Veterinarian Loris Pazzaglia DVM, Neapolitan Mastiff known for being the veterinarian for Mario Querci and his legendary kennel Di Ponzano, is located in Italy at Clinicia Veterinaria Galilei.
The cherry eye, an ulcerated gland of the third eyelid, is a very common Mastino problem, simple to correct, but terrifies the first-time owner, due to conflicting information from their vet and experienced owners.
Dr. Loris Pazzaglia with Sancho De Azzurra.
It mostly occurs in puppies, but can 'pop up' at any age. If one eye develops this infected gland, many times the other eye will also develop shortly afterward, so is best to wait 30 days to see if this will happen before performing surgery. In the meantime, the infected eye can be treated with antibiotic eye drops to stop any infection spreading to the eye and surrounding tissues and also to keep the eye lubricated.
Dr. Loris Pazzaglia, advocates the removal of the infected gland in this, but no other dog breed, due to the Mastino's unique elasticity in the tissue means that suturing back in place is rarely a success and can lead to more problems and further surgical intervention. New owners with problems could show your veterinarian this page for reference.
The following are step-by-step photographs of Dr. Pazzaglia's technique for cherry eye removal.
Sancho De Azzurra
Note cherry eye on Sancho's left eye
Sedation, anesthesia
Intubation
Preparation
Removal of third eyelid grand
Dr. Loris Pazzaglia advocates the removal of the infected gland in this, due to the Mastino's unique elasticity in the tissue.
Suturing
Removal and completion
Sancho De Azzurra
Post operation cherry eye removal
