tear stains - how do you all tackle them?

WHen I first rescued Vi, she had really bad tear and butt and feet stains. But after being with me for a couple weeks, her eyes stopped watering and slowly her stains went away. I found that the change in her diet made all the difference I don't treat her with anything. She eats a dogfood from my feed store called Hunters Blend. ($20 for 50 lbs...I have 5 dogs). It's 26% protein and something like 16% fat. I thought it was pretty decent but as soon as I change it to anything else she starts to tear up. So I keep her on this
btw, her feet stains were from the urine soaked cage she lived in for her 4 years of life before I got her. That just grew out
Good luck! I'm sure people have lots of other suggestions. Have you tried searching the topic? I'm positive there's lots of threads on this subject lol
~~Cheri~~

Sometimes tear stains show because of the minerals in the water, I give my dog bottled water (keep it a consistent brand) and she has barely any tear stains. You can also dilute hydrogen peroxide with water, use a cotton ball and clean the area , avoid getting it into the eyes. I did this every night until it started disappearing.

Coconut Oil. Works like a charm and is good for your dog. Virgin un-refined coconut oil 1 tsp. per day for a malt.

Izzy had always had stains. Angel Eyes works but it's an antibiotic and I don't want her on it for life. The coconut oil cleared up her eyes in a month or so. Now we are just growing out previously stained fur.

I love coconut oil! It's good for humans too! Inside AND out! It's a fantastic moisturizer! I thought I read somewhere that you could use it on the fur too!
~C~

Cheri said:

I love coconut oil! It's good for humans too! Inside AND out! It's a fantastic moisturizer! I thought I read somewhere that you could use it on the fur too!
~C~

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I use it on my hair and Bisou's too. It's great for the hair or fur- whichever you may have. Sometimes I even use it under my eyes at nighttime..and that works nicely as well.

iheartbisou said:

I use it on my hair and Bisou's too. It's great for the hair or fur- whichever you may have. Sometimes I even use it under my eyes at nighttime..and that works nicely as well.

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Can I use it on my skin-- I mean, does it absorb well, or does it stay greasy? I got a lot of sun at the beach, and I don't want my skin to dry out...

princessre said:

Can I use it on my skin-- I mean, does it absorb well, or does it stay greasy? I got a lot of sun at the beach, and I don't want my skin to dry out...

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Health Benefits of Coconut Oil


I used to use it in the lotion bars and lip balms I used to make.It's a great oil for general moisturizing and serves as a protective layer, helping to retain the moisture in your skin. It also acts as a mild oil suitable for those with inflamed and irritated skin, and those with skin sensitivities. If I remember right it DOES absorb nicely into the skin, a lot like shea butter does.

Coconut oil goes on the skin greasy, but if you wait a few minutes it absorbs well.

It's a great moisturizer for people and pets, and a superfood, imo. But a word of warning, it might keep you awake at night if you apply a lot to your skin before bed. It is a metabolism booster and in large quantities, either eaten or applied to the skin, it has an energizing effect.

If you want it scented with something in addition to coconut, it's an easy fix. Melt it, put it in a jar, and add a few drops of your favorite essential oil (I like lemongrass)

I love the stuff and have been using it for a few years now. I buy Nutiva. Amazon has great prices, especially when you do auto shipment.

The biggest problem with it on the skin is your fluff won't leave you alone. lick lick lick.

LOL but at least it's safer than licking soap or chemical filled lotion!

Ever since I've had Cloud I've never had a problem with tear staining. Since buying bottled water adds up I've always used a Brita to filter his drinking water and I've never had any problems. And daily I comb (flea comb) the corner of his eyes if there are eye 'boogers'. haha. Maybe this can help you from further tear staining.

I have been adding coconut oil to my malt's food as well as using angel eyes and have some ear wash from the vet to help with bacteria. Trinity's face used to be so nice and just all of a sudden it got stained BAD and its horrible now.

I think the combo of all 3 plus I am slowly switching to homemade food.....well, it seems to be helping.

missiek said:

I have been adding coconut oil to my malt's food as well as using angel eyes and have some ear wash from the vet to help with bacteria. Trinity's face used to be so nice and just all of a sudden it got stained BAD and its horrible now.

I think the combo of all 3 plus I am slowly switching to homemade food.....well, it seems to be helping.

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How old is trinity? Is she teething? It's always bad when they are teething and you pretty much just have to get through it.

Also it sounds like you've got a lot going on there. I'd stop the ear wash and the angels eyes. If you feel the need to clean her face just wash it daily with tear free shampoo like the blueberry facial scrub or pure paws shampoo. Even just bathing weekly and keeping the short hairs out of her eyes should help.

princessre said:

Can I use it on my skin-- I mean, does it absorb well, or does it stay greasy? I got a lot of sun at the beach, and I don't want my skin to dry out...

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If I use it under my eyes (at night), it does stay a little greasy so I apply it about 1.5 hours before bed and by bedtime it's practically absorbed...but when we're in Thailand at the beach, I use it all over. It doesn't dry out my skin, but I also use a lot of moisturizers/oils before, during and after the beach/sun.