Horner’s syndrome, which disproportionately affects Golden Retrievers and Cocker Spaniels, is a disruption of the nerves that control parts of your dog’s eye. The conjunctiva membrane is, after all, the eye’s first line of defense, and comes into contact with many different substances. Any dog can easily contract conjunctivitis. Viral and bacterial conjunctivitis are especially contagious. The conjunctiva is the membrane that protects the dog’s eye conjunctivitis refers to the infection of this membrane. As the tear gland is then unusually exposed, it is subject to irritation, and can become painfully inflamed.Ī dog whose eye gets irritated or infected from external sources, such as bacteria, a virus, dust, or allergens, can easily develop conjunctivitis, or pink eye. Congenitally droopy-eyed breeds that are vulnerable to ectropion include the Basset Hound, Bloodhound, Bulldog, Cocker Spaniel, Mastiff, Newfoundland, and Saint Bernard.ĭogs with wide flat faces, such as Lhasa Apsos, Shih Tzus, and Boston Terriers, have a genetic predisposition to cherry eye, a condition in which the third eyelid’s tear gland expands, protrudes from the eye, and becomes red. Because it is usually congenital, ectropion will usually be diagnosed before the dog is a year old. Many hounds inherit this condition, though it can also be caused by paralysis of the connected facial nerve, hypothyroidism, or neuromuscular disease. A dog with ectropion will have a lower eyelid that droops far enough down from the eye that the tissue of his inner eye lid is exposed, making it vulnerable to injury and irritation. Medical issues related to a dog’s droopy eyes are due to either structural issues with the dog’s eyes, as in the cases of ectropion and cherry eye, or external irritants or damage, as in the cases of conjunctivitis and Horner’s syndrome.Įctropion and cherry eye are both conditions which can occur without any apparent external causes.
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