Tear stains

[Jerseypoo527]

Are tear stains unhealthy? Jersey's sometimes clump up so I take them out. Should I bother?

Liz

[Enneirda.]

You can put apple cider vinegar in Jersey's water bowl or water him out of a dog water bottle, I've heard they help. Also angle eyes is supposed to be a good product. Lastly, what food brand do you feed him?

I always remove my guys tear stains, I've gotten so used to it I just gently take them of with my nail when I see them. Quoting from here (http://www.stainexpert.co.uk/TearStainsTheWhiteDogOwnersNightmare.html) "excess of bacteria or yeast growth, particularly an organism called "red yeast" which leaves reddish-brown facial stains and possibly even an unpleasant odour. The bacteria and yeast thrive in moisture and so are particularly attracted to the tear ducts in the eye."

So yes, clean it don't leave it alone. If left alone to long it'll get worst,the skin under the wet gunk can get red and irritated, not to mention it's down right ugly lol. I'd just make a habit of wiping his face in the mornings, it's be a lot better for him over all. Also scissoring the hair under and around the eyes helps so the hairs won't touch his eyes, and cause even more tearing.

[CutieCocoaCockapoo]

Does Jersey have an excessive amount of tear stains? I've heard that certain foods aren't good for tear stains (i.e. foods with fillers).

You shouldn't leave them alone, because like Enneirda said, it will just build up and it doesn't look good. Whenever we notice tear stains on Cocoa, we take them off. If you remove them as soon as you see them, they won't get a chance to build up, making it better for you and Jersey.

[Jerseypoo527]

Thanks! I'll keep removing them. I guess it is his food that's doing it. I think I'm going to switch him asap.

[connie]

Milo had really bad red tear staines. I used the product Angel Eyes for several months, and it really seemed to work. I stopped using it in August, and now I am noticing that the stains seem to be coming back. I'm wondering if I should get more Angel Eyes...I am hesitating because I believe that product includes a mild antibodic for the yeast infection and I'm not sure if it is a good idea to use it long term. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

[gsmit]

I had the same problems with the tear stains with my puppy Maisey, so we bought one of the tear stain removing liquids. She hated it.

What I have been doing lately and it has helped tremendously is only giving her filtered water! We have a Brita Water filter, and every time we give her water, we make sure it is filtered water (you can also use bottled water).

She will still tear up (and can easily be wiped away with your finger), but there are not any stains!

Give it a try. It makes my life so much easier!

[kendal]

resently herd about this poduct http://www.eyeenvy.com/ its ment to be more instent that angel eyes and a bit cheeper. some people seem to prefer it because its not something going in their dogs food, its an exsternal product.

none of mine have this problem, they get the gunk that i call sleep in the corners of their eyes. but that just gets wiped away. Gypsy is the lightses in the face but no problems with her.

[Dylansmum]

Is what Kendal calls sleep the same as what everyone else is talking about, or are they two different things? Because all dogs seem to get that. Because Dylan is brown there is no visible staining, but he still gets a build up of sleep that I remove regularly. And he is on a raw diet; so if it is the same, I don't think that changing diet will stop that happening.

[James Q]

D'you mean what, as kids , we used to call sleepy dust?! i've never heard of this and just want to know if its something we should be watching out for with our puppy. Especially as I dont think we've got her food right at the moment. Thanks.

[kendal]

tear staining actualy stains the fur aroun the eyes in tha same shape that tears role down from the inner corners of the eyes. the sleep im talking about is very similer to what you find in your eyes when you wake up in the morning, and is easy to pick out without leaving a mark.

[Dylansmum]

In a chocolate brown cockapoo I don't think I could tell the difference!

[kendal]

this is the sleep im talking about that i find in my girls eyes, but it doesnt stain their coat
http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz80/cockapoogirl/IMG_4876.jpg

and just cleand with my finger nail.

http://i815.photobucket.com/albums/zz80/cockapoogirl/IMG_4878.jpg

[lady amanda]

Lady get's the same as your girls Kendal, usually easy to remove. sometimes it gets a little stuck but the smallest bit of water lossens it right up....it doesn't stain her face either and she is quite light

[caradunne]

I had the same problems with the tear stains with my puppy Maisey, so we bought one of the tear stain removing liquids. She hated it.

What I have been doing lately and it has helped tremendously is only giving her filtered water! We have a Brita Water filter, and every time we give her water, we make sure it is filtered water (you can also use bottled water).

She will still tear up (and can easily be wiped away with your finger), but there are not any stains!

Give it a try. It makes my life so much easier!

Izzy had horrible red stains on her White fur from her tear duct. I have asked two vets and they just said wipe it. Following your advice I am now only giving her Britta filtered water and no more stains! This has happened in a few days, so I hope it is not just a coincidence.

[Georgiapeach]

Since I have so many dogs (4), I tried switching to a food with grain (a high quality - no corn, wheat, or soy), to save a few bucks, but immediately saw an increase in tearing. I switched back to Taste of the Wild, a grainless food. I also give my dogs filtered water from my fridge door. There's a BIG difference. Food allergies can also cause the tearing, then the staining. There are several high quality grainless foods, but TOTW is the least expensive of them. I can also feed less than a food with grain in it, b/c more of it is digestible and doesn't simply come out the other end - less poo.

My vet told me that the staining is from a bacteria that starts growing on the area that's tearing, causing the tell-tale red stain.