Maybe you’ve seen it before – it looks like a tiny cherry popping out of a corner of a dog’s eye. It looks serious and painful, but what is the truth?

Well, for starters, it is not painful. However, if left untreated it can cause secondary problems that can be painful. It can also lead to infections or injuries if a dog tries to rub the eye with a paw. So, what exactly is the cherry eye in dogs?

What Is A Cherry Eye In Dogs?

It is a prolapse of a third eyelid gland. It means that the gland located in the third eyelid “went outside” of its proper place and now it is sticking out of the corner of the eye.

You probably know this by now, but dogs have three eyelids. The third one is located in the corner of the eye closer to the nose. Its role is to spread the tears across the eye and to protect the eye.

The tear gland in the third eyelid has a big role in making tears that regularly wash over the eye and help keep it moisturized and protected. The gland in the third eyelid makes about 40% of entire tears.

So, what exactly happens? Normally, the gland is firmly connected to the lower, inside part of the eye rim. It is connected with a fibrinous thread (fibrinous connection) and it stays put. Some dogs have a very weak fibrinous connection so the gland easily “pops out”.

When that happens, it can be seen as a small reddish “cherry” (hence the name) in the corner of a dog’s eye, as seen in the picture below.

What Are The Symptoms?

A dog will not change its behavior drastically because he is not in pain and it is not an illness. However, you will notice clinical signs – you will be the one to see something red in the corner of your dog’s eye.

The changes in a dog’s behavior follow the “popping”. A dog might try to rub the eye and the prolapsed gland to “get rid of it”. But, that’s about it. The condition is not painful so there aren’t a lot of clinical signs. 

What To Do?

When you notice something red in your dog’s eye and you see it doesn’t look normal (resembles picture number 2), the thing to do is to take your dog to the vet. But, don’t panic! It’s not a life-threatening situation. Of course, we want to quickly do all that we can for our dogs but there is no need to panic. 

Sometimes, a gland will “go away” on its own, but the chances are that if it came once, it will come again. So, the best thing is to make an appointment with the vet and get your dog checked.

Don’t try to put the prolapsed gland back into the eye and don’t leave it to go on its own if you see weeks have passed and nothing happened.

Treatment Of A Cherry Eye

Once established that it is a cherry eye (physical exam of the eye done by a veterinarian), the treatment is to repair the gland. This is done surgically by making a “pocket” in the eyelid’s tissue where a surgeon will put the prolapsed gland.

This procedure is almost 100% successful in younger dogs. However, if it is an older dog that has had a cherry eye for a longer time, the success is not as high. In these cases, there is another option and that is complete removal of the prolapsed gland.

This type of treatment was a number one option in the past, but it showed that without the gland dogs are at risk of developing keratoconjunctivitis sicca or dry eye.

So, the choice is to repair the gland and if that doesn’t work to completely remove it. However, the second option is only if nothing helps and the prolapse keeps happening with secondary infections, or even tumors although that is extremely rare.

Breeds More Affected

As mentioned, some breeds are more affected than others. Some of the breeds with a higher chance of developing a cherry eye are:

• Great Dane
• English Bulldog
• Cane Corso
• Havanese
• Maltese
• Cocker spaniel
• Beagle 

Because it affects some breeds more than others, it is suspected that the cherry eye is a genetic condition. However, scientists still don’t know what exactly causes the prolapse of the gland.

It is also noticeably more common in younger dogs (under 2 years). In this case, as mentioned, the prognosis is very good.

Final Thought

While it is not a serious condition, it is a nuisance. It can lead to secondary infections or injuries if a dog rubs the eye with its paw or if the dirt gets on the exposed gland tissue. Whatever the reason for cherry eye happening, the proper thing is to take your dog to the vet who can do a physical exam of your dog and make the diagnosis.

The good thing is that there is a treatment. Even though some veterinarians leave the cherry eye to “go on its own” and use gel lubricants to keep the eye and prolapsed gland moisturized, there is a final option – surgery.

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