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Pet Tip

Cherry eye in dogs – Pet tip 122

Any owner of a dog who has had “cherry eye” will tell you that it is not a pretty sight. Perhaps you have witnessed it yourself and have seen the large red mass bulging out of the inner corner of a dog’s eye, from which the name ‘cherry eye’ originated. While not the most visually appealing condition (for the owners or the afflicted dog), cherry eye is actually a fairly common and benign occurrence in many breeds of dogs.

Though it may appear somewhat like a tumour or even an awfully big bug bite, the ‘cherry’ on your dog’s eye is actually a prolapsed (or popped out) gland. Known by veterinarians as the nictitans gland, this gland is present in the third eyelid of dogs and aids in the production of tears. Unlike humans, many animals possess this third eyelid which closes horizontally across the eye to provide extra protection and moisture.

Owner:: Julie Heldsinger
City:: Courtice
Province, Country:: ON, Canada
Type/Breed:: DSH
Date of Birth:: 2007
Date of Death: Nov.30,2009
Sex:: Male
Height:: Not Provided
Weight:: Not Provided
Coat Colour:: White
Eye Colour:: Green

We adopted Homer from our local humane society exactly one month ago today as we had recently lost our wonderful cat Archie and we felt Homer needed us and we needed him. Unfortunately it would not last long as he started feeling sick a week ago and after a visit and a ultra sound at the vet's

today we were told that he had FIP and there was nothing we could do to help him. Losing 2 cats in a little more than 2 months is almost too much to bear, but I take comfort in the fact he did not spend his last days in a caged environment and that he was surrounded by loved ones at the end.