Always a Lost Cause

What are Watery Eyes?

Complications of an ocular nature can vary greatly in a cause. Excessive tearing can result from abnormalities with the eyelids, infection, or diseases of the eye. Resolution of epiphora can involve simple or complex interventions. While epiphora is not breed specific, certain breeds are more predisposed to some ocular conditions. For example, dogs with the anatomical “flattened or squished” face can often have problems related to tear duct drainage.

Epiphora is the medical term for an excessive watery, ocular discharge. Often secondary to a variety of conditions, watery eyes become a problem when accompanied by other symptoms that indicate irritation. Eye conditions can be painful for your pet and should be investigated by a veterinarian without delay.

Symptoms of Watery Eyes in Dogs

Veterinarian treatment is essential when dealing with eye conditions. Disorders of the eye can be extremely uncomfortable for your dog. If you notice or come across any of the symptoms below, contact the veterinary caregiver for an appointment:

Puffiness

Redness of the eye

Squinting, which can mean pain

Discharge

Reddish brown staining of the fur

Dampness or wetness under the eye

Sneezing

Eye or skin infection

Holding the eye shut

Odor

Rubbing of eyes with the paw, or against other objects

Periorbital alopecia around the eye

Types

There are several types of ocular conditions that can cause watery eyes, some of which are listed below.

An entire row of eyelashes can be affected

The eyelashes may grow in an abnormal direction or in an abnormal location on the eyelid

Genetics play a factor

Many breeds can be affected: Chesapeake Retriever, Golden Retriever, Shetland Sheepdog, Pekingese, Pug, Boxer, Bulldog, Boston Terrier, Dachshund, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, American Cocker Spaniel, Shih Tzu, Lhasa Apso

With this condition, the eyelid rolls inward

The lashes on the surface of the eyelid rubs against the cornea

Some of the many breeds that may be affected by this congenital disorder are Akita, Shar Pei, Great Pyrenees, American Staffordshire Terrier, Pekingese, Newfoundland, Saint Bernard, Bulldog, Pomeranian, Mastiff, Bernese Mountain Dog, Great Dane, Labrador Retriever, Japanese Chin, Shih Tzu, Yorkshire Terrier, Dalmatian, Rottweiler, Siberian Husky, Weimaraner, Poodle, Basset Hound and Irish Setter

This is an inflammation of the lining tissue that covers the eye

Often both eyes will be involved

Can be bacterial, viral, secondary to allergies etc.

May be secondary to another disease

Breed associated conditions may predispose German Shepherds and Collies

An inflammation of the tear duct which can be genetic (such as abnormal development) or acquired (tumor or bacteria)

Brachycephalic breeds are susceptible due to the shallow eye socket and the tight eyelid

Examples of this breed, which have a flat and wide skull, are the Pug, Pekingese, Bulldog and Boston Terrier

This is the erosion through the epithelium (outer layer of eye) into the stroma (main support tissue for the cornea)

The most common cause is trauma

Can be secondary to other diseases like Dry Eye or Epithelial Dystrophy, which can be inherited by Boxers

Causes of Watery Eyes in Dogs

There can be many causes for watery eyes which lead to various degrees of seriousness. Several of the causes are listed here.

Breeds with excessive hair on the face can have the hair growing into the eye

Eyelashes growing at an abnormal angle

Allergy to pollen, dust, mold etc.

Trauma, punctures, scratches

Tumor

Irritants such as smoke, sprays, dust or perfumes

Bacteria

Virus

Fungi

Glaucoma

Facial anatomy that causes inadequate tear drainage

Blocked tear duct

Congenital issues like folds on the skin that become infected from constant wetness

Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca (Dry Eye)

Diagnosis of Watery Eyes in Dogs

Because watery eyes can be the indication of a serious problem, do not delay in taking your dog to the veterinarian for an eye examination. The veterinary caregiver will want to know how long the eyes have been watering, and whether there has been the presence of an illness of late.

If your dog is showing signs of pain, a topical anesthetic may be applied directly to the eye before the examination begins, in order to make the surface numb. A fluorescein stain may be applied on the eye. This is a painless procedure to verify if there are scratches, to check for foreign objects and to assess tear drainage. Once the stain has been applied and your dog’s head is tilted slightly downward, the veterinary caregiver will assess the drainage capabilities of the nose. Normal function will allow the stain to become evident in the nose within minutes.

The veterinarian will also examine your pet’s eyes to evaluate tear production (using a Schirmer Tear Test), corneal damage, and nasolacrimal duct function. Radiographs may be included to look for possible obstructions.

Depending on the cause for the epiphora, the veterinarian may suggest further investigation with an ophthalmologist.

Treatment of Watery Eyes in Dogs

The treatment of watery eyes in dogs will vary depending on the cause.

In the case of distichiasis and entropion, surgery is the most viable option.

Because the eyelashes and the hair on the eyelid can rub against the eyeball, ulcers can result.

If the ulcers are left untreated, vision loss can occur

If not taken care of, conjunctivitis can lead to impaired vision

Treatment involves flushing the eye, and a course of local antibiotic therapy

Eye drops and eye ointments are usually given

Treatment will mean flushing out the eye with sterile water or saline solution

Antibiotics will be prescribed

If the damage is too severe, surgery might be needed to create a new drainage pathway

The new drainage route will empty tears into the nasal cavity, mouth or sinus

It is important to care for an ulcer without delay because the eye can be damaged beyond repair

Antibiotic eyedrops and ointments are required

Atropine may be used locally for pain relief

There’s a decent likelihood that your dog may be required to wear an Elizabethan collar so as to not rub the eye

Recovery of Watery Eyes in Dogs

Return visits to the clinic will be necessary in the case of epiphora. Complete resolution of any primary problem is critical. Recurrent intermittent episodes of conditions related to watery eyes are not uncommon; therefore, even if you feel that your dog is back to normal, the veterinarian will need to confirm that the therapy has been thorough and sufficient. It should be noted that multiple flushings may be needed in some cases.

You may need to administer eye drops or ointment at home for a period of time. The veterinarian will be able to coach you on the best method of giving the eye drops.

If a character is stabbed and pinned through the hands (like a crucifixion), could they wrench themselves free without bleeding out? I realize they’d be most likely be permanently disabled if they survive, I just want to make sure that “if” is workable.

So, there’s a small historical footnote worth knowing: In Roman crucifixion, the nail would be driven through the wrist, not the hand. The reason being that the hand isn’t structurally sound enough to support the body’s weight.

As for wrenching yourself free from actual crucifixion? Probably not. Someone subjected to that would normally take days to expire. Factor in the blood loss from getting nailed up there in the first place, and being able to break yourself free seems pretty far fetched.

It’s worth noting, there’s very little archaeological data on crucifixions, and only one set of crucified remains dating to the Roman Empire has every been discovered. This leaves us with religious and contemporary documents. Given the time involved, there’s some uncertainty in the details. For example: The size, design and metallurgical makeup of the nails.

If you’re talking about a situation like the character’s hand being mangled by a normal carpentry nail, that’s a little different. The Ulnar Artery loops across the hand, forming the Superficial Palmal Arch, which connects with the Radial Artery. So, damaging this must be bad, right?

Yes, and no. You can bleed to death from tearing the Ulnar artery (or the arch.) This is still an important conduit for blood through the forearm, and no arterial wound is safe. The Radial artery is the one most frequently severed when someone attempts to slit their wrists. So, yes, it is possible to bleed out this way. It’s also extremely unlikely, baring other factors, like a compromised clotting factor, immersion in water, or continued aggravation of the wound. In most cases, your body will clamp down on the damaged artery halting the loss of blood. In fact, emergency first aid for a ruptured artery in the wrist or hand is to keep pressure on the damaged tissue for roughly 5 to 15 minutes, until clotting commences. Depending on the circumstances you could be looking at over an hour before cardiovascular collapse from this injury (if it’s going to happen at all.) So, yeah, you can, theoretically, bleed to death from this, but it’s not going to be fast. Regardless, you can bleed to death from this, so don’t screw around with it.

So how does this happen? The nail goes through, and then you tear it out between the webbing of the fingers. That forces you to sever the Superficial Palmal Arch, causing arterial bleeding. If you’re just yanking your hand off the surface, from whatever it was nailed into, and the nail didn’t damage the arteries, you’ll bleed, but you won’t die from bloodloss.  It doesn’t really matter whether this pulls the nail through your hand or you keep the as a souvenir and implausible, improvised, punch dagger. Additionally, depending on your personal physiology, and the exact point of contact, it’s possible the nail will penetrate outside the Arch, and pulling your hand free, though the webbing, will damage tissue, but won’t be life threatening.

Now, the bad news. If your holding your hand on a surface, someone stabs through it with a knife, and the blade perpendicular to your arm, there’s a real risk the blade itself will sever the Palmal Arch. Again, by itself, this is unlikely to be lethal, but it is something that needs to be taken seriously.

Also, until the wound has clotted, bandaging these wounds will require some real skill. It’s far easier to keep pressure on the wounds by hand (insert a bandage between your hand and the wound when possible), until the initial bleed ends. If the bandage soaks through, then apply a tourniquet. Don’t just slap a bandaid on top and call it good. Also, simply. tightly wrapping a bandage around the hand will not apply pressure where you want it.

This is in contrast to arterial damage near the torso, including in the arm pits and groin, which can result in death from blood loss in under two minutes. It’s an artery, but size and volume moved matters.

One fun detail, if your character takes a fairly normal sized carpentry nail to the hand, assuming it doesn’t specifically pierce anything vital, it can do minimal damage. Obviously, nicking a nerve is permanent. This is in contrast to taking a knife to the hand, where the size of the blade means that it will probably hit something vital.

The puncture wound will suck, and in a modern setting, they’ll need a tetanus booster, and probably an antibiotic, in addition to basic wound care. Surgery can repair non-nerve damage, though the hand won’t be exactly the same again. But this is not something that will your character in the scene.

As always, please remember I’m not a professional hand stabber, so don’t take this as medical advice, aside from, you know, the first aid: keep pressure on bleeding wound that spurts in time with your pulse. Also, as someone who is not a doctor, I recommend you don’t get stabbed through the hand. I hear not healthy.

-Starke

This blog is supported through Patreon. If you enjoy our content, please consider becoming a Patron. Every contribution helps keep us online, and writing. If you already are a Patron, thank you.

岩倉城 (Iwakura Castle)

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a darker sequel to the reboot of the franchise that come a couple of years ago, with the unexpectedly good “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”. This feels like the middle film of a trilogy. Like the “Empire” of Star Wars. It’s considerably more darker, it sets the tone for things to come and leaves some matters unfinished. 

It’s also very ambitious dramatically, and plays like Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, with Apes. I also enjoyed the camera work, the music and the effects, that are simply amazing. You just neglect the Apes and most of their surroundings are computer generated. They’re that good.

B+

Duct tape is definitely an option to close wounds (check out this post about using duct tape and various non-medically-approved things to close wounds), but it does not stop bleeding. Your characters would have to use direct pressure for that, and if it didn’t work, a tourniquet. Duct tape also doesn’t stick to wet things like bloody skin, so the area around the wound also needs to be cleaned and dried for it to do anything.

If you did it the way described in the above post, you probably wouldn’t be increasing the risk of infection, but if you just put duct tape over a wound without cleaning it, you probably would be trapping some infectious material in there which would increase the risk.

If it was an abdominal wound and there were guts spilling out, the correct first aid procedure is to leave them outside the person. Just lay a damp cloth over the exposed organs, evacuate the person to medical care as quickly as possible, and hope for the best. Duct tape probably will not help you here.

If the abdominal wound does not have any guts spilling out, and duct taping the wound makes it easier to quickly evac the person, by all means do it. Remember that in this situation, you’re not fixing anything by taping the wound- just keeping everything in so things don’t get worse. The person will still probably need surgery.

X-Men BBQ commission (February 2, 2023)

Daily Monster 58: Encantado

Region of origin: Brazil

My Websites:

My Book Reviews

Art History

Heikegani: The Samurai Ghost Crabs

Heikegani is a species of crab native to Japan, with a shell that bears a pattern resembling a human face. According to Japanese folklore, the Heikegani crabs contain the souls of the Heike samurai warriors who were slain at the Battle of Dan-no-ura in 1185 AD, a war over the Japanese imperial throne.

According to the theory of Artificial Selection, the fishermen fishing Japan’s waters would throw back any crabs whose shells looked like a samurai’s face out of respect for the fallen heike. This preserved the DNA of the heikegani with samurai-like faces while thinning the genetic lines of those without.

The problem with this theory is that the Heikegani crabs, which have a maximum length of 1.2 inches, are too small to be eaten, so it is unlikely they were ever caught for food in the first place.

Meatballs, Königsberg Style

Originating from East Prussia (now Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia), this delicious meal it the most widely known of the regional dishes of Germany. According to a survey, almost 95 % of the Germans know this dish. Here is the recipe.

For the meatballs:

500 g mixed minced meat (half beef, half pork)

2 old, dry bread rolls or approx. 80 g / 3 oz old, stale toast bread

2 eggs

1 onion

salt and pepper

2 – 3 salted anchovies (optional)

For the sauce:

3 tablespoon butter

1 heaped tablespoon flour

1 l / 35 fl.oz boullion

1 onion

2 – 3 salted anchovies (optional)

1 glass white wine

some grains of pepper and allspice

1 bayleaf

1 lemon (untreated)

1 teaspoon to tablespoon mustard

2 tablespoon capers

salt and sugar

1 – 2 egg yolk

Preparation:

hash the onions and lightly sautée in a bit of fat

Water the anchovies and hash

soak bread in water and squeeze excess water out

mix ground meat, dread, half of the onions and half of the anchovies until the ingredients form an even mixture

melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pot, add the flour wnd stir to make a roux

add the boullion and cook until creamy

add wine, the remaining onions and anchovies, spices, 2 – 3 slices of the lemon (including the peel) and mustard, bring briefly to a boil

make about 12 meat balls from the dough, not larger than mandarins

simmer the meat balls in the sauce for about 30 minin a closed pot (the sauce should not or just very lightly boil)

take the meat balls out of the sauce and keep warm

pour the sauce through a sieve into another pot, add capers to taste and briefly bring to a boil

if necessary season with salt, a bit of sugar, and lemon juice

take the pot from the stove and stir the egg yolk and one tablespoon of cold butter into the sauce

put the meatballs back into the sauce

Baron Von Strucker fought for the Nazis during World War II as the leader of the Blitzkrieg Squad, Germany’s answer to the Howling Commandos led by Sgt. Nick Fury. After the war, Strucker took control of a Japanese secret society and evolved it into the worldwide terror group Hydra. Kept alive and vigorous by the Death Spore virus within his body, Von Strucker’s goal is total world domination.

A bit of July 11th history…

1533 - Pope Clement VII excommunicates England’s King Henry VIII

1804 - Vice President of the US Aaron Burr mortally wounds former Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton in a pistol duel (pictured)

1892 - US patent office says Joseph Swan rather than Thomas Edison invented the electric light carbon for the incandescent lamp

1955 - US Congress authorizes all US currency to say “In God We Trust”

1977 - US Medal of Freedom awarded posthumously to Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.