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My dog's third eyelid is showing. What should I do if vet is closed?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed Medium (23 - 60lb) | Female | spayed | 50 lbs

My dog woke up with her eye like this. It is Sunday and our vet is closed. What could this be?

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jeffrey Milner

Veterinarian

Published on May 7th, 2017

What you are seeing on Jax is his third eyelid (known as the nicitating membrane) sticking out over the rest of his eyeball. I can not say for sure why it has prolapsed. This can happen due to an injury or an infectious process. The nicitating membrane has several important responsibilities, so making sure that it is still fully functional is important. While it is not an emergency, if the membrane does not return to its normal location by tomorrow I would consider bringing Jax in for an appointment. In the mean time, I would recommend obtaining some artificial tears from the drug store and keeping the eye nice and lubricated. Do this every 4 to 6 hours in case there is a lack of tear production.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on November 30th, 2019

    This is Nala’s third eyelid sticking out. It’s a normal part of a dog’s eye anatomy but it should not be out when the eye is open. The fact that it’s out tells me something is wrong with her eye. She needs to see a vet ASAP for this. Leaving any eye problem untreated can lead to vision loss.

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