Tear duct question - YorkieTalk.com Forums

minniemn · 02-07-2006, 01:44 PM

I had known that one of my pups- lilly had a problem with her tear duct shortly after her birth (maybe about 3 weeks or so) so I didn't sell her, because I wasn't going to sell a less than perfect pup.

Well, fast foward to now, she was spayed, during that time they also did the procedure to rinse out her tear ducts... they did, and found out that she has her top tear ducts, but her bottom ones didn't form.

Is this genetic (I am not breeding her, she is fixed, so is her mom)

The vet said she of course is a great pet- but will just need extra care, to keep under her eyes dry- which is almost impossible.

The reason I want to know if it is herriditary is because I will then let the stud owner know so hopefully she won't use that stud anymore... I will not use my female anymore.

Thanks
ps- surgery went well for her, she healed nicely from the incision... she is back to her ol' self within two days.... the vet also stated that he believes that my lilly thinks she is a cat... lol (we have thought that for months)

txshopper73 · 02-07-2006, 01:56 PM

How strange. Hopefully one of the more seasoned breeders can answer that.

Your vet sure that they didn't develop??? Is it possible that the opening is covered by skin?

minniemn · 02-07-2006, 02:01 PM

They are sure, when they went to flush it, the fluid didn't come out the nose. When they did the paper test (before the surgery) the blue was supposed to come out the nose if all is fine, but instead the blue fluid dripped out her eyes.

We just have to keep the area clean because she can get an infection.

Thanks for replying

YorkieRose · 02-07-2006, 02:01 PM

I would always tell the stud owner about any problems with pups...but I would not blame anything on one dog until you see a pattern. You can breed a dozen females to one stud and have good results, then with the 13th you could have a problem. These problems need to establish a pattern..not just one pup...that is too iffy. Could be the combination of the genes, could come from the mothers side, or the stud sides..Telling the stud owner will give them a heads up incase it starts to repeat.

minniemn · 02-07-2006, 02:07 PM

Thanks Yorkie Rose, I am not blaming the stud owner, I just wanted to know if it is heriditary and should I let her know.

All the other pups were fine.

I have asked the breeder of my "mom" and she hasn't heard any other pups from her line having this problem, but there is always that chance that she wasn't informed.

I am not blaming this on the stud owner, I just don't know if this is important for them to know or not... for me- I won't be breeding my girl again, she had to be spayed after the birth because she went into a constant heat and it was in her best interest to spay her.

Thanks again

red98vett · 02-07-2006, 02:22 PM

Brenda...this is so interesting and while I've never heard of being born with NO tear ducts....I bet it does happen....

I remember my son having a clogged Tear Duct and he had the surgery for it - it really teared constantly and was just so pitiful looking - when he was a tiny baby they operated and it was a wonderful result...

this just shows what kind of breeder you are that you kept this little one and I applaud you for what you did....I hope her little eyes aren't too bad from this ...but if I were in your shoes - I would let the stud breeder know about this

minniemn · 02-07-2006, 02:29 PM

Thanks V- we just have to keep this in mind when going outside for walks or rides or whatever, to minimize her eyes watering (does that make sense?) if they water too much, she gets stinky, even though we wash them often.

I am not upset at the stud owner, nor do I want any recourse or anything... I don't know where it came from if it is heriditary... I did leave her a message though.

I am glad however, that we chose to keep this pup (we really wanted to keep the one boy) but I didn't want to sell her knowing she could have something wrong, that could require extra care/surgery. We did the right thing, plus she is a wonderful addition to our family

she is a lover, has to kiss everyone that will let her. I had many people want to purchase her, I am so glad I said no.

Thanks for your reply

red98vett · 02-07-2006, 02:34 PM

She sounds like a total DOLL and I'd love to see her picture ! She can't be with a better mom than you and I wish you the best with her...It's amazing how something so little can be so major - Are there any kinds of drops or anything you can use that will help ?

Please give that special baby a kiss from ME ...

whispersmom2 · 02-07-2006, 03:16 PM

Hi, if you do a search you will find a few mentions about this very thing. I have suggested that if a buyer notices that the face of a dog stays wet (really noticable on these white faced Biewers and light-faced Yorkies), when the teeth are cleaned and/or the pup is altered, have the vet flush the naso-lacrimal ducts. Those are the little holes that we can see in the corner of our own eyes next to our nose. They carry our tears down into our nose when we cry, too. That is why our noses run when we shed tears for any reason.
It is really not that uncommon to be told that the top and bottom of the duct has not joined. Sometimes, they are just clogged or have a wee tissue-dam in them and flushing clears them right up.
There are powders that are used for the purpose of drying the coat under the eyes. make sure you keep it as clean as possible and dry as well. IF, you notice a smell there might be an infection..DO NOT use ointments that are not specifically for the EYE and says OPHTHALMIC Oint, drops or cream..
Hope this helps a bit.

minniemn · 02-07-2006, 03:34 PM

I will get pics V- and give her pics.

That helps a lot Whispersmom- they did flush her ducts and that is when they noticed that the tube that is supposed to run the tears to the nose isn't there... when they tried to flush it (during her spay) the solution ran out by the eyes... he then stated for some reason the tube didn't form.

I did notice quite early that her face was wetter than normal- that is what put up a flag for me not to sell her.

Where would i get this powder? this is something that she could use, since her face is often wet- we do wash her and dry the area with a towel, but that doesn't dry her up all the way. I have tried to blowdry the area, and blocking her eyes with my hands, but that is impossible, she is too squirmy.

She doesn't have any infection yet- the vet doesn't believe so either, when she was under they checked her real good.

Thank you for the post, hopefully I can find this powder... when you have time to let me know what it is called.

Yorkie guy · 02-07-2006, 04:21 PM

WOW! you learn something new every day,Our little PrincessTiffany had really teary eyes,bet the vet we were using at the time should have checked this,as we told him her eyes teared really bad,all he did was to prescribe drops.On the other hand he also prescribed a antihistimine that caused her to have a stroke followed by a gran mal seizure and her ultimate death.
Thanks for this eye opening information....no pun intended!!

02-07-2006, 01:44 PM	#1
minniemn YT Addict Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 364	Tear duct question I had known that one of my pups- lilly had a problem with her tear duct shortly after her birth (maybe about 3 weeks or so) so I didn't sell her, because I wasn't going to sell a less than perfect pup. Well, fast foward to now, she was spayed, during that time they also did the procedure to rinse out her tear ducts... they did, and found out that she has her top tear ducts, but her bottom ones didn't form. Is this genetic (I am not breeding her, she is fixed, so is her mom) The vet said she of course is a great pet- but will just need extra care, to keep under her eyes dry- which is almost impossible. The reason I want to know if it is herriditary is because I will then let the stud owner know so hopefully she won't use that stud anymore... I will not use my female anymore. Thanks ps- surgery went well for her, she healed nicely from the incision... she is back to her ol' self within two days.... the vet also stated that he believes that my lilly thinks she is a cat... lol (we have thought that for months)

02-07-2006, 01:56 PM	#2
txshopper73 Donating YT 14K Club Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 14,226 Blog Entries: 1	How strange. Hopefully one of the more seasoned breeders can answer that. Your vet sure that they didn't develop??? Is it possible that the opening is covered by skin? __________________ As always...JMO (Just My Opinion) Kimberley

02-07-2006, 02:01 PM	#4
YorkieRose No Longer a Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: South Florida Posts: 8,577	tears I would always tell the stud owner about any problems with pups...but I would not blame anything on one dog until you see a pattern. You can breed a dozen females to one stud and have good results, then with the 13th you could have a problem. These problems need to establish a pattern..not just one pup...that is too iffy. Could be the combination of the genes, could come from the mothers side, or the stud sides..Telling the stud owner will give them a heads up incase it starts to repeat.

02-07-2006, 02:22 PM	#6
red98vett Yorkie Kisses are the Best! Donating Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Houston TX Posts: 33,590 Blog Entries: 1	Brenda...this is so interesting and while I've never heard of being born with NO tear ducts....I bet it does happen.... I remember my son having a clogged Tear Duct and he had the surgery for it - it really teared constantly and was just so pitiful looking - when he was a tiny baby they operated and it was a wonderful result... this just shows what kind of breeder you are that you kept this little one and I applaud you for what you did....I hope her little eyes aren't too bad from this ...but if I were in your shoes - I would let the stud breeder know about this __________________ Villette, Chanel & Cheri www.DesignsByVillette.net Custom Address Labels and Note Cards using YOUR Photos! Just Click HERE!

02-07-2006, 02:34 PM	#8
red98vett Yorkie Kisses are the Best! Donating Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Houston TX Posts: 33,590 Blog Entries: 1	She sounds like a total DOLL and I'd love to see her picture ! She can't be with a better mom than you and I wish you the best with her...It's amazing how something so little can be so major - Are there any kinds of drops or anything you can use that will help ? Please give that special baby a kiss from ME ... __________________ Villette, Chanel & Cheri www.DesignsByVillette.net Custom Address Labels and Note Cards using YOUR Photos! Just Click HERE!

02-07-2006, 02:07 PM	#5
minniemn YT Addict Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 364	Thanks Yorkie Rose, I am not blaming the stud owner, I just wanted to know if it is heriditary and should I let her know. All the other pups were fine. I have asked the breeder of my "mom" and she hasn't heard any other pups from her line having this problem, but there is always that chance that she wasn't informed. I am not blaming this on the stud owner, I just don't know if this is important for them to know or not... for me- I won't be breeding my girl again, she had to be spayed after the birth because she went into a constant heat and it was in her best interest to spay her. Thanks again

02-07-2006, 02:29 PM	#7
minniemn YT Addict Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 364	Thanks V- we just have to keep this in mind when going outside for walks or rides or whatever, to minimize her eyes watering (does that make sense?) if they water too much, she gets stinky, even though we wash them often. I am not upset at the stud owner, nor do I want any recourse or anything... I don't know where it came from if it is heriditary... I did leave her a message though. I am glad however, that we chose to keep this pup (we really wanted to keep the one boy) but I didn't want to sell her knowing she could have something wrong, that could require extra care/surgery. We did the right thing, plus she is a wonderful addition to our family she is a lover, has to kiss everyone that will let her. I had many people want to purchase her, I am so glad I said no. Thanks for your reply

02-07-2006, 03:16 PM	#9
whispersmom2 Inactive Account Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: MD Posts: 2,985	Hi, if you do a search you will find a few mentions about this very thing. I have suggested that if a buyer notices that the face of a dog stays wet (really noticable on these white faced Biewers and light-faced Yorkies), when the teeth are cleaned and/or the pup is altered, have the vet flush the naso-lacrimal ducts. Those are the little holes that we can see in the corner of our own eyes next to our nose. They carry our tears down into our nose when we cry, too. That is why our noses run when we shed tears for any reason. It is really not that uncommon to be told that the top and bottom of the duct has not joined. Sometimes, they are just clogged or have a wee tissue-dam in them and flushing clears them right up. There are powders that are used for the purpose of drying the coat under the eyes. make sure you keep it as clean as possible and dry as well. IF, you notice a smell there might be an infection..DO NOT use ointments that are not specifically for the EYE and says OPHTHALMIC Oint, drops or cream.. Hope this helps a bit.

02-07-2006, 03:34 PM	#10
minniemn YT Addict Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 364	I will get pics V- and give her pics. That helps a lot Whispersmom- they did flush her ducts and that is when they noticed that the tube that is supposed to run the tears to the nose isn't there... when they tried to flush it (during her spay) the solution ran out by the eyes... he then stated for some reason the tube didn't form. I did notice quite early that her face was wetter than normal- that is what put up a flag for me not to sell her. Where would i get this powder? this is something that she could use, since her face is often wet- we do wash her and dry the area with a towel, but that doesn't dry her up all the way. I have tried to blowdry the area, and blocking her eyes with my hands, but that is impossible, she is too squirmy. She doesn't have any infection yet- the vet doesn't believe so either, when she was under they checked her real good. Thank you for the post, hopefully I can find this powder... when you have time to let me know what it is called.

02-07-2006, 04:21 PM	#11
Yorkie guy YT Addict Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Glendale Arizona Posts: 341 Blog Entries: 1	WOW! you learn something new every day,Our little PrincessTiffany had really teary eyes,bet the vet we were using at the time should have checked this,as we told him her eyes teared really bad,all he did was to prescribe drops.On the other hand he also prescribed a antihistimine that caused her to have a stroke followed by a gran mal seizure and her ultimate death. Thanks for this eye opening information....no pun intended!! __________________ If Yorkies can't go to heaven,then when I die I want to go where they went!