Recurrent Lacrimal Duct Blockages

[Skiploder]

I posted awhile back that one of my BHPs had a lacrimal duct blockage.

Since that time, he has had two additional blockages and has now been pronounced "prone" to them. I'll explain why in a sec........

Resolving the blockages has been relatively easy. Our vet showed me a neat little trick - don't try this unless a vet specifically shows you how.

When his eye begins to fill with fluid, I gently press on his spectacle with my index finger while restraining his head. The key word is gently and it's imperative that the snake is restrained so that you do not inadvertently the eye due to any sudden movements.

If I have his mouth open at the same time, I am rewarded with a gusher of the blocked fluid. The swelling immediately goes down and he gets treated for five days (2x a day) with gentimycin drops applied to the inside roof of his mouth.

The last time his eye swelled up with clear fluid, the vet sedated him and poked around a bit. What she discovered was that the lacrimal ducts on the right side of his head were noticeably smaller than those on his left. For reference we also sedated my female BHP and it was confirmed that he has a slight genetic defect in that the diameter of the duct on the right side of his head appears to be too narrow.

So what happens is that during the course of feeding, small amounts of fur, mucous or even thick saliva can clog the duct causing the back up and ensuing eye swelling.

To-date, the blockages have been easily resolved by irrigating the roof of his mouth (where the ducts drain) and applying the spectacle pressure to force the fluid out.

Amazingly enough, while he hates having his mouth irrigated, he seems to have no problems with me pushing gently on his eye. I think that it feels good to have the pressure in his eye relieved.

The symptoms of the blocked ducts present themselves as:

(1) Swollen spectacle with clear fluid.
(2) Orbital area around eye is also gently raised and swollen.
(3) Snake has problems seeing on the affected side of the face.
(4) Animal acts agitated and restless.
(5) Animal rubs the affected side of it's head against cage furniture.
(6) Animal may refuse food.
(7) Once the mouth is opened, the affected duct may appear swollen or red.

At this point, since his ducts have not been infected per se, we are going to continue treating as the condition presents itself.