Tracking down those dog tears

Watson here and I have to tell you that I was recently in tears. In fact, I woke mom up real early in the morning so she could see my eyes; one eye was itchy and red. She got a warm towel to put on my eyes and a treat to ease my distress.

My mom thought it might be allergies but decided I needed to go to the veterinarian. It’s a good thing we did because it turned out that I had a plugged tear duct. The exam was great! My veterinarian put a special fluorescent stain dye in my eyes, and then she used a black light to see if there were any scratches.

After a complete exam including a thermometer up my bum, she flushed my eyes. The goal of flushing the eyes is to see if the liquid comes out the nose. I didn’t realize how closely the nose and eyes are connected. Unfortunately, one of my tear ducts was clogged.

This condition is call epiphora, and most patients with epiphora can experience several episodes during their life. To get the duct to drain, there are a couple of solutions. My veterinarian decided to try a cream to unplug the duct. It has worked and I think I’m home free.

If the simple solution didn’t work, the veterinarian would have sedated me and cleared the tear duct using a special instrument. The instrument is inserted into the tear duct to flush out the contents.

Sometimes allergies or infections cause the ducts to become narrowed, but flushing can help keep them clear. I’m happy to report that I’m breathing easy and no tears for this big guy.

XOXO Watson

IN NEED OF A HOME

We have puppies! Yes, we have four darling Lab/mix and two pit/mix call 775-423-7500 for details.

Policy, however, prohibits adopting out puppies or kittens under the age of six months to a home with children under 5 years of age. This is to protect both the children and the animal.

IN NEED OF

Vendors for Bark in the Park on May 18; call 775-423-7500 for details.

Folks to register for the AmazonSmile program; the details are below, and we receive funds every month from your purchases.

Walking buddies for our fabulous canine guests. Do you have two legs and need exercise? We are looking for folks who would love to walk, lose weight and do a good deed at the same time. Call 775-423-7500 for details.

SHOUT OUT TO

The Lions Club for their generous donation to CAPS. A Four Paw salute to you!

COME SEE US

CAPS will be at Walmart on April 6 with the Kissin’ Booth and a puckered-up pooch. Come by and smooch our pooch. We have hoodies, shirts and hats. Be sure to check out our merchandise after you’ve hugged our pup.

DON’T FORGET

March Pet Holiday: International Happiness Day. Make a pet happy!

To register in the AmazonSmile program, a website operated by Amazon. Customers enjoy the same selection of products, low prices and shopping features as on Amazon.com. The only difference is that, when you shop on AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the charitable organization selected by you.

Flower Tree Nursery will again be raffling a tree on June 15, and the winner doesn’t have to be present to win. The raffle tickets are available at Flower Tree, and they are $1 for one ticket and $5 for six tickets.

CONTACT CAPS

CAPS’ mailing address is P.O. Box 5128, Fallon, NV 89407. CAPS’ phone number is 775-423-7500. CAPS’ email address is caps@cccomm.net. Please visit the CAPS website (www.capsnevada.com) and Facebook page (Churchill Animal Protection Society). Be sure to “Like” CAPS on Facebook because we are really likeable.

CAPS is open to the public on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Kathleen Williams-Miller is a CAPS volunteer. Contact me, jkwmil@outlook.com.