Hi! I came home this evening and noticed that our 15 year old cocker spaniel's left eye was rolled up to the upper part of her eye socket, showing off the white of her lower eye with the thin film of her third eye showing.
Does anyone know what this is and what can be done about it?
This sounds like it could be what's known as Cherry Eye - it's faily common in cocker spaniels.
It's where the tear gland prolapses and pops out of the eye lid.
Whilst the gland is in the eye, it will remain moist, however, exposed to the air it will become dry and can become irritated and infected, particularly if your dog begins to scratch at it.
As dogs get older, the ligaments holding the glands become weak and this is when a prolapse can occur.
This is probably not painful for your dog but can become uncomfortable for him and he may stop producing tears, which can eventually cause problems for him.
I recommend you get him to your vet as soon as possible for treatment. He may be able to resolve this problem without surgery (highly recommended) or a simple suture to hold the tear gland in place.
Removal of the eye gland is also an option, but only in the extreme as your cocker spaniel will almost certainly develop dry eye and need eye drops for the rest of his life.
