...it helps to hear that surgery may not have to happen.

Give Bubba a scratch for me!

Cheers!

...it helps to hear that surgery may not have to happen.

Give Bubba a scratch for me!

Cheers!

And pretty much what I expected.

We will keep an eye on the situation and make our decisions from there.

Thanks again for your time and assistance. Have a great day!


Beeg Smooch from Roxy

And pretty much what I expected.

We will keep an eye on the situation and make our decisions from there.

Thanks again for your time and assistance. Have a great day!


Beeg Smooch from Roxy

Using the BNP ointment is fine. When you see cloudiness in the eye you're actually seeing inflammation of the corneal surface of the eyeball, and that's when you shouldn't be using any product that has a steroid component. Regular BNP is antibiotic only...the product with the "H" = BNPH has hydrocortisone added which is a steroid. Steroids tend to retard healing and that's why, particularly in an area as delicate as the eye, we don't want to do anything to retard healing. If you see any minor cloudiness one day, and want to begin treatment with a small amount of ointment (1/4" is enuf, or 1-2 drops) BID-TID, it may resolve, but if not, take the dog to your vet the next day because minor ulceration may already be happening and you don't want it to progress to the seriousness of what Mason had to have; a "patch" of soft tissue sewn directly onto the cornea to cover a deep hole and prevent loss of vision.

As for your question re how long to keep using BNPH ointment after repositioning the duct via massage yourself, its not a certain set time, but likely I'd do it for one day, 2 or 3 times that day...or use nothing at all, or simple artificial tears for one day to add moisture but no 'medication'. HTH
Of course these are all MY opinions...consult your vet for professional expertise.

Using the BNP ointment is fine. When you see cloudiness in the eye you're actually seeing inflammation of the corneal surface of the eyeball, and that's when you shouldn't be using any product that has a steroid component. Regular BNP is antibiotic only...the product with the "H" = BNPH has hydrocortisone added which is a steroid. Steroids tend to retard healing and that's why, particularly in an area as delicate as the eye, we don't want to do anything to retard healing. If you see any minor cloudiness one day, and want to begin treatment with a small amount of ointment (1/4" is enuf, or 1-2 drops) BID-TID, it may resolve, but if not, take the dog to your vet the next day because minor ulceration may already be happening and you don't want it to progress to the seriousness of what Mason had to have; a "patch" of soft tissue sewn directly onto the cornea to cover a deep hole and prevent loss of vision.

As for your question re how long to keep using BNPH ointment after repositioning the duct via massage yourself, its not a certain set time, but likely I'd do it for one day, 2 or 3 times that day...or use nothing at all, or simple artificial tears for one day to add moisture but no 'medication'. HTH
Of course these are all MY opinions...consult your vet for professional expertise.

He had cherry eye very early on and of course I freaked and took him to the vet who massaged it back in, she then advised us to have the surgery and refered us to an eye specialist. Well the cherry eye would pop out whenever bubba played rough or got really excited and my ex would massage it back in. We did this for about a month and eventually it stopped happening. I have seen it pop out recently and I just popped it back in. I would say maybe twice a year it has happened. He never had a severe case of it though...He is now 5 yrs old.

He had cherry eye very early on and of course I freaked and took him to the vet who massaged it back in, she then advised us to have the surgery and refered us to an eye specialist. Well the cherry eye would pop out whenever bubba played rough or got really excited and my ex would massage it back in. We did this for about a month and eventually it stopped happening. I have seen it pop out recently and I just popped it back in. I would say maybe twice a year it has happened. He never had a severe case of it though...He is now 5 yrs old.

we wait and see how much of an issue we have, and whether or not it will be both eyes. We do the ointment/compress/massage thing as long as it seems reasonable and effective.

I just have one last question. I now have the proper ointment (BNPH) an antibiotic/anti-inflammatory. I did not actually pick it up so was unable to speak to the vet, but I was advised to ensure there is no eye injury before using it, and also to discontinue use if the eye starts to take on a cloudy appearance. What I am not sure of is how long after the gland is repositioned should I keep applying it. Until the redness is gone?

Thanks, Ela1ne for all the great information. Your posts, as well as many of the others on these forums, really make things a lot easier for beginners. And of course it is always super to have a professional available, willing, and caring enough to provide help at just about any hour of the day.

Thx again!

we wait and see how much of an issue we have, and whether or not it will be both eyes. We do the ointment/compress/massage thing as long as it seems reasonable and effective.

I just have one last question. I now have the proper ointment (BNPH) an antibiotic/anti-inflammatory. I did not actually pick it up so was unable to speak to the vet, but I was advised to ensure there is no eye injury before using it, and also to discontinue use if the eye starts to take on a cloudy appearance. What I am not sure of is how long after the gland is repositioned should I keep applying it. Until the redness is gone?

Thanks, Ela1ne for all the great information. Your posts, as well as many of the others on these forums, really make things a lot easier for beginners. And of course it is always super to have a professional available, willing, and caring enough to provide help at just about any hour of the day.

Thx again!

"goop" start to form in the eye, a sticky sometimes grayish discharge in the eye, especially after awakening from sleep, and that's your first indication that there may be a problem. It can be a temporary situation however, caused by many factors including but not limited to: infection in the eye, extremely dry weather esp if dog has been outside in windy conditions, some medications can cause reduced tear production temporarily, swelling to eye due to allergies most often seen in Springtime. In these cases, you would want to add 1-2 drops artificial tears to the eye 3-4 times a day. Many good brands to choose from, just be sure it says "artificial tears" and not any lens wetting solutions for contacts, 'gets the red out' products or things designed for other use. Exception would be for allergies, but not all human eye-allergy products may be good for dogs! Check with your vet.

I agree on the correct surgical option, repositioning done by an ophthalmic specialist, but that can run a thou for both eyes done at once! Expensive, versus snip at around a hundred dollars. I should interject here that I am a retired Registered Veterinary Technician and worked primarily for an ophthalmic practice...equivalent to an RN at your eye-physicians office.

"goop" start to form in the eye, a sticky sometimes grayish discharge in the eye, especially after awakening from sleep, and that's your first indication that there may be a problem. It can be a temporary situation however, caused by many factors including but not limited to: infection in the eye, extremely dry weather esp if dog has been outside in windy conditions, some medications can cause reduced tear production temporarily, swelling to eye due to allergies most often seen in Springtime. In these cases, you would want to add 1-2 drops artificial tears to the eye 3-4 times a day. Many good brands to choose from, just be sure it says "artificial tears" and not any lens wetting solutions for contacts, 'gets the red out' products or things designed for other use. Exception would be for allergies, but not all human eye-allergy products may be good for dogs! Check with your vet.

I agree on the correct surgical option, repositioning done by an ophthalmic specialist, but that can run a thou for both eyes done at once! Expensive, versus snip at around a hundred dollars. I should interject here that I am a retired Registered Veterinary Technician and worked primarily for an ophthalmic practice...equivalent to an RN at your eye-physicians office.

...like pocket is the way to go (least risk for long term issues). But if one chooses snip, what are the repercussions? Is there are need to start applying eye drops to make up for lost tear production? How often? Are there any other ramifications to the new dryness of the eye, any other issues that will develop because of it?

...like pocket is the way to go (least risk for long term issues). But if one chooses snip, what are the repercussions? Is there are need to start applying eye drops to make up for lost tear production? How often? Are there any other ramifications to the new dryness of the eye, any other issues that will develop because of it?

and a little gentle massaging after the swelling was reduced, and the area was 'lubricated' by the ointment would have been the best way to do the 'repositioning'...but what you did was fine, and it obviously worked. At least for now.

The gland (often referred to as a duct) that had prolapsed happens most often because of a weakness (genetic) to the membrane that holds it down below that 3rd eyelid, in a protected position so the tears it produces are useful and its not subject to drying or injury as it would be if exposed. Sometimes these 'weak membranes' strengthen with maturity and of course, if the prolapsed gland is repositioned quickly so that there is minimal 'stretching' resulting. Its certainly worth trying, even repeatedly if you're successful with minimal disruption to the dog's well-being, hoping for that maturity to kick-in. If, however, the gland doesn't respond well to the massaging technique, the gland pops out even as soon as one hour after massaging, and it becomes irritation and causes the dog to rub its eye, etc., then I certainly would encourage surgical intervention.

There are two schools of thought on how to deal with a Cherry Eye, one being to remove it with only a topical anesthetic and a skillful quick snip at the vets; the other suggesting that this gland can be responsible for about 40% of the eye's tear production and its worth preserving if its functioning well, ie, the duct is not blocked by long-term exposure or repeated assault by rubbing paw, etc...and here is where the expertise of the vet doing the procedure really matters. Just "tacking" the duct down will not hold in most cases...there needs to be a "pocket" slice made in the membrane/inner structure of the socket to hold the duct back down, yet allow it to function properly. It should not prolapse again if this is done well...and most often that happens when an ophthalmic specialist is doing the procedure, but they are the most expensive way to go. Even with a good repositioning, if the duct has been traumatized, has scar tissue and such that it won't 'hide nicely' the dog can end up with a slightly raised and therefore slightly visible 'pink line' at the bottom of the eye, which is some exposure of that 3rd eyelid. To remove that 3rd eyelid is very dangerous because it truly exposes the dog to future ulceration and real chance of loss of vision. That inner eyelid produces protective flushing action, is an indicator when there are problems with the health of the globe, etc. and we don't want to remove it!!

and a little gentle massaging after the swelling was reduced, and the area was 'lubricated' by the ointment would have been the best way to do the 'repositioning'...but what you did was fine, and it obviously worked. At least for now.

The gland (often referred to as a duct) that had prolapsed happens most often because of a weakness (genetic) to the membrane that holds it down below that 3rd eyelid, in a protected position so the tears it produces are useful and its not subject to drying or injury as it would be if exposed. Sometimes these 'weak membranes' strengthen with maturity and of course, if the prolapsed gland is repositioned quickly so that there is minimal 'stretching' resulting. Its certainly worth trying, even repeatedly if you're successful with minimal disruption to the dog's well-being, hoping for that maturity to kick-in. If, however, the gland doesn't respond well to the massaging technique, the gland pops out even as soon as one hour after massaging, and it becomes irritation and causes the dog to rub its eye, etc., then I certainly would encourage surgical intervention.

There are two schools of thought on how to deal with a Cherry Eye, one being to remove it with only a topical anesthetic and a skillful quick snip at the vets; the other suggesting that this gland can be responsible for about 40% of the eye's tear production and its worth preserving if its functioning well, ie, the duct is not blocked by long-term exposure or repeated assault by rubbing paw, etc...and here is where the expertise of the vet doing the procedure really matters. Just "tacking" the duct down will not hold in most cases...there needs to be a "pocket" slice made in the membrane/inner structure of the socket to hold the duct back down, yet allow it to function properly. It should not prolapse again if this is done well...and most often that happens when an ophthalmic specialist is doing the procedure, but they are the most expensive way to go. Even with a good repositioning, if the duct has been traumatized, has scar tissue and such that it won't 'hide nicely' the dog can end up with a slightly raised and therefore slightly visible 'pink line' at the bottom of the eye, which is some exposure of that 3rd eyelid. To remove that 3rd eyelid is very dangerous because it truly exposes the dog to future ulceration and real chance of loss of vision. That inner eyelid produces protective flushing action, is an indicator when there are problems with the health of the globe, etc. and we don't want to remove it!!

My boy's cherry eye popped in and out dozens of times before I had them taken care of.

My boy's cherry eye popped in and out dozens of times before I had them taken care of.