Snoopy21 Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 (edited) There is a guy who we speak to regularly at the park whose dog (dane mastiff X) has pretty bad cherry eye in both eyes. I had assumed he was either treating it, or had chosen to leave it, but a recent conversation with a third party revealed that he actually has no idea what it is and that it can be fixed. I should have taken the opportunity to say something then, but had to leave the conversation to pick up poop and the conversation had moved on. Surely the poor dog must be uncomfortable? And how do I broach the topic with someone I don't know very well? It is to the point where sometimes the poor dog must struggle to actually see. Edited February 6, 2014 by Snoopy21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yonjuro Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 I suppose you could say, hey a friend's dog had cherry eye and found xyz really good... have you tried it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosetta Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 If you speak to him regularly then it should be fairly easy to bring it up in conversation. You would have to wonder if the dog ever sees a vet for the owner to be totally unaware of what it is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
essentialdog Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I think if he is dedicated enough to take his dog to the park, then he'd be interested in his dog's health. I would just mention something along the lines of what Yonjuro describes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoopy21 Posted February 4, 2014 Author Share Posted February 4, 2014 I wondered the same thing about the vet. I know the dog is desexed, so she has seen a vet at some stage. He did ask about the cost of having a lump removed from my dog and scoffed a little bit, so he's probably not going to have anything extra done. He seems to love his dog and she is obviously well fed, has had some training and is reasonably healthy. He walks her every day but only for about 15 mins? I think he is genuinely unaware rather than cruel in any way. That is a good way to approach it Yonjuro - I might just try that. Wish me luck....I don't want to ruin Riff Raff's doggy friendship! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yonjuro Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Good luck with it. I think some people can come across as know-it-alls at the park and talk down to people, but I don't think you are doing or intend doing that, as you seem to care about this situation. I really know nothing about Cherry eye, but let's say that it is definitely a vet only treatment then you could say something like..." yeah my friend's dog had it and they tried saline baths (or insert some home remedy) and it didn't really clear it up, ended up having to go the vet for some drops and it was gone in a few days" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Rusty Bucket Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 I thought cherry eye needed surgery on the eye lids to stop the lashes digging into the eyeballs - not eye drops? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yonjuro Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 ...as I said in my previous post, I know nothing about it and my suggestion was simply an example of how to broach the subject... having said that have now looked it up and it does seem that surgery is required in most instances. Some info says it is not painful and more cosmetic others say it can lead to more serious conditions. What a shame as it does make the situation more challenging. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*kirty* Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 Cherry eye is a prolapsed third eyelid gland. It is not painful, but the gland dries out and becomes irritated. If left untreated, it can lead to dry eye which is painful and expensive to treat. Most local vets can perform the surgery, but make sure they REPLACE the gland NOT remove it. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Rusty Bucket Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 so they have to put the gland back where it belongs (reposition) - not install a new one (replace?). How did the English language get this stupid. Thanks for the info Kirty. Suggesting eye drops might be a way to get the person and their dog into a vet though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loving my Oldies Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I think if he is dedicated enough to take his dog to the park, then he'd be interested in his dog's health. It would be nice to think so, but that can be far from the case as I know from first hand experience with people in my neighbourhood. Yes, definitely say something, please. The dog will be or soon will be suffering, if not pain, a deal of discomfort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
essentialdog Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I think if he is dedicated enough to take his dog to the park, then he'd be interested in his dog's health. It would be nice to think so, but that can be far from the case as I know from first hand experience with people in my neighbourhood. Yes, definitely say something, please. The dog will be or soon will be suffering, if not pain, a deal of discomfort. Yes I also agree that it can be far from the case. Please let us know how you go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph M Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Mums dog had it when she was young. For her it was just a single stitch to pull it back into place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ams Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 It has been my experience eye drops are used for a week or so before surgery to try to reduce swelling and allow a better chance for the gland to be re-seated. If the gland has been out for a long time it may not be possible to re-place it into the eye socket. Either way, I agree the dog is unlikely to have seen a vet as any vet would surely recognise Cherry Eye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen Maeby Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I would definitely say something. I've always wondered what Cherry Eye was. I didn't know that it was the same thing as Ectropion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I would definitely say something. I've always wondered what Cherry Eye was. I didn't know that it was the same thing as Ectropion It's not the same thing as Ectropion. Kirty described it well. The gland needs to be repositioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen Maeby Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 I would definitely say something. I've always wondered what Cherry Eye was. I didn't know that it was the same thing as Ectropion It's not the same thing as Ectropion. Kirty described it well. The gland needs to be repositioned. Oh, I see. Thanks :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*kirty* Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 ECtropion is when the eyelids are loose and sag away from the eye. ENtropion is when the eyelid rolls in and rubs on the eye. Cherry eye is when the third eyelid gland pops out of its normal position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*kirty* Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 so they have to put the gland back where it belongs (reposition) - not install a new one (replace?). How did the English language get this stupid. Thanks for the info Kirty. Suggesting eye drops might be a way to get the person and their dog into a vet though. Yes that's right. They make a pocket for the gland and suture it back into position. This gland produces a lot of the tears that the eye needs to stay healthy. Local vets used to just cut the gland out, but that would lead to dry eye later in life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoopy21 Posted February 6, 2014 Author Share Posted February 6, 2014 I think you can pop the gland back in and hold the eye shut and sometimes it , can be encouraged to stay that way, but I have no idea whether it works well - probably if you do it consistently when they are young enough? The dog in question is already two years old, and has quite loose eyelids, so I'm not sure it would be effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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