Dog Tear Duct Issues

A blocked tear duct is common in puppies and old dogs.

Dog tear duct issues. It s common with smaller dogs. Tear stains are normal especially in dogs with light coats but symptoms that are severe or occur suddenly may require professional care. Tear duct issues such as blocked tear duct can severely affect the eye. But a variety of factors can lead to an excess of misplaced dog tears.

Specifically tear marks are caused by an overabundance of tears draining down the exterior of your dog s face rather than following the tear duct s natural channels. Obstruction may result in tears overflowing and running out of the eye. Abnormal lashes and ducts. You may need to consult a vet and or test different solutions to identify the source of the problem.

Therapy consists of surgically opening the blocked duct and keeping it open by inserting a tube or suture during healing. Eyelashes can rub on and irritate the surface of the eye due to entropion a condition where your dog s eyelids fold inward. Or an eye injury could cause swelling that might lead to a blocked tear duct. The cause can be related to health issues shape of the eye blocked tear ducts puppy teething ear infection allergies either food or environmental and so on.

Short nosed dog breeds such as shih tzu pekingese maltese and pug are prone to excessive tearing because they often have shallow eye sockets or hair growth in skin folds around the eyes that. At times a dog may have ingrown or abnormal eyelashes or have a problem with a tear duct. This overflow of tears can lead to moisture and tear staining below the eye. This is an infrequent cause of watering eyes in young dogs.

Absence of the nasal tear duct openings at birth is known as imperforate lacrimal puncta. Therefore if your normally. Some dogs have closed lacrimal ducts or if there s a lot of discharge bacteria can build up. If your dog has a tear duct infection you may notice that the eye is red or there may be discolored discharge coming out of the eye.

The eye responds by producing more tears than normal. In some dogs this nasolacrimal duct can become obstructed or blocked. Dry eye keratoconjunctivitis sicca or kcs. The little ducts that go from the corner of the eye into the nose are called the lacrimal ducts.