Droopy Eyes

[gerry]

Hi everyone

I met up with Teddy and his owners in the vets last night (purely coincidental - happened to overhear them call him Teddy and remembered his from the Gallery!).

We noticed that Rigsby's lower eyelids droop down more than Teddy's.  Is this normal?  At times you can actually see down the droopy bit - more so if he is tired.  Or could this be because his ears are heavy - if you lift them up his eye lids dont seem so baggy!  Should I thin out his ears to make them lighter  :?  (Teddy had been clippered so didnt have heavy ears!).

Thanks,
Gerry                    

[Jane S]

Hi Gerry

I'm sure this subject has come up before - I'll try and find the thread if I can Are Rigsby's eyelids actually loose or is it just that he has unpigmented third eyelids? Loose eyelids don't have much to do with heavy ears (nice idea though ) - the technical term is "ectropion" which is a genetic fault but is common in breeds like the Clumber Spaniel and the Bloodhound & is sometimes seen in Cockers too. Unpigmented third eyelids on the other hand are just the result of a lack of brown pigment in the area - they don't cause any health problems but can look quite pink when a dog is tired & are sometimes confused with droopy eyelids.

Jane

PS Here's one of the old threads on eyes:http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/forum/viewt...opic.php?t=2799                    

[gerry]

Thanks Jane, you really are a mine of information

I think his eyelids are droopy, you can see down them if you see what I mean, this seems to be more so by the end of the day.  This morning I looked at them and they werent too droopy, but they have started to sag now!

They dont appear to bother him at all - should I just leave alone?                    

[Jane S]

They dont appear to bother him at all - should I just leave alone?

If Rigsby's eyes aren't bothering him, it's best to leave well alone. If the lids are droopy, there's more of a risk that dirt/dust can get into they eyes and set up an infection but it's just something you need to watch out for -no need to do anything at the moment                    

[Luvlylady]

Bella's eyes were baggy but as the vet said she might grow into them . shes grown into them alot  i think the left eye is slightly loose but only when she puts her head down . so your better of waiting a while and seeing how they go                    

[valerie]

hi max has a droopy right eye i thought it was quite normal for a cocker? my neighbour's dog which is a blue roan has droopy kind of eyes ! and he seems fine with them, keep me posted! he isn't in any pain.. valerie                    

[shonajoy]

Indie's eyes are a bit droopy too. He once had a bit of discharge, but I bathed them with teabags and so far so good.

Shona