Australian Shepherd Cherry Eye: The Gland That Pops Out of Place

The historical approach to cherry eye was simply removing the gland, but that's fallen out of favor because the gland produces a meaningful share of the eye's tear film. Removing it can lead to chronic dry eye later in life, which is its own lasting problem.

The modern standard is a surgical technique that repositions the gland back into its normal place and secures it there, preserving its tear-production function. This is a well-established procedure with a good success rate, though a small number of dogs experience a recurrence and need a second procedure.

If you think your Aussie has cherry eye, the plan is three steps: write down what you have seen and when it started, book a veterinary appointment rather than waiting for the next flare, and take video of the behaviour or symptom before you go — the thing you are worried about rarely happens in the consulting room. Screening in the parents covers hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, epilepsy.

What the vet visit should produce is a diagnosis and a written plan, not just reassurance: what is being ruled out, what the monitoring interval is, and which signs mean you come back sooner. Ask what the treatment costs across a year rather than per visit, because that is the number that decides whether you are managing this condition or reacting to it.

Between appointments, keep a short log — dates, what you saw, what changed. It is the single most useful thing an owner brings to a follow-up, and for cherry eye it is often what separates a clear pattern from a guess.