My senior dog has a growing black blob in her eye. Is it serious?

My last visit to my dog's ophthalmologist was quite a bit less than surgery would be to remove his eye, so before making any rash decisions, I would find out the cost of seeing the ophthalmologist. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to determine if a mass in the anterior chamber is an iris cyst (which is benign) or a melanoma, but one trick is that an iris cyst may move in the eye. So if Tia is on her back, does the mass move? If so, be sure to give your doctor that information. I wish I had a simple answer for you, but I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello, thanks for reaching out! Dogs tend to get these bumps on their eyelids and they can cause irritation. In some cases, they aren't an issue, but in others, they can cause serious damage to the eye. Since your dog does seem bothered by it and is already rubbing at it, I would have it checked by a vet. In most cases, they are easily removed. Good luck and feel free to consult with me privately if you have any follow up questions or concerns!

Poor Julie! Unfortunately without looking at it, it is difficult to say for sure what this might be. It sounds like a mass. It could be a benign tumor like a sebaceous cyst, mole, or adenoma. It could also be a malignant tumor like a mast cell tumor. I would have your vet take a look at it. Your vet will be able to take a sample from it to see if it looks suspicious of cancer if needed. They will be able to tell you if you can just keep watching it or if you should have it surgically removed. I hope this helps!

Hi, this looks like an uveal cyst which is a benign condition that can be easily distinguished from a melanoma by the perfectly spherical shape and by being translucent when trans illuminated during ophthalmic examination. Most uveal cysts generally occur without any precedent or concurrent ocular disease and originate from the pigmented epithelium of the iris or ciliary body. Theories exist suggesting the cysts are present at birth, but do not start to grow and slowly detach to become free-floating until later in life. As the cysts grow, they may become “wedged” in the visual axis and sometimes cysts collapse spontaneously, leaving pigmented deposits on the central to ventral corneal endothelium. There is no absolute answer to whether uveal cysts require treatment. In many dogs, single or multiple cysts may be present, floating in the anterior chamber, without any obvious effect on the dog’s visual behaviour. In your case, I would continue to monitor Oscar but given the fact the cyst is quite small, it’s most likely not causing him any problems with his vision even if it should move to the from of the eye and therefore can be left for the time being.

This looks like an infected meibomian cyst. These are common and usually don't cause a problem. If it enlarges or causes excessive tearing or eye irritation then we usually remove them. Do keep an eye on the black spot as sometimes these can become cancerous. From the photo though it's nothing to be overly concerned about. Should it change or enlarge please get a veterinary exam. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Archie's.

You should always have something like this checked out by your vet in person. A special ophthalmoscope is needed to check the eye. My best guess is that this is an iris (uveal) cyst. If this brown spot moves around in the eye (floating) it is probably an iris cyst. If it is stationary and does not move, then it may be a cancer. This is not something that can be diagnosed over the internet.

Lily could have cataracts causing this cloudy pupil, but it could also be due to an eye infection or glaucoma. 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. I would have Lily seen by a vet immediately, who can diagnose what is causing her cloudy pupil and can discuss treatment options with you.