March/April 2024 Dear Colleagues,
President's Message
Newsletter
Greetings, everyone, I hope this newsletter finds you in good health and good spirits. As we say hello to spring and warmer weather, we start to say goodbye to our snowbirds. By this time, we have realized how hard it is to keep our New Year resolutions and have already started to say it is OK the way things were in the past. Spring is a busy time in our practices with all the Tax burden, licenses, and insurance renewals. It is also a time to reflect on how we are doing in our life with enough time to make the changes necessary to make sure 2024 is a great year. Sometimes, all these tasks can be overwhelming, but you can ensure you are not alone. Please feel free to suggest any topic you would like to learn more about, or you think will be interesting to have in our monthly CE meetings, we are always looking for good ideas to enhance our topics. I am very pleased with the attendance at our Laws and Pharmacy Regulations meeting. It was very nice to see so many familiar faces in person, and we were able to have a very good topic discussion with both of our speakers. The meeting was very interactive, and even though it is always a long meeting, I feel everyone walked out with some new insights or ideas we can use in our practices. As I mentioned before, we are trying to build up our attendance at our CE meetings. It is in our best interest to take advantage of great speakers and learn something while having a good time with people who are your peers and have similar interests. As we move forward in 2024, please take some time to self-reflect on the good things you are doing in life and how important you are to a lot of people in your life. Our profession can be hectic at times, but know you are not alone, and there are many of us in this field going through similar issues. Hope to see everyone soon! J Armando Villamil, DVM BCVMA President
JOIN /RENEW TODAY! Enjoy the camaraderie and top-notch continuing education offered by the BCVMA! We offer 10 great CE meetings per year, including Florida Pharmacy and Rules, a newsletter, and the best Holiday Party in South Florida! Membership is Only $130 yearly. You can join or renew online by visiting https://poynt.godaddy.com/ checkout/afa689cc-149b-4060-8441- 56e98875a44c/2024-membership or Scan Here
Executive Board 2024
President Armando Villamil, DVM drv@petcancergroup.com Immediate Past President Stephanie Jones, DVM drstefni@gmail.com Secretary Stefeny Pollack, DVM szpollack@gmail.com Treasurer Claudia Valderrama, DVM claudia67v@aol.com Education Chair Simon Kornberg, DVM drkornberg@sevneurology.com Social Chair Jason Horgan, DVM jason081977@aol.com Newsletter Chair Yolanda Ochoa,DVM dr.yolanda@vet2yourpet.com
Dr. James Anderson II` 954-347-3557 doctor_anderson98@gmail.com Dr. Peggy Carlow 954-341-9552 pmcarlow@att.net Dr. Doris Caraballo 786-410-9462 doriska32@yahoo.com Dr. Ursula Dell 965-696-0642 drdell03@gmail.com Dr. Fumiko Miyamoto 352-339-2207 www.theasiandoctorllc.com Dr. Cindy Rigg 305-968-8345 csrigg@yahoo.com Dr. Dan Selvin 954-604-0084 dcselv4@gmail.com Dr. Mark Steele 954-942-7193 mdsteele@bellsouth.net Dr. Ana M. Tassino 305-335-3111 tassino@bellsouth.net Dr. Claudia Valderrama 305-297-8893 claudia67v@aol.com
Need a Break? Call One of Us! Relief Veterinarian List
Tear Staining-More Than Meets The Eye Epiphora, or excessive tearing, can be a frustrating clinical sign for many owners. Tears are necessary for the health of the eye and provide multiple benefits including nutrition, waste removal, lubrication, immune response, etc. The tear film is renewed on the ocular surface through production of new tears and moving of the existing tear film across the cornea from temporal to nasal where they are collected in the puncta and drained to the nose or mouth via the nasolacrimal duct (NLD)(Figure 1). https://veteriankey.com/canine-nasolacrimal-and-lacrimal-systems/ Tear staining develops secondary to epiphora, which can either present as excessive wetting of the face or brown staining which is more obvious ondogswith white or lighter colored fur. In some cases, there can be a foul odor from the affected skin due to a moist dermatitis. Tear staining can develop as the result of one of two basic issues; either an over production of tears which overwhelm the NLD or from an issue with the NLD itself, where it does not properly collect/drain tears. In either of these two situations, tears are much like water, where it will take the path of least resistance and if easier to spill over the eyelid versus down the ductal system, they will. Treatment of tear staining is based on establishing the underlying cause. Measurement of tear production via a Schirmer Tear Test (STT) can be helpful in identifying baseline tear production. In cases where the tear production is elevated, we should look to identify why. Common causes of increased tear production include abnormal eyelid conformation (i.e. entropion), trichiasis (normal cilia rubbing on the eye, i.e. caruncular trichiasis), distichiasis, ectopic cilia, allergic conjunctivitis, keratitis (ulcerative or non-ulcerative), etc. If a cause is identified, correction of it should restore tear production to normal and improve/resolve the tear staining.
Medical Article
Tear Staining-More Than Meets The Eye! (continued) Conditions affecting the NLD that result in abnormal collection or passage of tears include conditions such as punctal atresia/imperforate puncta, small or abnormally placed puncta, conjunctivitis, eyelid masses,dacryocystitis,NLD foreign bodies, sinus disease, etc. A Jones test can be used to determine if the NLD is patent and draining. This procedure looks for fluorescein stain to be present at the nares or within the mouth after installation of the dye onto the conjunctiva. It should be noted that the transit times for the fluorescein vary widely depending on the skull conformation where passage times are quick in dolichocephalic breeds and potentially very slow to absent in brachycephalic breeds. If there is no fluorescein evident, NLD cannulation and flushing should be considered. This can be completed in some patients with topical anesthesia alone but in some cases sedation is necessary. Correction of the condition is obviously dependent on the underlying condition but creation of a puncta, opening of the puncta, recreation of a duct, eyelid mass correction, foreign body removal, medial canthoplasty are all potential surgical procedures to improve or restore drainage. In some patients, regardless of work up or therapy, tear staining persists. Thankfully in these patients the concern is only cosmetic versus a true medical concern. Maintenance of the condition through daily cleaning and grooming can often improve the appearance. Generally warm water is effective. Other products are available and work with variable success. We certainly do not condone the use of chemicals or products (i.e. hydrogen peroxide) that could potentially damage the eye. At Veterinary Eye Institute we are always available for your ophthalmic questions and referrals so please do not hesitate to contact us. Dylan G Buss, DVM, MS Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists Veterinary Eye Institute 954-421-5099
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