Cherry eye is not contagious. It cannot spread from one dog to another through contact, shared bedding, toys, or proximity. Cherry eye is a structural problem, not an infection. The gland beneath a dog’s third eyelid slips out of place because the connective tissue holding it there is too weak, and that weakness is determined by genetics rather than any virus or bacterium.
If you’re seeing cherry eye in more than one dog in your household or from the same litter, that’s a sign of shared genetics, not transmission. Here’s what’s actually going on and what to do about it.
What Cherry Eye Actually Is
Dogs have a third eyelid tucked in the inner corner of each eye. At the base of that eyelid sits a small gland responsible for producing 30 to 60 percent of the eye’s tears. Normally, a band of connective tissue anchors this gland firmly in place so you never see it. In dogs with cherry eye, that connective tissue is too loose, and the gland pops out from behind the third eyelid. It appears as a smooth, red or pink lump in the corner of the eye, which is where the name “cherry eye” comes from.
Because the underlying problem is weak connective tissue rather than a pathogen, there is nothing for another dog to “catch.” The gland itself isn’t infected when it prolapses, though it can become irritated and swollen from exposure to air and friction.
Why Multiple Dogs Can Get It
The reason cherry eye sometimes shows up in littermates or in multiple dogs of the same breed is genetics. The connective tissue weakness that allows the gland to slip runs in certain bloodlines. A study from the Royal Veterinary College’s VetCompass programme, the largest of its kind, identified 17 breeds at increased risk. The breeds with the highest odds compared to mixed-breed dogs were:
- Neapolitan Mastiff: 34.3 times more likely
- English Bulldog: 24.1 times more likely
- Lhasa Apso: 12.4 times more likely
- American Cocker Spaniel: 11.6 times more likely
- Puggle (Pug-Beagle cross): 9.5 times more likely
- Great Dane: 6.2 times more likely
- St. Bernard: 5.3 times more likely
Flat-faced breeds and flat-faced designer mixes like the “jug” (Jack Russell-Pug cross) were also significantly affected. The average age at first diagnosis was just 0.6 years, meaning most cases appear in puppies under a year old. If one puppy in a litter develops cherry eye, siblings may too, but that’s inherited anatomy, not contagion.
Can It Spread to the Other Eye?
Cherry eye often does appear in both eyes, but again, this isn’t spreading. Both eyes share the same genetic blueprint for connective tissue strength. If the tissue is weak on one side, it’s typically weak on the other. Many dogs who develop cherry eye in one eye will eventually develop it in the second eye as well, sometimes weeks or months later.
What Happens Without Treatment
Because cherry eye isn’t contagious or caused by infection, some owners assume it’s purely cosmetic and can be left alone. It can’t. That exposed gland produces a major share of the eye’s tear film, and when it’s sitting outside its normal position, it becomes inflamed and stops working properly. Without treatment, dogs face a significant risk of developing chronic dry eye, an uncomfortable condition that requires lifelong eye drops to manage.
Replacing the gland soon after it prolapses gives the best chance of restoring normal tear production. The longer the gland stays exposed, the more damage it sustains.
How Cherry Eye Is Treated
Surgery is the standard treatment. The goal is to tuck the gland back into its correct position and stitch it in place so it stays there. The most widely studied approach, known as the pocket technique, involves creating a small pouch in the tissue surrounding the gland and suturing it closed with the gland inside. A meta-analysis of surgical outcomes found an overall failure rate of about 3 percent with this method. Another approach anchors the gland to the bone at the rim of the eye socket.
Removing the gland entirely used to be common but is now strongly discouraged. Dogs that lose this gland are at high risk of chronic dry eye because it’s responsible for such a large portion of their tear production. Cornell University’s veterinary school and other institutions are clear on this point: replacement, not removal.
What Recovery Looks Like
The stitches used in cherry eye surgery are typically absorbable, so you won’t need a follow-up visit for suture removal. Your dog will need to wear a protective cone for one to two weeks to prevent rubbing or pawing at the eye while it heals. Most dogs bounce back quickly, and the cosmetic result is usually excellent, with the gland tucked completely out of sight.
Why Massage Doesn’t Work Long-Term
You may find advice online suggesting that gently massaging the gland back into place can fix cherry eye at home. While it’s sometimes possible to temporarily push the gland back behind the third eyelid, this doesn’t address the underlying problem. The connective tissue is still too weak to hold the gland in place, so it will pop back out. Delaying surgery while attempting home remedies gives the gland more time to become inflamed and damaged, which can reduce the chances of a good outcome when surgery eventually happens.