Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

  • Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!

My dog's eye was poked, now the third eyelid is out. What's wrong?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

I’m not sure what is wrong with my dogs eye. My other dog poked it yesterday morning and it now looks like this. He isn’t in pain when I touch it, but it does not look right to me.

This question includes photos that may contain sensitive content. Click to view.

View more to consider that the photos may include sensitive content.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on November 30th, 2019

The third eyelid is out. The third eyelid is a normal part of the anatomy of a dog's eye, but it should not be out when the eye is open. That tells me something is wrong with his eye. Any eye problem needs to be checked out by a vet promptly, as leaving it untreated can lead to vision loss. Please take him into a vet now.

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi I just wanted to now what I can do for my little girl meary
It seems the third eyelid gland has popped out. you can't do anything at home but you need to take her to your vet to get it checked, a foreign body in the eye can sometimes cause this. in other cases it is spontaneous and will require either medical or surgical treatment.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog woke up with her eye like this. It is Sunday and our vet is closed. What could this be?
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.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi, may i know what happened to my dog eyes? I brought my dog to few vet and i spent a lot on those checking but none of them give me an accurate answer and a proper explanation. It makes me worry about it.
I imagine you are referring to the slight extension of the third eyelid out in the open. The reason you have not been able to get a definitive answer regarding this problem is because in most dogs with this issue, it does not tend to become problematic. Some pathologic processes that can cause this type of condition includes diseases of the extraocular musculature, nerve damage to the third eyelid, Horner's syndrome, and less commonly certain cancers of the orbit and eye. Most of these disease processes require the expertise of a veterinary ophthalmologist to diagnose. If this is something you are interested in pursuing, I would discuss that with your primary veterinarian. Hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
hello, my dog has something in her eye and i’m not sure if it is something i should worry about or if it is completely normal.
That could be Bailey's third eyelid, which is a normal part of the dog's eye anatomy. But it should not be out when the dog's eye is open, which indicates a problem. I'd have her seen by a vet for this.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
So this white part in the corner of his eye appeard over night.. (the bottom right corner) it wasn't there before and there is no such thing on the other eye. I will attach 3 pictures of it and maybe you can tell me what it is and should I take him t
That’s Albert’s third eyelid. It’s a normal part of anatomy, and only comes out when the eye is closed. His other eye has one as well. When the third eyelid is visible when the dog’s eye is open, that can be a sign of an eye problem like an infection or injury to the eye. I would definitely have this checked out by a vet, and I recommend taking him into one in the morning. Best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Dog has nictitating membrane half closing his left eye. He's not opening the eye. But no drooping of lid. He's eating well.
A closed eye is often a painful eye, and a painful eye should be seen by a veterinarian. A scratch or ulcer of the cornea is the most common reason I see this, although many other problems can cause it as well. Good luck and I hope he improves soon.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
So today I woke up and my dog SAsha eye isn’t look too good. Her eye yesterday was perfect and normal but today it’s like the inner eyelid is coming over and her eye is in the corner it’s only one eye. She’s eating, drinking and playing like normal a
Poor pup! It's hard to tell exactly what's going on from the photos, but it definitely looks like something is wrong. When the third eyelid is elevated like this, it normally means that something is irritating the surface of the eye - she could have an eye infection, or an injury to her eye such as a corneal scratch or ulcer. You can try gently rinsing her eye with some plain saline eye wash, if she will let you - if she has a hair or something irritating her eye, this may resolve the problem. If this doesn't help, then I would recommend taking her to the vet today for an exam. He/she can examine the eye and use a special stain if needed to help diagnose the problem and get her started on medicated eye drops to treat it.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My dog got groomed 3 days ago and her eye has been swollen and her third eyelid is covering half her eye. The swelling went down and now it's just the third eyelid left. I've been using eye rinse I got at pet smart. Anything else I can do?
I would have Maggie seen by a vet immediately. The eye is such a delicate and important structure that any problem with it should be considered an emergency. That's because leaving it untreated can lead to vision loss. The vet can diagnose what is causing her third eyelid to cover her eye, and can give her medication to treat it. I would take Maggie into an ER vet or find a vet on call to see her now.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hello! In the past couple months there have been a couple instances where my dogs third eyelid has rolled back and gotten stuck in place. It usually rolls back in a couple hours. I was wondering if this is a normal thing to happen or if it could be a
It is not normal, but if it's only happened once or twice, it's something you can bring up at your next visit. If it's happening often, or doesn't return to normal after a short bit, the eye looks red or injured, or Ronin is bothered by it, then he should be seen by his vet sooner to rule out any health issues such as cherry eyes, injuries, infections, etc.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My puggle’s eye is swollen or out of place in the lower left corner. It just started a few hours ago. Is this anything to take him to the vet for or is there something I can do to help him?
This looks like a protrusion of the third eyelid (cherry eye), in some cases when it is mild it can be treated with special eye drops that your vet can prescribe but in most cases it requires surgical repair.
Updated on September 24th, 2025

Related Searches

Dog Supplies Dog Eye Care Dog Toys Dog Food Dog Ear & Eye Care Dog Ear & Eye Medicine Dog Ear Care Dog Health & Wellness Dog Medicine and Prescriptions Dog Pain Medicine & Relief Natural Remedies Dog Eye Care Earth Animal Dog Eye Care Well & Good Dog Eye Care Vetericyn Dog Eye Care Angels' Eyes Dog Eye Care HICC Pet Dog Eye Care PetAlive Dog Ear & Eye Care Skout's Honor Dog Eye Care Pawtitas Dog Ear & Eye Care Curicyn Dog Eye Care
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored