# Third eyelid 'stuck' / got the sneezes



## xCx (Apr 1, 2010)

Hi, has anybody had something similar to this...my vet seems puzzled.
Since Monday my 18 month old dachshund's third eyelid has been getting 'stuck' partially across her left eye mainly but also slightly in the right eye too.
She's had a few sneezing fits and occassionally paws at her face or tries to rub it against the sofa. Her appetite etc etc is fine & she otherwise seems ok.
Vet said she had a slight temperature and she was given an antibiotic and anti-inflamatory jab yesterday and I was told to go back this morning. Vet examined her again but couldn't find anything wrong (no obvious scratches, bumps, eye infections and as sod's law would have it her eyes looked fine at the vet!). So we were sent on our way (about £70 lighter -a nice happy new year pressie from the dog! ) with a weeks worth of antibiotics/anti-inflammatory stuff.

Just curious to see if anyone else has had anything like this?
Thanks Ceri (and a gammy-eyed Trixie!)


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## Amethyst (Jun 16, 2010)

Sorry to hear your dog is poorly. I had a friend with a daxie and i know it sadly had eye problems, I think it may be quite common in the breed, so not sure if this might have something to do with it?

Hope it's a one off and not an hereditary thing!

EYE PROBLEMS relating to this breed apparently ...

A cataract is a cloudiness or film over the lens of the eye, categorized by age of onset, location on the eye and stage of the cloudiness. As it is a hereditary condition, parents should be tested before breeding takes place to ensure that parents are not carrying the genes for cataracts.

Glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness in dogs, is caused by an increase in fluid pressure within the eye. This disease can be hereditary, so parents should be tested prior to breeding. Treatment for glaucoma can be medical or surgical, or both.

Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), a series of inherited disorders affecting the retina of the eyes, causes visual impairment that is slow but progressive. Night blindness can be the first sign of trouble. There is no known way to stop onset.

Other eye conditions have also been known to occur in Dachshunds. This list is by no means complete, but is included here to make new owners aware of possible problems in the breed: corneal dystrophy, congenital night blindness, entropion, tear duct anomalies, wall eye, keratoconjunctivitis, microphthalmia and ectasia syndrome.


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## paddyjulie (May 9, 2009)

Mavis third eyelids constantly shows...hers happened when she was very ill and lost a lot of weight very quickly a while back..the vet told me they can loose fat from the eye pad behind the eye and that can cause it...but it also can be a sign of dehydration amongs other things and as you say eye infections

hope the meds work for her and the eyelid stays hidden


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## xCx (Apr 1, 2010)

Thanks for your replies. I'm hoping its something like a cold that will clear up with antibiotics but over the last few hours she has also been holding her jaw open slightly and took a little longer to eat than normal. She isn't panting though, she's a bit of a puzzle! :confused1:


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## buddysmom (Nov 1, 2011)

xCx-did you ever figure out what was wrong with your dog? My Buddy is 9 years old and just started with the sneezes, rubbing his right side of his face on the carpet and furniture and his right side third eyelid is showing a bit, on and off. Vet treated with antibiotics and shot for inflammation and it hasn't done much of anything for him. Going on 2-3 weeks now. So I'm searching the internet for information.


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## xCx (Apr 1, 2010)

Hi buddysmom!

Yes, we eventually had a diagnosis of Idiopathic Trigeminal Neuritis. Catchy name isn't it? Don't worry - she survived and is fine!

Basically it relates to the main nerve in the face either being damaged through infection or head trauma - I have no idea how Trixie got the damage but it could be as simple as banging her head whilst playing.

She began with a blocked nose, sniffles, third eye lid being stuck intermittently, the rubbing of her head on floor / sofa / our other dogs! Looked like she had a rotten cold or a hangover!

The only way our vet could test for it was to test for all other things she could have and when they all came back negative the only thing left was Trigeminal Neuritis. She was treated with antibiotics and steroids at first which made no difference and one day her jaw dropped open and she was unable to close her mouth for a couple of weeks which meant having to feed her mushy food by hand. I have seen pictures of other dogs with the dropped jaw symptom and they were quite severe whereas Trixie's was only slightly open. In the morning her nostrils also became totally blocked with dry, crusty snot and so I had to pick her nose for her! Lovely! Think this is because the nerve in the face gets damaged and they lose control of sinuses, jaw, blinking. 

She lost the blink reflex in her left eye for months, which caused dry eye and ulcers which she still (even after all this time) has drops for and tests at the vet to monitor her tear production.

She is fine in herself though - the only difference is that her face looks a little sunken at the temples. 

It may be worth googling for more info on Trigeminal Neuritis and mentioning it to your vet. It's a rare condition and not well known - our vet didn't know what was wrong with Trixie at first and neither did we and then when we went back for another appointment both myself and the vet both had the same info on Trigeminal Neuritis - we'd both been googling

Hope that helped - any questions feel free to ask!


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