Tear stains...
 

Does anyone have any tips for getting rid of tear stains? Oscar gets really dark staining along both sides of his nose and I can't get rid of them. Everyone's pictures on here show their dogs with nice, clean, dry hair on their face and Oscar's looks wet all the time. The vet said to just use warm water with a cloth - does not work at all. I bought some eye pads, they don't work either. Any suggestions or product recommendations?

Cali's had that when she was younger but she seems to have outgrown it. Is there any hair poking into his eyes to irritate them?

No, seems to just happen regularly - Vet said it is common and not anything to worry about, I just hate the way it looks... Maybe Oscar will grow out of it too....

Is Oscar still a puppy? When Brandy was younger her eyes dripped constantly. She still gets a little goop nowadays but not near as bad as when she was little.

He's just 6 mths.. the vet never mentioned anything about this being a puppy thing, I thought this was a "Yorkie thing"!

I heard from a friend that if you give them bottled water they tend to have less problems with it. Atleast that was what she tried and I guess it worked. I clip the hair under the eyes so they don't get tear stains. It makes them look nice and you can't even tell that any hair was cut.

I think as they grow the hair becomes longer and you can get it all up in a topknot (yes, even my boy has a pony tail). Since it's not irritating their eyes they have less tearing and staining. If you don't want to mess with pony tails you can trim the hair around the eyes, but doing this will only delay it getting long enough to keep out of their eyes. It's like growing out bangs.

http://lowchensaustralia.com/grooming/grooming4.htm

Here's a link for some remedies.

I use Eye Envy on Chanel with her long hair - both mine love to play outside alot and they tend to get dust etc in their eyes - Eye Envy takes the stains almost completely away within a week - I love the stuff. I just always forget to use it. you have to keep it refridgerated too - which is WHY I always forget to use it.:) I tried the eye pads and took it back within the 2nd week of buying it - I saw NO change

Gerry of http://www.thepreciouspup.com/ sells it now - it's really great for those dark stains

I also bought the eye wipes and they were a waste of money!
:aimeeyork

I guess I treat my Toby (6 mos.) like my baby boy and wash his face a couple times a day. It get rids of the tears and keeps his face clean. He does enjoy the attention of momma washing his face and combing him.

Mojo just recently started with tear staining (he is 3yrs). My vet said that it was more than likely the pollen, etc - much like we get during this time of year. She gave eye drops that we could use if wanted, but we haven't used them at all. I just keep them cleaned and trimmed up (always have) with just a warm, wet cloth. Anytime I see a hair in his eye or goop in the corner, it is taken care of then (really, no matter where we are). I have bought a few bottles of things that you put on a rag/cotton ball/etc that is suppose to take care of that, but a lot of them say not to get in the eyes, so I haven't used them because I am afraid I will get them in his eyes - strange that if something you are using so close to the eyes, you can't get into the eyes.

If he is only 6 months old it could be from cutting teeth if he doesn't have all the adult ones yet. My Maltese went through this when she was getting her adult teeth in. Now she is tear stain free.

MaryKay
AprilLoves' Mommy

I just use puppy wipes and brush that hair with a very fine toothed comb like a flea comb. I put a topknot on top of her head and the groomer keeps the hair on her nose under her eyes short.

I was told by a breeder once that it all had to do with their nutrition. My yorkie's eyes do it as well. I just wipe em every day with a warm wash cloth.

I bought baby washcoths and run them under hot water, by the time you ring it out & start wiping, it is a nice warm towel. I wipe her eyes, her snout, her face and my Molly Muffins LOVES LOVES LOVES this. We have never had any stains in 10 years. (I also saw/read somewhere that the dog's mother will lick this area as a comfort to her babies and that it mimicks nature which is why she loves it so much!)

I have also read that saline solution or small dap of vaseline wiped away with a wet cloth will also help remove the stains. Good Luck!

I bought Crystal Eyes...don't bother w/ that stuff either. I saw little to no improvement.:thumbdown

tear stain
 

I have 5 poodles (2 white) with the same problem. After trying home "cures" that didn't work I heard about a product called Angles' Eyes. You can find it on the Internet. I live in Thailand so have to pay shipping. It has worked wonders with all my dogs. Have gone from looking like they had blood all over their faces to beautiful. I highly recommed this product. I noticed a difference after about 10 days. The treatment is 9 months and I will continue the full treatment even though they are clear.

tear stain
 

I have 5 poodles all with the tear staining problem. One looked as if I'd put blood all over her face. (Am getting a Yorkie on Saturday.) After trying several home cures I heard about Angels' Eyes. You can find it on the Internet (or e-mail me jimbrasel@gmail.com). I can't say enough favorable things about Angles' Eyes. Within 10 days I could see an improvement in all the dogs. At that point I could remove what stains there were with tap water and a cotton ball. At this time there are no stains. You are suppose to use Angels' Eye for 9 months, decreasing the dosage over the time. My dogs have clean faces. I will go the full 9 months

Natural Tear Stain Remedy
 

When I got my Yorkie, she was 15 mnths old and neglected. Long story of her condition but she had teary eyes.
First thing I did was take her off that junk dog kibble.
She free feeds on a human grade premium kibble now (it is worth every cent).
I avoid kibble with fillers and grains such as corn, at all costs!
Lastly, I give my Roxy a bit of natural yogurt, with active bacteria in it, as bed time snack.
Sometimes people will add a teaspoon to their food in the morning.
Either way, I make sure she gets yogurt regularly.

I've been told to avoid the flavored yogurt, (the ones with fruit in it) but my girl loves the Mago as well as the strawberry. She seems to be doing fine with it.

Even before I started feeding her yogurt, her eyes cleared up.
I continue to feed her yogurt though.

I wash her face each morning, clearing any goopies in her eyes. I will clear her eyes as needed if I see goopies any time during the day or night.

Sometimes I will wash her again at night before bed if she has been outdoors and getting messy.

I swear by getting her off the crappy food she was on is what did the trick. I am not sure if I can name the brand here so I wont but was a low grade grocery store brand.

I also notice that when she is due for an anal glad extraction, her eyes will be gooping up more. .

Roxy's eyes are clear as a bell. No tear stain at all.
I have never used any commercial teary eye products on her.
We go as natural as we can when we can.

The groomers tell me that she has the clearest eyes they have seen.

Also, Roxy has her teeth brushed daily. I am not sure if this can contribute to her clear eyes but I imagine all helps.

Try the yogurt for a month and see.
Use a natural yogurt though and go plain but with active bacteria, to start to see how she reacts. Not too much at a time to start. Use 1 tsp and see. Sometimes I give her a tbsp.

Roxy will leave some in her little yogurt bowl if she doesn't want any more but usually cleans it right out and asks for more.
I am careful not to over do it as dogs are apparently not suppose to eat dairy due to the lack of digestive enzymes in their belly to properly break down the lactose..?

Take care!