Eye Gunk
 

Hello I will start out by saying I love YT a lot of useful info.
I need some advice about getting off crusted on eye gunk. I do clean his eyes daily but my lil boy Jinx absolutely hates it. He hates his bath but really hates his face being cleaned. He struggles so much I'm afraid I'll hurt him let alone trying to get near his eyes. Is there a special way to hold a struggling pup? Oh yeah the eye gunk was manageable before but he had something in his eye took him to vet yesterday. Is it safe to use shampoo that close to the eyes. I don't think I would though because its such a struggle. Any advice would be appreciated. I would go to the groomers but my lil guy still need bordatella and rabies. Thank you all

Hi there. When I first got Mandie, it was a constant battle to clean and groom her face. I totally understand what you are going thru. What I did was little bits at a time and gave a lot of praise and treats.

Before I tell you my routine, I want to say that use tearless puppy shampoo on the face. It is fine to clean around the eyes..it won't burn his eyes if you use the tearless.

For baths (I still do this because Mandie freaks out with water around her nose):
Have a cup of luke warm water already, have a wet wash cloth already soaped up with tearless shampoo before you even get Jinx to the tub/sink. Cup your hand around his eyes, holding his ears down to keep the water from going in his ears and pour the cup of water over the top/back of his head (don't let it go down the front over his nose). Then use the wash cloth, wet and soapy to wash his nose and around his head and eyes. Use the wash cloth over and over again (rinse well) to rinse out the soap. Using the wash cloth, you can clean well around the nose and corners of the eyes.

When brushing/combing/ grooming:

I recommend the right tools. Get you a Madan Pin Brush (trust me, it matters...I went thru several before finding this out) and a Madan mustache comb (it has wider teeth on one side and close teeth on the other). Again, use a damp wash cloth and wipe around the corners of his eyes. If he won't let you wipe, just moisten the goop with the wet wash cloth.

So, here's what I did:
Wet and wipe. Stop - treat, praise praise. Wet and wipe other side. Stop - treat, praise, praise. Use wide side of comb and do one side of mustache. Stop - treat, praise praise. Other side of mustache. Stop, praise praise. Then, the fine side of the comb. Yep, one side at a time..treat..praise.

If you have a take a break and let him run around, do it. Also, try to catch him when he's tired from playing and about to go to sleep. Some say it helps to do it when they are sleepy. Never made a difference with Mandie..it just woke her up and she was raring to go.

Basics is little spurts, use a damp wash cloth, tearless shampoo for baths, and a Madan mustache comb for the face is a must have. That fine side, catches any goopies. :)

I get a paper towel almost dripping wet and gently keep wiping those spots. Once it soaks it up some they come off very easily. It might take a while if he struggles but it's only water so you're not hurting him in any way. Hopefully he will get used to it after a while. Mine likes to lick the other end of the paper towel like he's getting a drink. I think that distracts him a little bit......good luck!

Oh Terri, you are so funny! Lots of treats & praise, so cute! I wish you'd make a video of this, it'd be informative, cute, & funny!

And, this is so simple that I'm sure it works like a charm. See how complicated I made things? lol I love that he drinks from the paper towel. That's awesome :)

Well, I promise, after about a month...she finally realized I wasn't going to kill her if I did her face (well..except baths..she still thinks I'm going to drown her). I don't have to take all those breaks and treats anymore. BUT, she does get praised the entire time. She's such a pretty girl. So pretty. Good girl....

hehe

I ordered the madman and the comb yesterday from topline pet "jenny" I believe after reading about all the raves about it on here. Just have to wait now...I do give about a meals worth of treats during bath time or none at all because he is so frantic. The problem is he is constantly trying to crawl out or wriggling about to where I only have one hand. So I don't have a hand to hold his head steady either that or I'm holding his head and he's struggling so hard I let go I'm afraid I'll hurt him :( I don't want to traumatize him or let him get his way. The funny thing is he like to play in the hose. I may have to do a hundred swipes and a hundred traits throughout the day lol. Thanks for the advice :)

Aha ha I meant madan not madman gotta love auto correct

When I first had to hold Mandie still, I did what she hates..put her on her back and cradled her in the crook of my elbow..with my hand of the arm down on her chest. I quickly quit doing that because I thought it would make her hate it all the time. So, basically, I'd do what she'd let me do until she got away and then come back to it later..rinse and repeat lol

I use a wet paper towel also