Cherry Eye is defined as a prolapse of the gland of the third eyelid. The medical term is glandular hypertrophy.
The term Dry Eye describes changes that occur in the eye resulting from a lack of tears. Vets call this “KCS”, which stands for keratoconjunctivitis sicca. Both conditions are fairly common in dogs and cherry eye common in cattle.
CHERRY EYE
* In addition to the upper and lower eyelids, dogs and cats have a third eyelid that originates from the inside corner of the eye, the area closest to the nose. This third eyelid acts like a windshield wiper and helps protect the eye. In addition, it contains a gland that produces 30 to 60 percent of the tear film. The tears keep the clear front part of the eye called the cornea lubricated. Cherry Eye is the term used when this gland prolapses or pops out from the third eyelid.
* In dogs with Cherry Eye the prolapsed gland is red and fleshy. It looks like a small cherry that suddenly pops up and protrudes from the corner of the eye. If one eye is affected, the other eye may or may not also be affected at a later date. Dogs with Cherry Eye are usually less than a year old. In addition to the redness and swelling, a clear or mucus discharge may also occur.
DRY EYE (Keratoconjunctivitis sicca)
* Tears supply the cornea with oxygen and nutrients; therefore they are essential to keep the cornea healthy. If the cornea is deprived of oxygen and food because of a lack of tear film, destructive changes occur quickly, leading to a condition called Dry Eye. The cornea can become pigmented, scarred, and ulcerated. Partial vision loss can also result. The eyes of dogs with Dry Eye burn and sting all the time just like ours do on a windy day. Diagnosis is made by a tear test that measures how many tears the eye produces in one minute. In this case, low levels of tear production are detected.
Epson Salt warm compressions just mix the Epson salts with hot water and soak a wash cloth in it and rinse it out there is no salt as it dissolves in the hot water and hold on the cyst until cool and do as many times as you can a day, recommendation of twice a day for about a week..
Example for humans, cattle and other species: mixed 1 cup of Epsom salt with 1 cup of hot water and soaked a washcloth in it and put it over eyes.
Disclaimer
Australian Clients should be aware that national legislation prohibits the marketing or advertising of any veterinary products which have not been registered with the N.R.A. These regulations were designed to control the entry onto the market of new chemical drugs and did not foresee the rising demand for proven herbal and homeopathic formulations. Other laws however, allow such treatments to be available for both human and animal treatment after personal consultation. The Treatment Program Descriptions provided are for Australian clients who should ignore the product names and other claims which are provided for International clients.
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