Just a quick question......I will be getting a bassett puppy in a month or so and in some of the pics i've seen the grown dos seem to have alot of redness in their eyes and on teh bottom eyelid.....why is this nd is there anything that can be done to et rid of the redness if my baby develops it??? :huh:
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From the
AKC breed Standard
"The eyes are soft, sad, and slightly sunken, showing a prominent haw, and in color are brown, dark brown preferred. A somewhat lighter-colored eye conforming to the general coloring of the dog is acceptable but not desirable. Very light or protruding eyes are faults. "
The haw is the third eye lips AKA nictitating membrane or membrana nictitans. It is fleshy and red and color, hence the redness you see at the bottom of the breeds eye. As the dog ages the lids get droppier and the hae even more prominent. The redness is normal and not painful or harmfull in anyway. You need not worry about it.
There is a condition that can occur that to the novice can be confused with a prominent haw
Cherry Eye
Cherry eye or eversion or inversion of third eyelid cartilage, prolapse of nictitating membrane
is a condition requiring surgery to repair. Repair is preferred to removal because the gland is responsible for 30% of tear production. Removal may lead to a painful condition known as dry eye.
Note in cherry Eye the gland in the corner of the eye by the nose becomes very prominent. In dogs with normal prominent haws the haw in younger dogs is fairly evenly visiable all along the bottom of the eye as the dog ages the outside corners of the eyes (away from the nose) tend to droop more making the haw more prominent at the outer corners of older dogs
Macy 2 year old
