Tear stains? I know this has been discussed

Nikki's Mom said:

I know that this is a non-answer, but the best thing you can do is to keep his face clean and dry and be patient until he is 1.

My Nikki had horrible tear stains when she was a puppy and it bothered me a lot. People actually said nasty things to me about her appearance. As if I could prevent them.

But now they are virtually gone. When she had them, we had a daily routine. We checked to make sure there were no hairs in her eyes, used a gentle eye wash, then washed the face and beard with Spa Lavish facial scrub, dried, and then combed cornstarch or baking soda through the hair to keep the area clean and dry, then we brushed her teeth.

We still do the same routine ever other day, even though there are no tear stains anymore. (We don't need the cornstarch/baking soda anymore)

Hope this helps.

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Rocky's Mom said:

Thank you....but I have a couple of questions if you don't mind answering.
1. how do you keep the hair out of her eyes? Trim?
2. is there a particular eye wash you used? I use eye pads for tear staining.
3. Where do you get Spa Lavish? Is it just for the face?
4. How do you put the cornstarch around his eyes?

Sorry if I am a dodo brain, LOL.

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Nikki's Mom said:

Some of our SM Vendors sell Spa Lavish.

I use this eye wash: Advanced Eye Relief Eye Wash | WalgreensA lot of people use the Collyirium eye wash. I think that they're pretty much the same product.

Some dogs have a lot of tiny hairs in and around the eyes. I didn't cut the hairs, but made sure they weren't poking in her eyes. It is really a personal choice about trimming the hairs. I asked Nikki's groomer to try and keep an eye on the hairs near her eyes and trim them when/if they were getting too close. I was always afraid to do that myself.

After I washed and dried her, I applied a little bit of cornstarch on a cotton ball and combed it through her face/beard with a flea comb.

That's just my method. There are a lot of others who have their own ways of dealing with tear stains.

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Toby's Mom said:

1.) I know you aren't asking me, but I always trim the hair out of Toby's eyes and it does help with the staining. However, Toby is very calm and I am so careful with scissors around his eye.

4.) I used to use cornstarch around Toby's eyes too. I used a small make-up brush, dipped it in his own container of CS and patted it onto the eye area. It also is a nice cover up too--it temporarily whitens the area.

Hope that helps some!

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majik921 said:

I had a homeless man walk past my table several times the other day while I was having a drink with a friend at a doggie friendly bar and he kept yelling at me that my dog looked terrible and that I needed to use boric acid on the tear stains and that any bad stuff the dog was doing was its owner's fault. I couldn't help but be offended as I don't think Bernie's stains are that bad. But I do have the groomer trim her face every 90 days and that seems to keep them at bay. I know once she's officially no longer a puppy that the stains will calm down.

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Tina said:

Here is an article written by this veterinarian who describes what causes the tear staining in a complex way. This is actually what it is. White hair is colorless, so it takes on any color that comes in contact with it for a short while.

Most dog and cat owners are surprised to learn the reddish tear staining that originates from the inside corners of the eyes is not actually a blood stain.The reddish color is a chemical derived from degenerating red blood cells as they age and are broken down in the spleen and liver. The chemical is called porphyrin. The dictionary of biochemistry defines it as a dark red, photosensitive pigment consisting of four pyrrole rings linked by single carbon atom: a component of chlorophyll, heme, and vitamin B12. When this enzyme is exposed to oxygen it turns the tears into a rusty color. The term used to describe excessive tear spillage over the lower lids is epiphora. So why do some dogs and cats always have that wet, reddish stain running from the inside corner of the eyes down the cheeks? And what makes the dry, crusty **** that builds up? There are several potential causes and for any individual pet one or more of these abnormalities portends a lifelong issue with tear stains and epiphora. The major causes of tear spillage and staining are the following:
a.) inward rolling of the eyelid (called entropion) causing hairs to contact the corneal surface, excess tear production and often corneal irritation and damage
b.) outward rolling of the lower eyelids (called ectropion) permitting the tears to spill over onto the face
c.) blocked or undeveloped tear duct openings in the medial (nasal side) corners of the eye lids
d.) distichiasis… hairs that grow in an abnormal place or at an abnormal angle
e.) infection in or blocked lacrimal drainage channel (called dacryocystitis) that leads from the eyelid into the nasal cavity
f.) anatomical abnormalities that bunch up and constrict the structures of the nasal side of the eye socket tissues
g.) irritating foreign body in the eye

Short faced breeds of pets such as Himalayan cats and Pekingese dogs almost always have minor to severe dysfunction of tear drainage. Saint Bernards are notorious for ectropion of the lower lids and the resultant wetness from spilled tear fluid onto the face.
In many cases all that is needed is gentle wiping away of the facial wetness on a daily basis. The rusty colored staining may still occur but by gentle cleansing you can eliminate the dry, crusty buildup that often creates skin irritation beneath its scabby structure. This clump of crusty material is dried tears, mucous, sebum and dead skin. Trimming the hair carefully in the area of crusty accumulation is helpful but watch out to avoid any contact with the corneas!

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majik921 said:

I had a homeless man walk past my table several times the other day while I was having a drink with a friend at a doggie friendly bar and he kept yelling at me that my dog looked terrible and that I needed to use boric acid on the tear stains and that any bad stuff the dog was doing was its owner's fault. I couldn't help but be offended as I don't think Bernie's stains are that bad. But I do have the groomer trim her face every 90 days and that seems to keep them at bay. I know once she's officially no longer a puppy that the stains will calm down.

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jodublin said:

I think the boric powder will work for you ,try this: mix 1tbsp each of boric powder and filtered water add some corn flour [corn starch] and mix untill you have a paste ,wash your baby's face and towel dry ,then add the paste with a childs tooth brush ,it will dry out so can be brushed out after a couple of hours .
stains will come back after a few weeks so you may need to do this again .Best of luck :wub:

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Nikki's Mom said:

Eye Envy didn't work for Nikki. It's not an antibiotic. If you buy it, you can call and ask for the ingredients. I seriously think it's boric acid and maybe colloidial silver. But it didn't work for Nikki.

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pinkpixie1588 said:

I got Boric Acid at Rite Aid. I think it's at any pharmacy.

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