Basset's third eyelid

I'm pretty sure all dogs have this. Rosco and Layla both have one. They're more visible when they are sleepy. I believe it is called a nictating membrane and it usually can't be seen in other breeds, but in some dogs they are visible. It's supposed to keep the eye lubricated. Check the link below for more details. Unless it's really red or irritated I wouldn't worry.

Dog Owner's Guide: The eyes have it

The breed standard calls for a prominate haw. haw, third eyelid, nictating membrane are all the same thing.


FWIW Toughy would never sleep closing his regular eye lids just the nictating membrane.

Yeah, same story here. Rosco in particular only closes the haw when he sleeps, especially if he is holding is head in a certain position.

Dodolah, your dog's membrane looks normal to me. Rosco's wasn't really noticeable when he was younger, but his droopy-eyed look showed up at around 6-8 months of age and it became more obvious.

I just recently heard about something called "Cherry Eye" that bassets are known to get. Here's a link to read more about it...

Basset Hound Cherry Eyes Problem

Maybe mention it to your vet?