From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2006-10-01 16:32:29 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] RE: watery eyes
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Yes, it is possible to have watery eyes from allergy without showing congestion, though congestion would certainly also be an indicator of allergy, ditto other allergy symptoms such as coughing, difficulty breathing, etc.
Upper respiratory infection can cause epiphora and ferrets are very prone to hiding the severity or even presence of such illnesses. We have had one with severe pneumonia and pleurisy who didn't even sound unusual to the treating vet but she was coughing slightly and she almost never coughed so we insisted on x-rays and they immediately jumped and began a combination of antibiotics and an ultrasound when they saw her pics.
Is it dry in the home? Extremely dry conditions can cause excessive watering.
Has a culture been done?
Having the eye pressure checked by a specialist may not be a bad idea.
If your vet okays trying treating for allergies but that doesn't work the simultaneous step (or if your vet okay waiting, the next step) will be to find it there is some sort of eye disease or disorder causing the watering.
Remember that there can be a number of causes of "excessive lacrimation" or "epiphora" (both useful search terms which mean watery eyes). There may be an infection of the eye. There may be a hidden cause of irritation. There could be an injury. There may be a chronic cause of irritation (for example, a home scent product, a fabric softener, cedar, etc.). There may be something blocking drainage to the sinuses which is preventing the normal tears produced from leaving by the usual route. There may be eye worms <http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/30402.htm> (needed more to be considered in Asia and in western North America, esp. U.S.). For some ophthalmic manifestations of systemic diseases see <http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/30120.htm>.
It pays to check it with your vet again, and if any of the following symptoms occur to get in to the vet rapidly: thick or colored discharge from eyes or nose (or both), red eyes, indications of pain, indications of vision loss, failure of the watering to stop with the meds tried (which I guess may next mean allergy meds if your vet okays it), rash on pads or chin, neural symptoms, tenderness around the nose/sinuses or eyes.
Notice if the watering is worse or better under different conditions and notice where and when the problem happens.
Notice if both eyes are equally affected or not.
Is the ferret exposed to bright light (which can be a cause in any species)?
Notice other problems like possible joint or muscle aches, and know that excessive tearing can bring on vomiting or yawning in some individuals.
Your vet may want to either consult with a specialist or to have your ferret seen by a veterinary ophthalmologist.
If you can get to it here is a VIN article on the topic of epiphora:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=654&S=1
Also of interest:
http://www.veterinaryvision.com/dvm_forum/dvm-epiphora.htm
which has an excellent trouble shooting chart
http://www.asvo.org/
is the home site of the American Society of Veterinary Ophthalmology.
The American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists can be reached at
<office06@acvo.org>
Linking to the ACVO at the ASVO will bring up a link to searching for a veterinary ophthalmologist in the U.S. or you can work from
http://www.acvo.com/
There is also a link at the ASVO to help you if you are in Canada, for the Canadian Association of Veterinary Ophthalmology.
If you are in Europe the European College of Veterinary Ophthalmology:
http://www.ecvo.org/public/index.htm
but I do not find a South American or Asian equivalent, though members may have joined other continents' associations as has happened with some other specialties.
We have had a ferret, Haleakala who hated most other ferrets except kits (This was long ago and under the care of a veterinary ophthalmologist back when they were rare so we had hours to get there and hours back) who had two eye problems. One was associated with an injury from a mounting male which occurred before she joined our family and was the origin of her hatred of other ferrets and why the breeder finally "unloaded" her -- IN HEAT, no less. The other was more serious; she developed a syndrome very similar to Sjogrens in humans. This is not her, but certainly could prove of interest:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?CMD=search&DB=pubmed
-- Sukie (not a vet, and not speaking for any of the below in my private posts)
Recommended health resources to help ferrets and the people who love them:
Ferret Health List
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth
FHL Archives
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
AFIP Ferret Pathology
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
Miamiferrets
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
International Ferret Congress Critical References
http://www.ferretcongress.org
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