Have you ever dealt with cherry eye on a/your dog?

What is cherry eye?

Sorry, forgot my link in there. We’re good now, though. And here it is also just for good measure.

My boxer has that and I was told to give her benadryl twice a day. My vet said it was just allergies. It seems to be working.

I’ve heard of it and seen it but never had to deal with it. I just assumed they removed it, but I am guessing a tuck would be less invasive if equally effective. Question for Syz and the vet I reckon.

First time I heard of it. But I would ask the vet which is less invasive and has a faster recovery time but most importantly, which one would give my dog a comfortable life and healthy eye for the remainder of his life.
If it doesn’t take then try the second proceedure.
In the mean time I would try the benedryl as chyna suggested and see if that helps. Also put some which hazel on a swab and hold it on your dog (CLOSED EYE ONLY) to help reduce the swelling a little. Try some allergy drops too. If these things seem to work than your dog may only have allergies. I do this with my dog when his allergies are bad and his eye is all red. Of course its not cherry eye, but then I never let his allergies get too bad.
Even if it doesnt’ work I’m sure you puppy will feel better til you can get him operated on.

I don’t think Benedryl will help cherry eye. It is not an allergic reaction, it is a physical condition usually correctable by surgery. I don’t know if messing with it would help or just irritate it even more. I would send Syz a pm before I try anything.

you gotta take your dog to the vet. cocker spaniels tend to get that too as did ours.

My sister has been breeding Boston Terriers and English Bulldogs for many years. So I’ve seen a few here and there with cherry eye (and listened to her yadder on about it several times ..lol).

There really isn’t much you can do other than have the gland repositioned (surgery) to where it is suppose to be (in the third eyelid). It’s not too big of a deal ..most vets should be familiar with the condition and procedure.
I am surprised you were given an option for removal as that is sort of an older way of doing it and can cause problems later on. Removal of the gland makes your dog very prone to “dry eye” which is a disease that can lead to even more issues…as this gland produces tears. Now, with repositioning ..your dog can still get dry eye but the incidence of that is much lower.

Most vets reposition the gland to its normal position and re-attach it to the eye. And recovery is pretty quick. They send you home with antibiotics to prevent infection. The only thing that you may need to watch out for is that once a dog gets cherry eye ..they are much more prone to get it again in life (maybe a few times even); but, the best way to combat that possibilty is to get it dealt with as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the worse it gets.

I hope this was helpful :)

@PluckyDog is correct. Removing the gland is old-school and is no longer recommended because of the potential long term effects. The preferred treatment is having the gland returned to it’s normal position, and if you use a qualified surgeon, there’s minimal chance of reoccurrance. In the short term, the surgery is more expensive, but in the long term, it’s a lot cheaper than treating dry eye.

@chyna Benadryl will help with any inflammation, but will not do anything to reverse a cherry eye.

@syz Thanks. I was very skeptical about this, but was trying it anyway since the vet recommended it.

I woke up this morning and much to my surprise, the cherry eye was gone. I’m not sure what happened. Maybe the gland just moved back in place or it was just allergies? His eye is still a little red in the corner but other than that, there’s no sign of it whatsoever.

@Randy Hmm it sounds like it is still cherry eye ..but gets triggered easily (ie cigarette smoke, dust, pollen ..etc). It may or may not pop back out. I would watch anything around him that may trigger it again. I do not believe it was allergies. You are both very lucky if it stays away :)