Liz Buchanan BVSc MRCVS
Keymaster
Hello! I can see Muffy's third eyelid, part-covering the eye from the medial canthus (nose-side corner). This can happen for several reasons, one of which might be damage to the nerve supplying the third eyelid (usually held fully open) and another of which may be pain. I am interested in the neurological possibility as the temporal muscle of the face appears to be reduced in volume from this angle when compared to that of the other side, which may be connected. This might also be caused by a lack of neurological input to the area. Horner's syndrome (a syndrome is a typical pattern of clinical signs that occur together, in this case ptosis, meiosis and endopthalmus) should be considered;. it occurs for various different reasons. It is hard to tell from the photo what the pupil is doing, but a vet could examine the eye properly, check the facial nerves and for eg foreign bodies, before deciding where to go from there. Both eyes look somewhat reddened to me and although this is common in dogs of this breed, it is not normal; it could be from rubbing of the area, for example the result of chronic skin disease (eg allergy) or a response to pain. I cannot see a prolapse of the third eyelid, but this is also possible.
Whatever the cause, a vet needs to examine the eye and as it may be an emergency; please contact your emergency team to make plans.
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