[Billy Jones]

Hey! I recently visited my sister and she was really concerned about her 2 yo Bichon which recently started having stain marks below his eyes. She did went to the vet and he recommended just cleaning the area around the eye with wet towel every morning. 2 weeks later it's still the same. This really got me interested what people are doing to stop it, of course she already scheduled a vet visit but I just had to do my own research as well :flypig: Thank you in advance!

 

[Kathyy]

My vet suggested they were due to allergy. Sure enough we lucked out big time and a simple Benadryl a day is keeping the nasty drainage at bay. She's been here 5 years and on the stuff for 4 of those years. Not happy she needs it but it is doing a great job. Ginger has a clean face. Some fuzzy faced dogs have hair irritating the cornea or eyelashes growing in. Sometimes small breed dogs have blocked or incomplete tear ducts. I had her ducts checked when she was under for a dental and they were fine.

 

[LeoRose]

If the tear staining has just started, I'd ask what it the dog's environment has recently changed. If she switched him to a different food, that could be the cause.

Otherwise, allergies of some kind could be flaring up. As mentioned, hair could be irritating the eyes, causing excessive tearing, or the tear ducts could be blocked.

 

[DaySleepers]

Good advice. I'll also add that if you're in a temperate region, heaters are kicking on this time of year in a lot of places, blowing around a lot of dust and the like. Kills my allergies every year. If it just started, that's another thing to look at.

Also keep your eye out for squinting, excessive pawing/rubbing, or goopy yellowish, greenish, and/or stinky discharge. My poodle had a couple rounds of eye infections when he was younger, and they started with excess tearing. Just get back to the vet if it seems to be getting worse or causing significant discomfort. Hope you find out the cause soon!

 

[Billy Jones]

Apparently the vet said that it's because of the colored kibble that she was fed with :/// Can't even start to imagine what stuff they put in it

 

[Kathyy]

Yuck. My Ginger was raw fed for a year, no change in the eye problem. Hope a change in food helps.

 

[Riverlandlass]

I found switching from tap water to distilled water, solved the problem in less than a month. Might be worth a try.