Puppy With Cherry Eye, Any Remedies??

[suzettex5]

I have a young puppy who has developed a small cherry eye condition, and I'm wondering if there is anything I can do about it? Its not real bad and not blocking her vision, and I'm pretty sure its a genetic thing since her dad had it. Are there any remedies besides surgery? She is too young for surgery at this point. Do they outgrow the condtion?
Or is this a wait and see situation? I am planning on re-homing her, but I dont think anyone will want her since she has a 'defect' that 'might' need surgery later in life.

In case you dont know what cherry eye is, its a condition where in the inner corner of the animals eye, the tissue starts to pop out of the inner corner pocket and protrude out and over the eye.

Is there anything I can do before going to the vet and handing out the big $'s?

Does it cost alot to have it repaired if that is what she needs?

 

[debilorrah]

My cat has this right now too. I am interested in responses. We are probably taking him to the vet on Saturday.

 

[sourland]

Antibiotic opthalmic ointment may help and may even resolve the condition, but generally surgery is necessary. Price will vary depending upon your area and vet. Veterinary costs are spiraling out of control as are human medical costs.

 

[Higins00]

I saw a tv show on that a few years ago. I'm pretty sure the only real remedy is surgury. I think there are also drops to put in it so it dosen't dry the eye out. Good luck and let us know if you find anything that helps

 

[Fred's Hens]

Generally inherited trait and surgery is almost always required. $150-250. Extremely unlikely to just "go away".

Typical among many beagles, for example. Tried very hard not to breed the propensity down the line of pups, as it is a costly expense.

 

[NYboy]

Had the surgery on my dog. In NY was over $400 . Came back 2 months later. My vet said just leave it alone now.

 

[teach1rusl]

Took my dane in about a month ago for red swollen tissue in his eye. I'd heard of "cherry eye," but didn't know this was what he had. And it was. Our vet gave us an antibiotic cream that she said MIGHT reduce the swelling enough for the tissue to go back down by itself. But it didn't. She talked about possible surgeries down the road, if it got to the point of irritating him. But she added that the surgery sometimes causes problems for the tear ducts - and that can cause other problems.

Oddly enough, it kind of went down on its own eventually. Well, I guess it'd be more accurate to say that some days it's noticable, while other days it isn't at all

So I'm thinking it was irritated and therefore really swollen when we took him in, and the swelling just went down eventually. After hearing about the cons of the surgery, we'd just decided to live with it anyhow...

 

[AidynElyMama]

We have bulldogs, which are very prone to this. Unless it becomes infected or begins to block vision, surgery can be avoided. To help it work its way back in and not become infected wash your hands well, then with a warm wet washcloth, gently hold their head and massage the corner of the eye in small circular motions. It helps to flush out any irritants and work the tissue back in where it should be. We do this a few times a day when one of ours acts up, and it usually resolves in a day or two. If it doesn't then we take them in to make sure there isn't an infection. So far we haven't had to do surgery ever.

This is from our old vet back in WA who was familiar with bullies. Good luck!

 

[tonkatuff]

"Cherry eye" is a prolapse of the nictitans gland of the eye. There are two courses of action, tacking the gland back down and removing it all together. Most tight eyed breeds do not have a re-occurance if the gland is tacked properly. But in breeds with loose cranial ^ facial skin, deep haws, heavy dewlaps, tacking often does not work and the gland should just be removed. There is an increased risk of the dog developing Keratoconjunctivitis sicca (dry eye) when you remove the gland but you can help prevent this by using artificial tears regularly in the eye the gland was removed from. While awaiting surgery, a lubricant should be used, preferably one with a steroid in it to reduce the inflammation caused by the gland rubbing on the cornea. It is inhumane to not treat an animal with this condition.

 

[Bleenie]

I rescued a Chihuahua with this problem and scheduled her a vet appointment soon after i got her. They did surgery the day i took her in but it was really quick and simple, they simply put them under and cut the "cherry" off and cauterize(sp?) it to keep it from bleeding. They gave me ointment for afterward but she never bothered with the eye after and was so much happier. It only cost me $65 to have her's removed because my Vet is an old time Vet who is really in it for the animals. I know other vets are a lot more expensive though.