[meagranny]

Are you struggling to remove your dog's tear stains? Did the store bought tear stain remover fail you? Is it safe to use makeup remover, milk of magnesia, hydrogen peroxide, gold bond, or corn syrup to remove tear stains? What causes tear stains anyway? Read what our members think... - Dave|Xoxide

My white poodle has tear stains and it is ugly. I was told to use Terramoycin. Does anyone know how much I should use?

Wanda

[pamperedpups]

This is my first post here. I'm a dog groomer.

Please do not use Teramyacin on your dog for tear stains unless you have been instructed to do so by your dog's veterinarian. Teramyacin is an antibiotic and the proper use insturctions should have been included with the medication. If you have any questions on how to administer this medication to your pet, please consult your dog's veterinarian ASAP. If you were not instructed by your dog's vet to use Teramyacin to clear up the tear staining, please read on.

Tear staining is caused by excessive tearing. What cases the excessive tearing is what needs to be found out or the problem may always persist. (Note that antibiotics such as Teramyacin will only work temporarily, if at all, if an infection is not the true cause of your dog's excessive tearing.) When the area around the eyes stays moist due to excessive tearing, red yeast bacteria start to develop into the staining you see. The causes of excessive tearing can be many and varied, including but not limited to genetics, health, diet, fleas, bacterial infection, ear infections, cutting teeth (in puppies), irritation, high mineral content in the dog's drinking water, blocked tear ducts, etc. It is important that your dog's vet determine the cause(s) of the excessive tearing before directing you in any methods of trying to cure the problem. Until then, keeping the eye area wiped clean daily will help and you might even consider having your dog's groomer carefully shave the area so as to prevent excessive red yeast bacteria build-up.

[Benni]

When I bought Benni my Maltipoo I was told to buy distilled water to help with the tear stains. We have had Benni for 3 months and have very little tear stains. It works for us..........

[terrier terror]

Many common dog food ingredients can cause staining in some dogs. What are you feeding? Your water can be the problem, too.

My LWD gets Innova + canned, raw, and distilled/filtered water (filtered downstairs in the kitchen and in her food, and distilled with her in her x-pens and crate) and I just wipe her eyes daily to remove eye boogers. When she is older, I will start her on TUMS and ACV.

I would look at changing her food and water, etc. to see if that helps. Have you discussed this with your vet at all?

[Raggs]

I'm with Pamperedpups on this one. Terramycin won't do anything for tear stains. Eyes weeping is mainly caused by lack of good nutrition, but there could be another reason. Putting your dog on a premium food most of the times helps with this. The only person that should tell you to use Terramycin would be your vet and then your vet would tell you how much to use.

[Leila12345666]

I say you listen to Benni if it worked for her baby it might work with you. I know is very common for Maltese, Shih Tzu and Poodles to have tear stains for some reason.

[k9poopscoot]

I concur with pamperedpups. I am also a groomer and this is my first post. The red stains are caused by a red yeast growing on the moist hair. By changing the pH of your dogs body, it makes a hostile environment for the yeast to grow. 1/2 tablet of tums once a day will make tears alkaline or 1/2 cap of apple cider vinegar in water to drink will make them acidic. Either will work.

[DoggyMoments]

I have a Shih Tzu and he gets the grey eye boogers. There isn't any red but the hair in that area is tougher, even with the wipes. We have him on Blue Buffalo which is supposed to be very good food (all sorts of natural good stuff) and he drinks the crystal springs water that gets delivered. Does this sound more like the common Shih Tzu trait or is this something that should disipate with good nutrition?

[Kerry]

I've heard from several sources now about vinegar in the water. But half a cup of apple cider vinegar into about how much water? And will she still want to drink water with vinegar in it? Yuck.

[flipgirl]

I tried everything with my dog, even Angels Eyes, which I stopped because I realized it was an antibiotic. Then I started feeding her homemade food and guess what? They're practically gone! She still gets boogers but everyone gets eye boogers. They're just not red and staining her hair. I just have to wipe the goop out and it's gone. Any topical product will make it worse. I've tried filtered and distilled water, ACV, baking powder, etc. They definitely improve with filtered water but it's her food that made the difference. It's called Canine Life - it's a mix to which you add meat, eggs, oil, an orange veggie, a green veggie, an apple, and blueberries or raspberries if you want. Then you bake into muffins or a loaf.

[sweetmazzy]

I never realized that tear stains could be eliminated/ lessened. I always thought that it occurs normally especially with white dogs. I am curious to try the distilled water or the tums. Thanks for the tip!

[KintaroLove]

sorry if this is a dumb question. Is bottled water the same as filtered water? My poodle has a large amount of tear stains and i cant get it off. i just ordered angel eyes. Is it a bad product? I heard everyone raving about it.

I Feed my poodle Solid Gold HF puppy and am rotating onto royal canine poodle forumla.

Originally Posted by Kerry

I've heard from several sources now about vinegar in the water. But half a cup of apple cider vinegar into about how much water? And will she still want to drink water with vinegar in it? Yuck.

I thinks building up to a teaspoon per 4 cups of water. Even the tiniest bit and my dog refuses to drink it. i dont blame him. it's stinky and sour! But i've been doing it for a week and i'm waiting for good results. the thing that i found that did concern me was that a morning later the water would have this very very slight black film so i stopped for awhile from the acv. Is that normal? I have been also giving him yogurt and putting some saline solution in his eyes everyday

[briteday]

Originally Posted by bristolandrocky

This Stain Remover worked for me http://www.doggievogue.com/category/...g-gel-for-dogs

I can't find the info quickly online but I'm guessing the ingredients contain hydrogen peroxide as the instructions are to leave it on for up to 15 minutes. It is most likely some kind of bleach and my guess would be peroxide. I'd be a little hesitant to use that near my dog's eyes.

I have one dog with moderate tear staining. I feed a raw diet and they were just on a high quality kibble while we vacationed...no difference. She also came to us on a very expensive, high quality kibble and that was when the tear staining was the worst.

I've tried the active, non-purified apple vinegar, distilled water, an eye drop with vaso dilators, and all the other stuff. Nothing makes any difference.

The vet tells me that she has small tear ducts as a result of breeding small dogs smaller. When she was spayed he cleared out her tear ducts and put her on antibiotics. But the fix only lasted as long as the meds. Then again her ducts become a bit clogged/inflamed and don't drain well.

So, long term I don't think there's a quick fix. I wipe her eyes 2-3x/day with a sterile 2 x 2 gauze pad wetted with a contact lens saline solution (buy the store brand) and that seems to keep the staining to a minimum.

[poodleholic]

Originally Posted by sweetmazzy

I never realized that tear stains could be eliminated/ lessened. I always thought that it occurs normally especially with white dogs. I am curious to try the distilled water or the tums. Thanks for the tip!

I have Standard Poodles, and when I got my male (a very light, almost white cream), he had terrible tear stains. I put him on distilled water with unpasturized apple cider vinegar, and flushed his eyes twice a day with sterile saline solution.

[tiffanyj]

Hi all. I have a 1 1/2 year old bichon, and here's some interesting things I have noted about her tear staining:

She tear stained (medium to dark brown in color) when she was a small puppy. When we took her to be spayed, the vet blew out her tear ducts, because he said they were likely clogged. Well, the staining improved for about a month or so, but then came back.

However, a couple of months later, the tear staining went away again. This time for MANY months. I assumed that maybe her tear ducts had matured and the problem had been solved.

Unfortunately, about two months ago, the tear stains started to return! However, the interesting thing I have noticed is that at the same time she started to get tear stains, she also started to get stains of the same color on her fur immediately around her genitals, which I assume is from when she urinates. It's definitely not a matter of us letting her get dirty. She is bathed weekly. And when she wasn't having the tear stains, her urine wasn't staining her fur either. Doesn't that seem strange? Any ideas on the cause?

[ainagurl]

When I first got my shih-tzu, her face was all dark brown from tear stains. I have been wiping her eyes twice a day with a damp washcloth, for the past month, and have seen a huge improvement. Her roots are growing out all white so when I trim the stained fur, you can see the difference. She loves getting her face wiped, I guess its refreshing to her. And every time I see wetness around her eyes from tears I just wipe it with a tissue. I wipe her eyes with a damp face towel, then dry them with the other side. I do this every morning and before bed each night.
I tried to add a before/after pic. This is only after 1 month so hopefully the stains continue to disappear.

[Maggpie]

Distilled water here too. Maggie's tear stains were terrible and my vet told me distilled water, and 6 years later I have not had any tear stains since switching to distilled water

Also you could try putting Apple Cider Vinegar in her water.
http://www.earthclinic.com/Pets/acvfordogs.html

[flipgirl]

Originally Posted by tiffanyj

Hi all. I have a 1 1/2 year old bichon, and here's some interesting things I have noted about her tear staining:

She tear stained (medium to dark brown in color) when she was a small puppy. When we took her to be spayed, the vet blew out her tear ducts, because he said they were likely clogged. Well, the staining improved for about a month or so, but then came back.

However, a couple of months later, the tear staining went away again. This time for MANY months. I assumed that maybe her tear ducts had matured and the problem had been solved.

Unfortunately, about two months ago, the tear stains started to return! However, the interesting thing I have noticed is that at the same time she started to get tear stains, she also started to get stains of the same color on her fur immediately around her genitals, which I assume is from when she urinates. It's definitely not a matter of us letting her get dirty. She is bathed weekly. And when she wasn't having the tear stains, her urine wasn't staining her fur either. Doesn't that seem strange? Any ideas on the cause?

What are you feeding her? Sometimes the tear staining can be due to an allergy...

[hungover]

hi briteday

I get rather annoyed with the vets who just shrug their shoulders and say "oh well it's just a genetic problem with the tear ducts- live with it".

There are cures out there, just because the vet does not consider it to be a major problem doesn't mean that nothing can be done. Granted not all of them will work for all dogs but, excluding medical conditions, there are cures that will work for you dog, hell, even your cat.

Yes, in your case it is related to the structure of the tear ducts and shape of face but it does not follow that you have to live with it.

The bulk of red staining is, as previously mentioned, red yeast.

The warm damp fur under the eyes is an ideal breeding place for the bacteria to multiply, this bacteria provides one of the compounds required for the formation of the enzyme necessary for the yeast to grow.

The bone structure of the dogs face, and frequency of tearing, means that the tears may congregate in one area rather than falling off. If it were possible to dry the fur instantly then there would be no staining- unfortunately this is not practical.

The tylosin based products such as angels eyes and angels glow work by killing the bacteria in the tears and saliva. kill the bacteria and the chain of nutrients needed for the formation of the red yeast is broken.

Whilst these products are illegal in most of the world outside of North America it does not mean that do not work. Tylosin is a narrow spectrum antibiotic that kills a select range of bacteria. It IS safe for dogs but can be fatal to some animals such as horses- it mess with the bacteria in their gut and stops them processing their food properly.

Of all of the antibiotics this is the one that I personally would feel most comfortable with using. Indeed I did until DEFRA stopped people selling it. That said there are still lots of dogs here in the UK that use it.

I have personally never had any success with the cider vinegar (only 'cause my boy wouldn't drink it) but guess that it could be adjusting the ph value sufficiently to disrupt the bacteria balance.

I get the impression that the level of staining has increased over the years as the food that our dogs increasingly becomes heavily processed. This would explain the success of dogs on the raw diets such as the BARF diet.

I noticed that changing my boy's diet had an impact but was unable to point the finger at any one product given the time lags involved.

As an extension of the diet theory i have been using angels delight- the principle is that if you can oxidise the iron particles in the body before they are secreted in the tears you end up breaking the nutrient chain for the red yeast again. It does this by using a bucket load of dried foodstuffs and vitamins.

As a tear stain preventer it works as well as the antibiotic based products but it did take longer to start working. It is supposed to be holistic and thus help with other problems that i have never heard of? Can't say if it does but that's not why I use it anyway.

I use angels delight because I am too lazy to find out which of the ingredients works most effectively for me. I did try raw green beans and it helped a bit but just sprinkling a spoon of powder on the food is far less hassle.

I guess the distilled water principle might be successful because it reduces the trace elements of iron in the body and thus there is less to become oxidised in the tears.

so ignoring any of the pastes and wipes which seem to work for some and not others we are left with two options: kill the bacteria or oxidise the iron in the body- ie drugs or diet- both are safe and eventually one or the other will work.

You might not be able to do anything about the tears but you do NOT have to live with tear stains on your dog's face.

[Line-of-Fire]

AKC makes some handy-dandy tear wipes. I don't use them personally, but that's because we have GSDs and our whippets... Well it doesn't really matter lol.
But i've seen the wipes remove stains in white dogs that other people I know show.