I hope the info I give here helps you and isn't too much of a ramble. I posted my story with water, and a lot of other info so that you may draw your own conclusions. Everyone has a theory on tear staining causes - yeast, bacteria, protein, allergies, certain foods, underlying health issues, yada, yada, yada. Nikki had severe tear staining when we brought her home. Her entire face was brown most of the time.
It's really hard to say whether minerals in water might trigger tear stains. I tend to think that it is something else, but I am just guessing. I think that water PH is much more important than minerals. I also think that removing fluoride is very important. Crystal Geyser only contains a small amount of naturally-occurring fluoride, and the PH is good.
Here's a link to some info on water PH. There are other sites out there as well that discuss water ph.
pH of Drinking Water Water Balance
Let's look at the mineral content of Crystal Geyser and compare it to two high mineral waters.
Crystal Geyser
Water Analysis
*(Mg/l=milligrams per liter)
*(PPM=parts per million)
Calcium Ion: 12 PPM
Magnesium: 3.1 PPM
Potassium: 8.7 PPM
Sulfates: 2.6 PPM
Sodium: 130 PPM
Total Dissolved Solids: 590 PPM
Other Principal Components: Chlorides 260 PPM
Evian Mineral Water
Water Analysis
*(Mg/l=milligrams per liter)
*(PPM=parts per million)
Bicarbonates: 357 PPM
Calcium Ion: 78 PPM
Magnesium: 23 PPM
Potassium: .75 PPM
Sulfates: 10 PPM
Sodium: 5.5 PPM
Other Principal Components: Chloride = 2.2, Nitrates = 7.1 PPM
San Pellegrino Mineral Water
Water Analysis
*(Mg/l=milligrams per liter)
*(PPM=parts per million)
Bicarbonates: 170 PPM
Calcium Ion: 180 PPM
Fluoride: 0.64 PPM
Magnesium: 47 PPM
Potassium: 3.0 PPM
Sulfates: 530 PPM
Sodium: 32 PPM
Total Dissolved Solids: 950 Mg/l
Other Principal Components: Nitrate 0.59, Chloride 61 PPM
Info taken from: Bottled Water Web - The Definitive Bottled Water Site
FYI, we went back to using a Berkey (British Berkefeld) ceramic water filter at home. With added filters, it removes fluoride and other impurities, but the water doesn't end up distilled. We bought it when we lived in a very rural area where the water source was suspect and it was too far to drive to town for bottled water on a regular basis. When we moved back to the 'burbs, we thought we'd get rid of it as it is pretty big. We installed a Pur faucet filter, used that for a while, but weren't satisfied with it, because although the water tasted better, it didn't remove enough impurities. We lugged bottled water home for a while, then finally went back to the Berkey, as it is the absolute best water I've ever had and the ph is perfect.
So. Was the water the cause of Nikki's severe staining when she was a puppy? I don't know. It might have been the vitamins contained in the commercial pet food. It might have been an allergy. But I cannot say for sure. It might have been the water. Like I indicated above, when we first got her, we were using filtered water (Pur filter) then switched to Crystal Geyser/Whole Foods (same) and finally went back to using our Berkey filter. I also started home cooking. I also used Tylan once.
Nikki has very little tear staining now. If I wash her face every day or every other day, there is hardly anything at all. So is that due to changing food, or changing the water? Is it simply the presence or absence of a certain mineral? Is it the home cooking/the vitamins I use now? Was it the one course of Tylan? I have absolutely no idea! :blink:
A long time ago, when I adhered to a particular diet, all I drank was distilled water. I used to lug it home with me every week. It didn't do a thing for my health either way, but I'm not a dog and never had to worry about tearstains, lol.
If you want to give distilled water a try, then perhaps try it for a month and see how he does on it. I'm not a health expert, but I would think that one month on it is probably not going to harm him if you are feeding him a balanced diet or commercial pet food, which contains a vitamin/mineral mix.
Hope this info helps you figure it out. If certain minerals in water are what trigger tear stains, then you've saved us all a lot of time and money. I agree about antibiotics. IMO, using more than one course of antibiotics per year might cause other issues, like intestinal bacterial overgrowth.
I wish you the best with it. Keep us posted.