YOUR PET: Teary-eyed dog might need surgery

Bubba's eyes are tearing constantly and have been for some time.

His owners wipe his eyes at least 10 times a day, but the tears keep coming. The 3-year-old boxer rubs his eyes on occasion, but overall is not too concerned.

The problem has reached the point where there are tear tracks below the inner portion of both eyes and the hair in that area is disappearing. What should be done?

All together now, "Take Bubba to his veterinarian."

Tear production is a normal function. Tears bathe the eyeballs with a clear, slightly viscous solution that moistens and protects the outer layer of the globe and the lining of the lids. Tears drain from the eye through the nasolacrimal puncta and nasolacrimal duct and into the nose. From there, they reach the back of the nasal passages, drop into the back of the oral cavity and are swallowed. There are cases where these ducts can be plugged, causing tears to fall out of the eyes instead of draining into the nose. This may be Bubba's problem, but there are other possibilities.

I suspect that Bubba is producing excess tears and overwhelming the nasolacrimal ducts' ability to drain the tears. This happens in people when they cry. I do not, however, think Bubba is crying.

There is a condition called entropion that causes excess tearing. This condition involves the inward rolling of the eyelid or lids and usually occurs in the lower eyelids. With this inward rolling, hairs along the border of the lids come in contact with the eyeball, causing irritation during blinking. This condition is usually genetic and is more common among certain breeds, among them boxers. Treatment for entropion usually involves surgical correction of the rolled lids by removing excess lid tissue and creating a normal lid margin, sort of a lid tuck.

Another possibility is dystichiasis, in which tiny hairs protruding from the lid margins come in contact with the eyeball during blinking, thus causing irritation. This irritation then leads to tearing. Dystichiasis requires surgery. We can attempt to epilate each of the offending hairs, which removes the irritation. There is potential for regrowth, which then would require another procedure. There are many cases of dystichiasis that can be resolved using an entropion procedure as described above. By simply rolling the lid margin outward, the dystichia no longer contacts the eyeball and the irritation is eliminated.

The cause of Bubba's tearing problem should be fairly straightforward, and so will the treatment.

Jeff Kahler is a veterinarian in Modesto. Questions can be submitted to Your Pet in care of LifeStyles, The Modesto Bee, P.O. Box 5256, Modesto 95352.