What Makes A Dog Third Eyelid Swollen

There are may things that tend to affect most living dogs today. These ailments range from various diseases caused by micro organisms ranging from bacteria to viruses, fungi etc. These microbes cause lots of stuff as they affect the general body system, making your dog prone to bodily harm.

Some ailments are also natural, that is they are not caused by the intervention of various microbes to your dog’s body system. On of these ailments is the swelling of the dog’s third eye, which we would talk about in the continuation of this article.

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What Makes A Dog Third Eyelid Swollen

Cherry eye

The protrusion or prolapse of the dog’s third eyelid or nictitating membrane of the eye or cherry eye as locally called, is a condition associated with dogs. This ophthalmic condition, is one that occurs when the third eyelid of a dog gets swollen, and starts protruding out of the dog’s sockets. This membrane is associated with the secretion of tears, and it resides in the corner of a dog’s eye.

A dog that has cherry eye, tends to get this nictitating membrane swollen and protrude as a pinkish bulge which can be seen easily in the dog’s eye corner. This cherry eyes causes water ridden eyes, or plain discomfort for many dogs, so seeing the vet consultant is very necessary if you are keen on combating it.

Things that you should look out for if you notice cherry eyes in your dog

There are some things you could actually watch out for. These things are factors that could actually decide whether your dog has cherry eyes or not. The first one is something locally called the cherry pit.

This cherry eye is usually situated in the dog’s eye corner, on the closest range between the eyes and nose so it is actually hard to not notice it. This ailment does not stay permanently, but it could appear and disappear. At times, it prolapses making it even more visible and dangerous if not taken care of early.

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Other signs or symptoms you could actually watch out for are;

• Eye Discharges
• Your dog scratching it’s eyes

You should know that these symptoms are not related to cherry eyes alone, as there are other ailments that could actually cause this protrusion. Things like nauseating conditions, or an introduction of a foreign object to the eye socket could actually cause these signs or symptoms.

Taking care of your dog’s eyes is very essential as it is it’s source of vision. If your dog has eye issues, it could actually affect its everyday life, as your dog will feel very vulnerable to it’s surroundings. Seeing your veterinary consultant if you detect any unusual happenings, is very important if you notice things like these, as these individuals are well versed in this field.

Causes of Cherry eyes in dogs

This ailment usually affects dogs which are under a year old. The ailment occurs when the little ligament which keeps the third or additional eyelid

in place gets stretched out, or broken. One thing you should know is that this ailment is natural for now, as many vet doctors actually have no idea as to why this ailment occurs, and the treatment is done by surgical means.

You should also know that some dog breeds tend to get this third eye protrusion than others. Some of these breeds are;

Beagles, Basset Hounds, English Bulldogs, Newfoundland, Burmese cats etc. Getting these dog breeds are a very good thing as they all contribute in one way or the other to the environment, especially of they are well trained and taken care of. But you should be familiar with things like the Cherry eye treatment, as it is something that is common amongst this dog breed.

Is cherry eyes communicable to humans and other animals?

This ailment is fortunately not contagious, and it is not communicable. It can not be spread out to other living organisms so you don’t need to apply much caution, or even start doing things like quarantining your dog. But you would need to see your vet doctor when this happens for more information on how to handle it.

The diagnosis of this ailment is actually dependent on the various clinical appearance associated with the dog’s eyes. This diagnosis is dependent on the clinical outlook of your dog’s eyes especially in younger dogs. Vet doctors could also do overall tests to confirm the situation.

If your dog’s third eyelid gland is out in the open, it would definitely make your dog release less tears. Tests like the Schirmer tear test are used to know the exact level of your dog’s tear production. If your dog has a dry eye, it could be related to the issue and other confirmatory tests would be done.

The fluorescein test is also another one done to check for corneal scratches. If your dog has a dry eye, it tends to actually scratch it’s cornea for comfort. These scratches could lead to various infections and ulcerations if it is not treated early.

Treating cherry eyes

One thing you should know is that there is actually no standard cure or drug that works to eliminate the protrusion or bulge that comes with the cherry eye. Most times, it goes naturally the way it came and you might not have to do much. Treating cherry eyes is usually done by surgical means for now.

There are actually many surgical techniques implemented when taking care of this issue, your veterinary doctor should do things like planning the procedure with you so that you would know just what your dog is getting into. There are also veterinary ophthalmologists who are well versed with various eye ailments, and are very capable of treating cherry eyes in your dog.

If the case is very severe, or it actually has a prolapsed gland, the normal surgical techniques might actually not work. Most vet specialists advice that you surgically eliminate the entire gland. As much as this is the best resort at that time, it is actually not a good thing as it would definitely have long lasting effects on your dog’s tear production.

Under normal instances, the glands are all in normal position after these surgeries, but this surgery does not actually mean that it would definitely be successful, as it could actually go south.

It is very important that you take your veterinary doctor before the cherry eyes prolapses, or even when you start noticing symptoms of this ailment. Seeing a doctor early gives you an advantage over whatever health issues you may actually be facing.

Cherry eye surgery costs

The cost for this surgery practice is dependent on several things. The size of the ailment plays a very vital role i determining the cost. Also, things like whether it affects one or both eyes, could reduce or increase The cost respectively.

If your dog is a very big one, it will also cost more to register and treat you t because they’d require more treatment and medications than their smaller counterparts. There is also the issue of the place where the treatment is done. It can be treated locally, or in a registered medical institute, and we all know which one would cost more, as certified and trusted

vet ophthalmologists would charge higher than your regular or average vet practitioner when it comes to costs. The surgery could cost up to thousands of dollars, and if your dog actually develops a dry eye, it could even cost more, as this might lead to more complications which are very expensive.

During the course of the surgery, your vet practitioner or ophthalmologist would prescribe lots of medications for pain. This would help keep your dog in comfort. They will also tell you about signs you’d need to watch out for as your dog recovers, the many side effects you may face, and how to face them

CONCLUSION

Pets are a joy to watch, and they are also very great to take care of. Owning a dog does not only come with the happy moments, like humans there are also stress filled times, and this is one of them. But the good news is that you can actually take care of it. Always ensure that your dog is in it’s best health status as it is essential for it’s survival.