Pink eye

Question
I have an out door dog who has a swollen and pink eye. Can you tell me what this is?  

Answer
Hi Natalie and thanks for your question.

Your description is not vet clear, but I'm going to take a stab at what you may be describing.

Is the swelling and pinkness in the inside corner of the eye? Like a little piece of the inside of the eye lid protruding to the outside?
If this is the case, it is called "Cherry eye". It is nothing serious and can be treated (usually tacted back into place or removed), however, many people choose to not treat it at all. It doesn't cause the dog pain or vision problems, but it can cause a dry eye, as the tear duct can be affected.

This condition can be genetic or caused by an injury of some type (usually minor in nature).

If the eyelid looks swollen in general and there is a discharge, it could be clamydial conjuctivitis (basically pink eye in dogs). This will need to be treated with ophthalmic antibiotic ointment and some times oral antibiotics, but usually (when treated) won't cause any long term problems. If left untreated, however, can cause loss of vision in one or both eyes. This condition is contagious, so be cautious and use good sanitary practices.

Please let me know how this turns out and if you need clarification on anything, please let me know.