Eye Problem

M

mybells

New Member
Owned by
1 cocker
Hello, just yesterday a friend showed up at my door with a beautiful 5month old American Cocker. They couldnt keep her, blah, blah, blah. My son and my other dog instantly fell in love with her so I said she can stay. She slept beside me all night and now I'm hooked too. The problem is I think she has a
Prolapsed Third Eyelid Gland, theres a red thing protruding from her left eye. Has anyone had any experience with this? Is it costly to treat and does it normally require surgery? Any suggestions would be great. Thanks!! ^_^
 
Hello MyBells! And welcome to our forum!
I'm Polly and I live in SO CA with my hubby Michael and our 4 cockers.
Welcome to your new addition! Your little puppy sounds like a dream! I will let the experts comment on her eye problem. It does sound like cherry eye to me. Cherry eye is a common condition in lots of dog breeds. I have a beautiful boy that had cherry eye surgery. Sometimes you can massage the cherry eye back in, but our SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) here will have more information on that for you.

We LOVE pictures!

Please add a post to our introduction thread to tell us about yourself and your doggy family! ^_^
 
Dylan has had Cherry Eye. He had the tacking surgery when he was 9 months old. He's never had another problem. My DD's dog Eloise had cherry eye surgery at the animal shelter. The first time it popped out again. The vet redid the surgery and Lauren brought Eloise home with the "Cone of Silence " around her neck. That surgery held fine. I wonder if it didn't hold the first time because of Eloise still being in the shelter. I've heard sometimes the cherry eye can be massaged back into place but I have no experience with that. However both Dylan and Eloise have had no further with cherry eye.
 
Welcome! I think seeing a vet is the best solution to your question. My cocker Gabby has dry eyes. If I forget to medicate his eyes they get irritated and puffy--sorta looks like cherry eye. I searched forums for the cost for cherry eye surgery which really varies. Some prices were as low as $25 and others as high as $1500. I'd think the cost of anesthesia alone would bring the cost up to a couple hundred. Also, I'm sure an eye specialist will charge more than your regular vet. There are several different surgical procedures too. Some involve removing the tear gland (probably cheaper) while others involve 'tacking' the tear gland back in place.
 
Congrats on your new baby. Renie is one now and a few months back we had a similar problem. I called my breeder who told me how to try and massage it back. I did and it worked. We headed to the vet the next day and he fully examined the eye. He said he thought he had something in the eye that irritated it, because it looked fine then. He told me what to look for and to bring him right back in if it happened again. Thankfully it did not. Cherry eye can be common in cockers and he explained they can do surgery to fix it. I would make a trip to the vet so it can be looked at. You'll both feel better.
 
My puppy bella had the same problem about a month ago...she had the protrusion before but it went away...this time it stayed out so we opted for surgery..i worked at a vet for years and years and i'm a pre-vet major so i decided that was the best thing...surgery here in oklahoma was about $100 total but i know we are a lot cheaper than other states...some vets do the procedure by just the protrusion back in which works but it has a higher risk of coming back...the best procedure (in my opinion) is to have the protrusion removed...but as many others have said, a visit to your vet will be the best course of action so they can decide what is best and exactly what is wrong...good luck!
 
carlyg1989 said:
the best procedure (in my opinion) is to have the protrusion removed...but as many others have said, a visit to your vet will be the best course of action so they can decide what is best and exactly what is wrong...good luck!
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I realize tacking isn't always 100% successful however most sources recommend tacking the tear gland as its removal is irreversible and may cause dry eye resulting in discomfort, corneal ulceration, corneal scarring and impaired vision.

Merck's Manual said:
Because it is a major tear gland, it should be preserved if possible; the gland should be replaced and anchored with sutures to the orbital rim or periorbital fascia, or covered with adjacent mucosa (envelope or pocket techniques). Partial excision should be avoided. Complete excision may predispose to keratoconjunctivitis sicca (see below) in 30-40% of dogs in later life.
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i am not saying that one method is better than the other by any means... every vet has their own opinion and every dog is different...i am just basing that on my experience... there are risks either way just as there are in every surgery...
 
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mybells said:
Hello, just yesterday a friend showed up at my door with a beautiful 5month old American Cocker. They couldnt keep her, blah, blah, blah. My son and my other dog instantly fell in love with her so I said she can stay. She slept beside me all night and now I'm hooked too. The problem is I think she has a
Prolapsed Third Eyelid Gland, theres a red thing protruding from her left eye. Has anyone had any experience with this? Is it costly to treat and does it normally require surgery? Any suggestions would be great. Thanks!! ^_^
Click to expand...

Sounds like Cherry eye...usually happens when they are teething...which at 5 mo she is probably doing. Once they have been out a while they cannot go back in. There are two procedures, one is tacking it in a little pocket in the eye, the other is complete removal. Depending on where you live. If you have her spayed get it done then. It won't cost as much because she is already under. It is pretty common and pretty routine.
 
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