Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook.pdf - Mr. Walnuts

haggard look. Most breed standards (if they mention it at all) require that the
haws be scarcely apparent. The haws are a concern only because they give the
dog an unsightly appearance. There is no medical reason to remove the third
eyelid just because the haws are visible.
EVERSION OF THE CARTILAGE
This is a congenital condition among Weimaraners, Great Danes, Golden
Retrievers, St Bernards, and other breeds. The third eyelid appears to roll
back upon itself like a dry leaf. Corneal irritation may occur.
Treatment: This can be treated surgically if it is causing a problem.
CHERRY EYE
THE EYES • 183
The nictitating membranes
protrude on this
dog, showing the haws.
There is a tear gland wrapped around the cartilage of the third eyelid that is a
major source of tears for the eye. In a dog with cherry eye, the fibrous attachments
to the undersurface of the third eyelid are weak. This allows the gland
to prolapse, or bulge out from beneath the eyelid, exposing a cherrylike
growth that is really a normal-size tear gland. This growth can irritate the surface
of the eye and produce recurrent conjunctivitis.
Cherry eye is a congenital defect that occurs most commonly in Cocker
Spaniels, Beagles, Boston Terriers, and Bulldogs.
Treatment: Removing the third eyelid or the tear gland seriously interferes
with tear production and may result in a dry eye syndrome in breeds so disposed
(see The Tearing Mechanism, page 186). If the gland is removed, your
dog may require artificial tears daily for life. Instead, surgery can be performed
that repositions the third eyelid and the tear gland. This corrects the problem
while maintaining tear production.