So I wake up one morning and to my surprise my own little rescue puppy from the South, “Dixie”, is greeting me with the signature pink bulging bump from the corner of her eye known as cherry eye.
So what is cherry eye anyway? Technically, it refers to the prolapse of the nictitating membrane of the third eyelid. This gland is responsible for about 30% of the dog’s tear production.
Cherry eye is known to be more common in certain breeds and certainly seems to be at least a partially hereditary condition. It is claimed that the prolapse occurs because of weaker connective tissue around the gland.
Left untreated, cherry eye can cause chronic irritation of the eye and remain as an unsightly red bulge in the corner of the eye.
The usual treatment is surgery, which I have assisted with a handful of times while I worked as a veterinary technician. Success rate and cost of surgery will vary depending on the veterinarian performing the procedure.
When confronted with the issue myself, I thought if it popped out it must be able to pop back in, and after a little research it seems that others have also managed to massage their dogs’ cherry eyes back into place. Most recommend using some kind of an eye lubricant. Since I caught my dog’s cherry eye early and her gland and eye was still very moist – I did the technique without lubricant thinking that the lubricant might also make it pop back out easier. So, if I was able to get it back in easy without the foreign lubricant I did, since the tears of the eye does act as a natural lubricant.
Researching that the best known reason as to why cherry eye occurs is because of weakened connective tissue around the gland, I immediately placed Dixie on a supplement that is designed to support the connective tissue of joints – which I figured couldn’t hurt in supporting any of the body’s connective tissue.
The result: Within 4 days I had to massage the cherry eye back in 3 times. I also massaged for a few days afterwards just to seal the deal. I placed her on Agility supplement, and 7 weeks later still no sign of cherry eye and her eyes look good as new! You can see the video below of the last time I massaged in the cherry eye. Remember I am not a veterinarian and there are risks to doing this yourself, including damaging the cartilage around the eye. Consider this post an alternative and something best discussed with your veterinarian. Would be interested in any feedback from others who have had success with a similar plan.
July 1, 2010 - 1:46 am
Hi,
I have a kitty that keeps getting Cherry Eye. Hers is much bigger than that of your dog. Have managed to massage it back in myself on occasion, but wondered about the supplementation. I have started giving her alpha lipoic acid which is for inflammation. Would glucosamine/condroitin be a good alternative as it’s for joints and connective tissue? Don’t want to subject her to the surgery.
Thanks so much!
January 1, 2011 - 10:20 pm
This happened to my dog after abath shampoo got in his eye. He rubbed h is eye on carpet and cherry eye appeared for that reason i put some eye gel in his eye.Then massaged back in place did this every day for about a week cause kept popping out.Now it seems to be fixed not happened for 3weeks as i understand it, its an injury so will need time to repair.If needs be I will have the opperation but only as a last resort.Thanks for your help without this howto would of had needless
Operation that could of made things worse.
January 19, 2011 - 2:48 am
Hi- Your video has been very useful! I adopted a puppy who immediately showed cherry eye in her left eye. My vet told me surgery was the only option and handed me an estimate for 800 dollars; she also told me the surgery doesn’t usually ‘take’ the first time! No thanks!
I found your video and have massaged the cherry eye into place many many times in the last month. I just ordered a supplement similar to the one you are giving you dog and I hope it will help. My 3 year old daughter told me she wants to call our dog ‘Dixie’..I think I’ve watched your clip too many times!!
thanks again,
Jen
February 18, 2011 - 6:12 pm
Thank you! I just noticed my 4 year old girl got up after a nap and had a bit of bulge in her eye. Some quick googling and I found you, here, on video. Frankie’s (bulldog) wasn’t red or inflamed and gentle massage as you showed and tada! all fixed before it got inflamed
February 22, 2011 - 5:46 am
I found your video tonight and immediately tried to massage my 8 month old Chugs eye. She was not interested in my holding her and rubbing her eye and as soon as I finished she tried to jump and it came back out again. She has had this in both eyes but it does not last for more than three or four days, could this be allergies or will it get worse and stay out permanently? Are there any drops we can put on it to keep it moist and uninfected? thanks, Deb
March 10, 2011 - 9:47 pm
Hi! About two weeks ago I noticed cherry eye on Barney. The next day it was gone. About one week later, it came back so two days afterwards I brought him to the Vet. She gave me an antibiotic and said lets try reducing the swelling. Today after reading this link I massaged it i and it went in for a few hours and then came out again. I will keep trying for a few days . Has it returned on Dixie? She is precious. Absolutely precious.
March 11, 2011 - 7:42 pm
I think hers popped out 3 times total in a few days. I kept massaging her eye a couple times per day, even when it didn’t pop back out, for a few days. The vid was the last time it popped out and it has been at least 7 months since…
Good luck!
March 12, 2011 - 3:31 pm
Mike, I can not thank you enough. Not only has Barney’s cherry eye disappeared but your post was written on my sweet, wonderful Morkie’s birthday. Yes, I know it may happen again but at least I have found a solution. I do not want to subject my dog or myself to surgery and believe there are many home remedies out there. Best of luck with Dixie. I am so glad I found your link.
April 9, 2011 - 5:21 am
Thank you so much just did the massage technique after cherry eye had been out for 3 days & surprise surprise it worked just saved $150 for the specialist consult after being told by my vet our dog would need eye surgery. Cannot thank you enough.
April 25, 2011 - 8:26 am
We can’t ever thank you enough for the info and for the video. Our chihuahua Rebecca appeared yesterday for the first time with this small symptom in her right eye. Before anything else I did a quick research online which gladly brought me to your page (this page). I tried your technique and it worked like a charm. I only needed less than a minute massaging her eye to have it back to normal. I don’t know if it will ever come back, but if it does, now we know what it is and what we have to do!!
After the quick massage not only the “cherry eye” was gone, but also Rebecca could almost say “thank you” with her expression (like it was bringing some sort of discomfort for her, after all). So, we all thank you for your help… And Kika (the “short” for Rebecca) has said “au au auuuu, arf arrfff” in appreciation, then jumped a few times and finally ran around her own body chasing her tail (which she will never get anyway)…
The fact is that she is happier than ever, and so are we… All thanks to you!!
Keep up the good work!
Julio Marchi, Kika and Family.
April 25, 2011 - 2:06 pm
hi, my working dogs. back left leg has poped out and need to now is there away of me putting it in mymelf ????
April 25, 2011 - 7:35 pm
Hello, was out of town for a few days and my oldest told me what was going on with Nala our dog, she seems to have this cherry eye you seem to be talking about, but her upper lid is also swollen. Should I try to massage both or take her to the vet? tks
May 12, 2011 - 4:03 pm
Haii! I noticed something was wrong with my 8 year old boxer, Leyla, yesterday after I got back from school. After some Googleing, I found out it was cherry eye, which I have never heard of before, and then saw this link for a home remedy. Since I love using home remedies for myself, and considering it had just happened, I figured it would be worth a try. After not even a minute of gentle rubbing, the thing was gone and hasn’t popped back out yet.
I am very glad I found this link because I cannot afford surgery at the moment. Thank you so soo much! Leyla and I are very grateful. ^__^
June 5, 2011 - 1:37 am
I have a 7 mouth old lab-pei and she has cherry eye bad, we will try this I dont have the money for vet. hope it works
July 4, 2011 - 8:54 pm
Hi!! MAY I JUST SAY THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! My 3 1/2 month old puggle just literally had it happen 15 mins ago!! I looked up cherry eye and came across your site and it WORKED PERFERCTLY!!!!!!!!!!!! Hopefully it doesn’t pop back out but this makes me feel so much better for him and saves us some $$$ too!! I really am very happy we found you!!!
July 18, 2011 - 5:50 pm
My 3 year old Boston woke up with a cherry eye this morning. If I can find a way to avoid surgery (the vet’s favorite remedy for everything), I do. I found your site, watched the video, and massaged her eye. It immediately popped back in. Her eye isn’t red or irritated. Thank you so much for posting this information! I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it worked!
July 25, 2011 - 3:33 pm
Hi, i just wanna say thanks for the help on the home rememdy on taking care of my dogs cherry eye. It worked like magic, hes completely better now thanks to you guys. i tried so many other remedies but his one really worked for me and again thanks
July 27, 2011 - 11:36 am
Hi Mike,
I just want to say thanks for your video showing how to massage cherry eye back into place. I followed your instructions and it worked really well. I went back into place the first day and then came out again the next morning. I did it again and it has never came out again and it has been a couple of weeks now. Saved us the cost of an operation!! My dog is very happy as well.
Thanks
Leonie
July 27, 2011 - 9:19 pm
what kind of eye lubricant would be good to use while massaging ?
August 30, 2011 - 6:44 pm
THank you sooooooo much!!!! My 6yr old Jack russell hasw had cherry eye for about 4 days last night it went back in and then i took him outside. When he came back in his cherry popped back out. like everyone else do not want to go to the vet sooo i googled it found your website followed your video and ta dahhh! Chevy’s eye is back to normal!!!!!!! Thanks again!
September 3, 2011 - 11:53 pm
Thank you so much for the video man your a life saver
October 17, 2011 - 9:52 pm
Like just about everyone else, I’d like to say THANK YOU for the wonderful remedy!! I just adopted a 3 month old French Bulldog LAST NIGHT and today out comes the cherry eye! I tried your remedy and it looks to have gone away. It’s still red and irritated, but I’ll just have to wait and see at this point.
October 24, 2011 - 3:24 am
I just noticed cherry eye in my ~9 year old doxie, Bridget. I immediately began to panic once I read that such a majority of the cases need surgery as she is a bit “husky” and cannot have surgery. She had a tough time coming out of anesthesia several years ago for an x-ray on her hips. Anyway, after watching your very helpful video, I went to try it out on her and she had rolled around on the bed, rubbing her eye and popped her own back into place. Let’s hope it stays there. I will certainly keep an eye on her and watch for a relapse…
November 13, 2011 - 12:04 am
Thanks so much for sharing this!! When my dog Sophie was a puppy we had the surgery on one of her eyes. It just happened in the other eye today and I was looking for every option besides surgery again! This popped it back in and is such a relief! Thank you so much for this video!! You just saved me ALOT of money and of course it’s right before Christmas so I am very thankful!! God Bless.
November 23, 2011 - 7:24 pm
Thank you so much for your help. I woke up this morning to find that my 8 month old English bulldog had a huge bump on her eye, that I later found out to be a cherry eye. After watching your video I massaged her eye and it popped right back in place. I can’t thank you enough, it saved me an expensive trip to the vet.
November 28, 2011 - 8:17 am
I actually completed this procedure on our puppy, the vet diagnosed him with cherry eye, the vet gave him eye drops once a day, This did not work, I started massaging his eye and it popped back in. My wife came across this video during her research of the condition. Although I did not use see your procedure, it basically backed up the treatment and confirmed my actions. Thanks for the effort, it helps in many ways.
Jeff
January 8, 2012 - 5:36 pm
My 4 month old aussie got cherry eye from an accident. It has been 2 weeks since it happened and I am following my vet’s protocol of drops and antibiotic gel. It isn’t as swollen now and when I put the drops in I massage her eye a little. Tonight I will try to see if I can get it to go back in, keeping my fingers crossed!!
January 17, 2012 - 7:52 pm
Thank you so much for the Video I just rescued a boston terrier a few months ago . We never owned a dog and my wife biggest fear was vet bills. Today was the day, my daughter called and sent me a picture of Lola . First I thought here we go
a expensive vet bill. I googled Cherry eye and watch your video . It took less than two minutes to work the eye lid back in place . Thank you so much
February 1, 2012 - 3:35 pm
Thank you so much for posting this! My 12 1/2 yr old beagle woke up with a cherry eye for the first time this morning and I was so worried and didn’t know what to do. I found your posting and video and did what you said to massage it back in place and was so happy it worked! I’m so grateful you took the time to put this online with a video to help the rest of us. I can’t thank you enough!
February 2, 2012 - 4:39 am
I came across your video on youtube and I am sooooo glad i did. My boston terrier pup is almost 5 months old and a little bit ago he woke up with cherry eye. The next day it has corrected itself. I brought him to the vet anyway and she perscribed an ointment to be put on 2x daily for 10 days. It’s been almost 10 days now and low and behold about 3 days ago the cherry eye was back and this time it seemed to be worse and sticking around. The vet had informed me that if the ointment didnt work he would need surgery as that was the only way to fix it!
I figured there had to be another option so i started looking online.. then i came across your video . I tried gently massaging it back into place and 2 times it went back in then popped right back out. so i let him rest a bit and applied some covered ice around the closed eye to reduce swelling, after a few minutes i rinsed some gunk out of his eye using alittle saline water ( unopened bottle from the hospital) i then tried again and had to apply alittle more pressue and massage a bit longer and VOILA!! IT WORKED. It’s only been one hour but I am soo happy. Hopefully it stays in place. Anyways I just wanted to say thank you for the info and for posting this video!!
February 27, 2012 - 2:00 am
Thank you for this video! My 6 month old Puggle had this in her right eye and I immediately began stressing about the possibilities and costs and then I stumbled on your video online and IT WORKED! I can’t thank you enough!!!
March 3, 2012 - 3:22 am
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! You just made my jug Diesel’s night! I am so happy you posted this video. I cannot thank you enough <3
March 17, 2012 - 3:44 pm
Great video. Kudos to the guy with the steady hand. We have been to the vet. Blah!!!
Not happy with them. They said it probably WASN”T cherry eye. They put Rudy on steroid and an ointment.
He loved the massaging of the ointment… I wanted to make sure it was coating the sore…Thanks so much
for the demo. Can you give me an idea of how much pressure you put on the eye and if you used any ointment.
Another site said not to so it wouldn’t slip back out….any help would be great!
March 17, 2012 - 5:11 pm
hello hello, you made my day… I had picked out and picked up a puppy for my brother-inlaw and his family. He was trusting me .The puppy came to us perfect, but 1 day it was just there like you said a little pink buldge. I knew what it was right away, had seen it on a vet show I watch. They were operating on the eye.
Well My heart did a flip oh no what was i going to do, I had 3 dogs of my own…and could not afford to have surgery done on this little puppy. So I went to the internet. That is how I found you. I watched your video a few times, now it was time to try it. I did just like you said and vola it went back in. we kept her quiet for a couple days and she is as good as new. So thakyou so much for taking the time to make a video and explaining how to try and fix it.
I called the breeder and she said she had another puppy come back with cherry eye.
The breeder had never heard of cherry eye before and her vet said surgery was the only way to fix it. So I drove out there to show her hoe it was done. While there I managed to fix the one eye and almost had the other one stay in but unfortunetly they have both popped out again. The puppy had no way of staying quiet playing with all the other puppie and childern.
So there you have my story and I am very happy to have found you and your help
Take care
Debranne
March 19, 2012 - 8:31 pm
We have a rescued CaneCorso Italian Mastiff that has this condition. The first two times we used eye dfops from vet and massaged them in…the red bulge would disappear and we’d think, “wow, what great drops.”. we were prob using this technique.
. anyhow I just tried your massaging technique and it worked. Thank you for sharing.
March 23, 2012 - 11:00 pm
Thank You so much for posting a how to video.
My puppy’s cherry eye went away just as fast as it showed up. The massage did not seem to bother her and actually did not want me to stop. Thanks again.
Jose
March 24, 2012 - 3:43 am
I am so grateful to you. My newly rescued mini pinscher mix developed cherry eye within the past month or so. It seems it only pops out when he is stressed out and barking non stop. Usually it would correct itself within an hour or so, but tonight it wouldn’t go back in. I was afraid I was out of options and would have to opt for the expensive surgery. I Googled home remedies for cherry eye and you and Dixie came up first. I watched the video twice to make sure I did it right, tried it on Rocky and it worked. Thank you so much.
March 25, 2012 - 8:52 pm
My 4 month old english bulldog/pug mix appeared with a cherry eye about a month ago. Thankfully I found a low cost spay and neuter clinic that also does cherry eye corrective surgeries. The first time the cherry eye showed up it eventually went back in. It popped out again, and remained. Home remedies of massage may work, but are not a long term fix I believe.
We took our dog in to have his cherry eye corrected. They gave pain meds and eye ointment plus had him in an e-collar for two weeks. The morning after the “tuck” surgery, the cherry eye appeared back. We called, and they told us to bring him in again and fix it again. Two days after that, sure enough it was back after his e-collar popped open and he (I’m guessing) rubbed that area of his eye without us even knowing it. If you are opting to get this surgery, be prepared to keep a very close eye on your dog, and even ask about a medication to keep them calm, otherwise unless your dog sleeps all day there is a high chance just a little bump will undo everything (it’s very stressful). We called the vet and they are telling us now that it is “just inflammed” and that this second “surgery,” they found that the stitches were still in contact and all they did was push it back in. So for now, we’re keeping the collar on him, giving him his pain med and the medicine to keep him “calm,” as well as the eye ointment. It could unfortunately take a third surgery. I highly doubt it is “inflammed,” seeing it looks exactly the way it did prior to even the first surgery.
I know removing the gland is not popular anymore, but some vets suggest that it may be worth it in the end because you avoid multiple surgeries (stress on the dog and you), and money as well. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of information about cherry eye other than what it is, and how it can be “treated.” Ask your vet plenty of questions, especially how many surgeries it typically takes to ensure it is “tacked away” for good.
March 26, 2012 - 7:00 am
i have a shi tzu cocker spaniel puppy she has cherry eye i just now found this video im pretty pissed i didnt come across it earlier. she has had two surgerys on it and now her eye lid is inflammed i feel so bad for her i dont know if it hurts her but i know it bothers her. the cost of surgerys were covered by petland but not the fact that my puppy has to keep going back. your video is awesome i just wish i came across it when i first saw it pop out instead of rushing her to the vet.
March 26, 2012 - 6:47 pm
Very sorry to hear about your experience with surgery! Massage worked as a long the fix for the dog in the video (will be going on two years since the last time we needed to massage it back in). It seems that genetics and how damaged the surrounding tissue/cartilage is will also play a role. I wish you luck with your pup.
March 26, 2012 - 9:59 pm
thank you for posting this……it worked and it only took 20 to 30 seconds! I will check her regularly to see if it happens again = )
April 14, 2012 - 3:34 am
It worked. Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing. Please keep this site up for others.
April 15, 2012 - 11:36 pm
Thanks for the video. I wondered if I would be too squeamish to do this but you showed it to be straightforward and simple (plus your dog seems relaxed – almost like he is enjoying it!!). Tonight I’m going to try this on my Dachshund because this condition just appeared in her left eye about half an hour ago. This technique is far less invasive then surgery
April 24, 2012 - 10:52 pm
Our 4 month old Great Dane showed cherry eye a month or so ago, so we observed it for a week and dropped it under advice from our vet. It was operated on a couple weeks ago and she was healing nicely. The other eye popped a couple days ago and we had surgery on it today, as well as some repairing of stitches that were irritating the other eye.
Today I found your video on youtube and just about cried… Our vet never even suggested this method to us, telling us “surgery is the only option”. I know that this method does not always work in the the long run, however it was not even advised to us. Its our fault we were duped, but we did go to the expert about what we should do about the situation and were obviously pointed in the wrong direction.
I’m going to have some tough questions for him when we go in for our checkup in a couple days
April 25, 2012 - 1:48 am
Thank u sooo much. My American bully had this for 2 days and I am soooo thankful to have found ur video…that its gone now!
May 17, 2012 - 2:43 pm
I have never heard of cherry eye and I’ve had dogs my entire life (40 years). Last night, my daughter noticed that one of our beagles, Lilo, had a red bulge coming from the corner of her eye. At first, I thought maybe she got stung and was having an allergic reaction so I gave her a benadryl. After a while, I started to worry that maybe it was something more so I got online and started looking around and that’s when I found out about “cherry eye” and I found this website. I read the comments, watched the video and then I sat on the floor with Lilo and massaged her eye. She didn’t like it necessarily, but she let me do it. I massaged for 2-3 minutes checking intermittently to see if it was gone. It looked better, but Lilo would blink and then it would look like it did before. Since it was late at night, I decided to let Lilo sleep on it and told her we’d do it again in the morning. Woke up this morning and it’s completely gone! Her one eye looks just a little sleepy, but there is no redness and no bulge. I don’t know if it was the massaging or just letting her sleep it off, but either way, it’s gone and we didn’t have to go to the vet! After spending $2000 over the past four months for our cat and his surgery, I was relieved that Lilo didn’t require surgery for this. If it comes back, I’ll massage her eye again. Thank you SO much for this information!
May 20, 2012 - 2:50 pm
Thank you thank you thank you for posting this video!!! My Miley has cherry eye just popped out a few days ago, I didn’t take her to the vet due to the fact I can’t afford it. I have massaged it back in twice today & so far so good. I am just going to keep checking it. She doesn’t mind me doing it because after the first time we gave her a treat, so after the second time she jumped down & ran to the place the treats are kept in. Just tell me where to send the $10.00…lol. You are appreciated by sooo many people obviously!! Thanks again!!
May 24, 2012 - 2:00 am
Amazing!!! Thank you so much!
May 24, 2012 - 3:43 am
Awesome! After about 5 minutes of massaging my dachshund, it popped right back in.
May 28, 2012 - 1:17 am
Thanks for the video. My dog Harley had this & I was freaking out. I saw your video and tried it and its now gone
Thanks