Conjunctival dacryops in two golden retrievers

Two 5-month-old golden retriever dogs were referred for the evaluation of a mass arising from the left ventrolateral conjunctiva of the lower eyelid. The masses were externally located, deemed to be cystic in nature, and were surgically removed, and in one case, 0.15 mL of clear fluid was collected. Cytological examination of the aspirated fluid revealed proteinaceous, basophilic amorphous material, and few epithelial cells with foamy cytoplasm and small nuclei. No micro-organisms were detected. Histological examination of the cysts showed a wall composed of single to double cell layers. The cells were cuboidal to flattened, nonciliated, lined with mild submucosal connective tissues and slight inflammation composed of lymphocytes, plasma cells, and rare macrophages. In some areas, lobules of acinar glandular tissue were observed. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first case report of conjunctival dacryops in dogs. The complete surgical removal of the cysts was curative in both cases.