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Re: Puppy Cherry Eye[/h]Hi, my female Blossom developed cherry eye at the age of 5 months, first in the right eye, which we were able to massage back in for a short while, but it didn't stay in, especially after playing or exercise. We were going to the vet for vaccinations and puppy exams at the time, so we showed her the eye, and discussed options for surgery. We waited until she was 7 months old, when we had her spayed, to avoid having to put her under anesthetic twice, and also because she was so young. Unfortunately her left eye developed cherry eye a week after her surgery, so we had to do another surgery a month later to repair that eye. It was actually more expensive to do the second surgery on one eye, than it was for the spay and eye surgerytogether. This is because she as already under for her spay surgery, so the eye surgery is considered a secondary surgery. With the second surgery she had to be put under anesthetic again, IV fluids, and medications, all of which you have to pay for again. We discussed options for surgery, tacking the gland in versus removing the gland. Our vet doesn't remove the gland, and she has 24 years of surgery experience, and has a technique that she has developed on her own that she has a lot of success and low recurrence of the cherry eye. She said it can come back sometimes and require another surgery, but she has great success with her technique. Blossoms eyes were done 15 months ago, and they are perfect, and you would never know she had anything done to them. We are very happy with the results. Some people opt to have the gland removed, and have good results as well, but sometimes it can cause a dry eye which requires using eye drops for life after surgery. It really is an individual decision that you have to do your homework on, ask lots of questions from your vet, other people who have experience with this, and make a decision based on what you and your vet decide is best, and what you feel comfortable with. You can continue trying to massage it in, and maybe they'll outgrow it, but they usually don't, but they are too young for surgery, so it wouldn't hurt to try while you're waiting until they're older. I would continue with the eye drops to avoid them getting a dry eye, and because the longer the gland is exposed to the air, the more it will dry out, keeping it moist will be better for the eye tissue, and help to avoid irritation and infection until surgery can be done. That's what I did with Blossom for two months, I used Refresh eye drops from the pharmacy, most products that are safe for humans are also safe for dogs, and they are less expensive to buy from a drugstore than from the vets office. Good luck, I hope this helps.
(1/3/05-05/1/21)
AND MOVE ON.
