Yes, your dog’s eye can appear to be popping out of its socket. It’s called Proptosis and is considered an emergency needing to be treated immediately by the Vet.
Proptosis is characterized by the eye protruding from its socket. When this happens, the eyelid will retract back behind the eyeball or orb, making the dog unable to blink or moisten the eyeball. This causes inflammation and swelling, possibly affecting the dog’s vision permanently.
Proptosis is considered a common problem in brachycephalic dogs with shorter snouts and heads, thus shallow eye sockets and larger eyelid openings (Bulldogs, Pugs, and Pekinese are examples of brachycephalic dog breeds).
In dogs with longer noses, it is rare and most commonly caused by sudden trauma like a hit to the head, a dog fight between a larger and smaller dog, or any sudden force or trauma near the eye. In this case it would be an immediate emergency.
Here are three ways to avoid Proptosis:
Make sure your dog is properly fitted to restraint devices and trained to avoid pulling or straining when on a leash.
Avoid any situations where your dog could be vulnerable to dog fights and trauma.
Breeders can be more diligent when breeding their brachycephalic dogs to avoid the abnormal conformation traits, (shallower eye sockets, shorter heads, wider eyelid openings) that can predispose a dog to Proptosis.