Dog tear stains
You have been already distracted and disturbed about the reddish-brown stains in the corners of the eyes of your dog, haven’t you? Actually, these tear stains appear from the excessive porphyrin – iron-containing particles which are contained in tears, saliva, feces and urine of your dog and are characterized by a reddish-brown pigment. There are some categories of dogs which are prone to excessive tearing.
In turn, tear stains:
White-coated dogs
If your dog has white or light-colored coat, the reddish-brown pigment will be well visible.
Allergies
Often allergies are characterized by watery and irritated eyes. Thus, if your dog is prone to allergies, you should not be surprised by the increased tear production.
Flat-Faced Dogs
These dogs are characterized by shallow eye sockets and bulging eyes. Therefore, it is difficult for them to fully close their eyelids, which, in turn, causes constant irritation and excessive tearing.
Dogs with Long Facial Hair
Your dog’s eyes may water if the fur around the eyes is not regularly groomed. In addition, the eyes may get irritated by the inwards-grown hair.
Moreover, there are some health conditions which may contribute to excessive tearing, such as trauma, glaucoma, eye yeast and bacterial infections, ingrown eyelashes, medications, etc. If you suspect that your dog’s eyes might water because of any unusual health condition, take it to your vet for the evaluation and treatment plan if needed.
Tips on how to decrease tear stains
Diet
A well-balanced diet will be definitely beneficial to regulate the level of porphyrin. As mentioned before, excessive watering may be caused by some allergies, so with the help of your veterinarian find out if some food allergy might be the case, so that you could eliminate the allergen from the meal plan of your four-legged friend.
Bowls
Some dogs might be allergic to plastic, so it is better to use a stainless-steel bowl. Furthermore, clean the bowls regularly in order to reduce the risk of bacterial infection.
Probiotics
Dog’s immune system can be efficiently improved with the help of probiotics, which might, in turn, decrease staining.
Water
Tear staining can be caused by the minerals in tap water, so give your dog filtered water instead.
To clean tear stains which already appeared follow the next steps:
- Keep the hair around the dog’s eyes and nose short in order to prevent matted hair and make it easier to clean the face.
- With the help of warm cloth gently wipe your dog’s face and use the special grooming products to clean the corners of the eyes and all the affected areas with tear stains. For example, use the Sanocyn forte Eye Solution and cotton pad to clean and sooth the sensitive eye area of your pet. Not only does it remove tear stains, but it also efficiently removes unwanted bacteria, fungi and viruses. It is painless and does not sting. The Sanocyn forte Eye Solution contains no alcohol and antibiotics, and is pH-neutral, which makes it very well tolerated and suitable for daily use.
- If your veterinarian recommended the special dog’s face wash, use it additionally.
- If is of paramount importance to keep your dog’s face dry afterwards, because wet areas are the best environment for the yeast infections to develop.
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