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What is the red membrane in my puppy's eye and why is he thin?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Labrador Retriever | Male | 2 months and 23 days old | 10 lbs

My puppies' eyes (both) are having sort of a red coloured membrane in lower regions of his eyes. When he sleeps his eyes are often open (80% closed) and I am able to see his pupil going inside (behind) the red coloured membrane. He is also very thin, he eats 4 times a day - 2 times dry food (Pedigree/Chapatti) and 2 times wet food (Milk Daliya). I have attached some photos as well for better answers. Hope you understand, Thank you.

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Josie Drayton, MS, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on June 13th, 2018

Dogs, cats and some other animals have a third eyelid which helps provide extra protection and lubrication to their eyes - could this be what you are seeing while he is sleeping? Simba's third eyelid appears to be in normal positioning in the photos, although if it is staying up after he wakes up, becomes swollen, if he begins squinting or pawing at his eye, if the white of his eye becomes red or he begins having discharge from his eye, I would recommend taking him in to the vet right away as this may indicate a problem with his eye. It sounds like you are feeding him often, which is good. I am not familiar with Milk Daliya or Chapatti. Make sure you are feeding him commercial AAFCO-approved puppy food and look at the instruction on the bag to make sure you are feeding him enough food for his age and body weight. If he is still not gaining weight despite feeding him appropriately, he could have another problem like parasites or a metabolic issue. I would recommend seeing your vet to make sure they are not finding any evidence of these problems. Simba is so cute, I wish him all the best!!

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    Answered By Casey Smallwood

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Thank you for including the pictures of Simba, he is super cute by the way! In regards to the membrane over the lower aspect of his eye, that appears to be his third eyelid. Unlike humans, dogs and cats have a third eyelid in both eyes that move back and forth over the surface of the eye when they blink to help disperse tear film and keep their eyes moisturized. Sometimes this membrane is more visible when the dogs don't have their eyelids completely closed such as when they are squinting or sleeping. This is a totally normal anatomical structure for dogs and cats. Things to watch out for in Simba is if this membrane becomes very inflamed, red or prominent possibly indicating a prolapsed third eyelid which while not immediately life-threatening can cause irritation to the eye with eventual ulceration. It will be important to have Simba seen by a vet if this ever become noticeable, otherwise continue to do a great job of taking care of Simba!

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