placed back into position so that the dog can continue to produce tears.

References

• PetEducation: Cherry Eye in Dogs