Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 8/9/2010

Question
Hi,
My yellow lab has recently developed an open sore above his right eye, at first I thought maybe they were playing too rough and had scraped it but just this morning I noticed his left eye is doing the same thing, I am cleaning the area with peroxide and using an antibiotic cream for now. Is there any known health issues regarding this or could it be that "boys will be boys" just roughing around. He is epileptic and takes Phenobarbital and Potassium Bromide 2Xdaily... any ideas????

Answer
If there is no rough play or trauma, then there may be infected glands under the eyelids. These glands can extend to areas above the eyelids.  This is common and can affect both eyes.  Have your vet check the conjunctiva to see if there are and cysts or increased glands.