Willows Veterinary Service and Referral Centre in Solihull has successfully carried out rare eye surgery on golden retriever Willow, who had been born without a punctum (tear drain) in her lower right eyelid.
No More Tears As Willows Team Perform Rare Eye Op
4 weeks ago 
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A young Golden Retriever is once again full of ‘fun and mischief’ following incredibly rare eye surgery carried out by one of the country’s leading small animal hospitals.
Willow, a beloved one-year-old family pet, was referred to Linnaeus-owned Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service in Solihull, West Midlands, for expert care when it was suspected she may have been born without a punctum (tear drain) in her right eyelid.
Ophthalmology specialist Alberto Palella Gomez took charge of the case and said the highly unusual condition had created a tear stain under Willow’s eye and caused the retriever to frequently rub her face on the floor.
Alberto, an EBVS European specialist in veterinary ophthalmology, explained: “An ophthalmic examination confirmed Willow had an uncommon birth defect, the absence of a lower lacrimal punctum in her right eye.
“A punctum is an opening in the upper and lower eyelids which drains tears from the eye.
“The missing punctum meant that tears were not being drained away and were consistently running down from Willow’s eye. We needed to operate to create a new punctum in the lower eyelid to prevent this.
“This condition is infrequently seen, even in a specialist hospital such as Willows, and the surgery to resolve it is rarely performed, so it was a challenging case.
“Surgery went well and delivered an excellent outcome. We successfully made a punctum for the lower eyelid and a catheter was placed through this new opening to prevent it from closing.
“Willow made a good recovery after surgery and was allowed home to continue her recovery.”
Willow’s owner Karen Mitchell, from Overseal, Derbyshire, was relieved and delighted with the result but confessed it had been a worrying time.
She said: “The thought of her having surgery on her eye sounded horrendous to me. I was very worried but Alberto was really good and was quick to reassure me.
“He explained everything to me, including the best and worst-case scenarios, and said he was confident he could operate successfully.
“Happily, everything went well with the operation and Willow came home the same day but we did have a scare that evening.
“We took off her protective plastic head cone so she could have something to eat and drink and go to the toilet, and she seized on the opportunity to pull out the catheter, which was still attached to her face.
“We were very concerned and were on the phone to Willows at 10.30pm asking what to do. We sent them photos and they were able to reassure us that she would be OK overnight. They told us to bring her in the following day for Alberto to check her over.
“Thankfully everything was ok with no harm done and she’s now back to being her bouncy, friendly self again – full of fun and mischief! The tear stains have gone and she doesn’t need to rub her eye along the floor anymore or have them cleaned twice a day.
“We’re very grateful to Alberto and the Willows team. They were brilliant. They were very good with Willow and very good with me explaining everything and answering my many questions. I would certainly recommend them.”
Willows offers specialist services in anaesthesia and analgesia, cardiology, clinical nutrition, dermatology, diagnostic imaging, emergency and critical care, internal medicine, neurology, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, soft tissue surgery and spinal surgery. Willows also offers primary care veterinary services and has a large out-of-hours emergency clinic.
To find out more about Willows’ wide range of specialist services, visit www.willows.uk.net or search for Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service on Facebook.
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