Watery eyes: PetMassage of the Lacrimal duct

Many dogs have irritated or swollen eyes in the spring because of all the heavy pollen all around them.

Be sure to include eye work in your PetMassage_TM. Tear production and drainage is vital for health of the outer eye.

Palpating the upper contours of the bony orbits around each eye, you’ll notice a tiny indentation. This is the fossa, or hole through which the tear duct flows. Locate it on the upper border of your eye orbit under your eyebrow. So, now you know where it is located, what it feels like, and how much pressure you were able to exert to stay comfortable while you palpated it. Press a little harder and notice a mild discomfort. Depending on the dog’s tolerance, that is your range.

The goals in palpating around the eyes are to stimulate the tissues, and to balance/enhance tear production and drainage.

Palpate these as you press and release around the orbit of the eye. Hold each point for a full slow inhale/exhale cycle, beginning with light thumb caress, allowing your thumb pad –not the nail- to sink into the tissues. Notice for temperature variations, puffiness, or any reactions (such as pulling away) that might suggest discomfort with mild pressure. The strongest pressure you would use is less than a half a pound. To be comfortable and confident applying the right amount of pressure, practice on a food scale. Practice with light caress and develop control as you move to 8 ounces.

“Tear glands within the orbit, as well as the superficial tear gland of the nictitating membrane (third eyelid) produce the collective preocular or precorneal tear film. This film consists of 3 layers: outer lipid (from the Meibomian glands), middle aqueous layer (from lacrimal and third eyelid glands), and deep layer (mucus) from the goblet cells within the conjunctiva.

“The canine tear drainage system consists of 2 lacrimal puncta, 2 canaliculi, the lacrimal sac (within the bony lacrimal fossa), and the long and often tortuous lacrimal duct (to empty tears within the forward nasal cavity).”

Thank you: http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/eye_and_ear/ophthalmology/nasolacrimal_and_lacrimal_apparatus.html