I Need Your Help... Eye Stain

February 20, 2008

We've all got super cute pets, but my pretty little guy has a not so pretty problem – unsightly discoloration below his eye. Only visible on his white fur, I can never seem to get it clean with simple shampoo. I know it's not "dirty," but with so many pricey products out there, I'd love to get an inside scoop. Does anyone else have this problem? And anyone else (fingers crossed) have a solution for the rest of us?!

22 Comments

Angelica C 5 years 1 week

NuVet Plus will take the stains away (Copy and paste: https://www.nuvetlabs.com/order/default.asp?sponsorid=80485%20%20%20%20%20) I actually purchased these vitamins on a recommendation from my dogs breeder for shedding. It did help with the shedding, but I also noticed within a week of starting the vitamins that her tear stains had dissapeared. My mother-in-law has since purchased these vitamins for her poodle and wah-lah.. within a week they were gone!

pvellozzi82 5 years 12 weeks

i heard half of a tum twice a day works. Also, try to keep the hair around your dog's eye's short. I trim my dogs hair under eyes about once a week and it has help reduce the red tears.

stephcorinn 5 years 12 weeks

I've been using this pack called "EyePack." It comes with little texturized pads that contain hydrogen peroxide. It also has a powder that you put on the dogs food ("Eyemunity"). It has seemed to help a lot. I haven't tried the Brita thing, though. That's a good idea. The groomer I take my dog to said the tears are caused by too much iron. My dog never used to get those stains until we moved to Santa Barbara, which has really hard water. I put filtered water in her downstairs water bowl, but her upstairs water bowl is just tap water. Maybe I should try using filtered water in both. With my dog, there not as much stains as they are just big wet spots (she's a Sheltie so her fur is dark around her eyes). I'm not sure if it's the same thing as what white dogs get, but I figure it is. It just isn't leaving the stain.

Zero_Cool 5 years 12 weeks

Get this stuff called Eye Envy. It doesn't contain any harmful products, and you can get it http://www.eyeenvy.com I know people that swear by this stuff!

kelliguinn 5 years 12 weeks

I have boxers and my flashy girl gets tear stains sometimes too. I have had success with a few tablespoons of low sodium tomato juice on the dog food once a day. My Daisy LOVES the stuff, so if I forget to put it on the dog food, I'll just let her lick it out of a little saucer.

TokiDokiMi 5 years 13 weeks

There's a whitening shampoo that's gentle enough for fuzzy faces it's called Buleberry Facial, Some upperscale dog grooming salons carry it, It's what my puppy gets when she gets her Pawdacure. ~Val

jenehfur 5 years 13 weeks

i agree with the water, my dog has hardly any visible tear stains now that i give him water from the brita.

Missy Foo 5 years 13 weeks

My frenchie gets them occasionally. Our breeder suggested to us that food with lamb in it often contributes to the staining. She switched her dogs food without lamb (I think wellness) and the staining has all cleared up. I also give her Brita water. P.S. She only gets the stains when I leave her with grandparents and they give her some of their dogs food- which has the lamb in it!

lizk 5 years 13 weeks

try a little bit of plain yogurt every the morning. it doesn't stop the tearing, but i've noticed that it doesn't stain as badly and Paddington gets Brita water too - i read that up there. i didn't do that on purpose but apparently i'm doing something right with that as well!

ufshutterbabe 5 years 13 weeks

You could try adding a little apple cider vinegar to his food or water (maybe a teaspoon or two for a dog his size). It shouldn't upset his stomach any, but if it does, then discontinue it. It isn't nearly as traumatic for a dog to experience an upset stomach as it is to humans, so I personally feel that its ok to experiment with the ACV and see if it helps. Also - I have a frenchie, and the watery tear stains are common in that breed BUT for a long time we didn't realize that Maxwell had excessive amounts of tear stain. It turned out to be a symptom of his allergies - switching his food to Wellness brand (fewer additives and higher quality ingredients) has cleared up his tears entirely. The stains in the picture don't look too bad, but if they are constantly wet and stained, you might want to get checked by a vet.

Phasekitty 5 years 13 weeks

Yeah aembry396, I'm pretty sure all dogs get some sort of goop. My basset gets eye goop all the time, but it's usually more crusty than goopy and not very noticeable. He's really good about sitting still to let me get it out though- he'll even come to me nightly for some eye goop removing and ear cleaning.

aembry396 5 years 13 weeks

Will distilled water help with goop and streak in general? My pups is black but she still gets awful goop and streaks. (only noticable if you are really close) she doesn't love me cleaning them as much as I would like to do it. other dogs besides white dogs get "eye goop" right?

telewyo 5 years 13 weeks

Just as a side note...I don't have this problem but I had a discussion with my vet about the all-natural food additives to help with pee spots in the yard and she said that you never want to mess with your dog's diet for something aesthetic like that because it can screw up his tummy no matter how "all-natural" it is. I'm sure switching to filtered water wouldn't hurt things but I would suggest sticking with wipes rather than food additives...it would be awful to make your dog sick or even just upset his stomach because of tear stains that don't bother him a bit. I follow my dog around with a hose and soak the pee spots ASAP and it has helped.

colormesticky 5 years 13 weeks

Peroxide. If they seem annoyed by it, just wipe it off with a damp cloth when you're done. It doesn't bubble up or anything.

LINDSEYMAE1 5 years 13 weeks

I also use peroxide on my babies. It takes a few applications, but it will start to lighten up. Just dab it on with a Q-tip or cotton ball and let it dry.

shopper10024 5 years 13 weeks

We use a Brita water filter for our water including our dog's. Her tear stains have all but disappeared.

stilletojunkie 5 years 13 weeks

I have a maltese and her tear stains are HORRIBLE! I have tried everything- wipes, angel eyes dog food poweder - my vet recently told me there is a prescription that you can put in their food that helps - but it will take a few months to clear it up - so be patient! Also - try distilled water (i know sounds crazy, but less minerals which cause the staining) - and make sure that their food and treats have no "red dyes". Go with natural formula's! good luck! :)

nikachu 5 years 13 weeks

I have two beagles, and the breed is prone to tear stains. My vet suggested to dab (very carefully) the stain with hydrogen peroxide. I haven't tried it yet , tho... they seem to be doing ok right now.

scaredbabygirl 5 years 13 weeks

I have this same problem with my little girl. What about the drops your supposed to put on their food? Has anybody tried it? Does it work?

brooke949 5 years 13 weeks

My mom uses Angel Eyes on her puppy and I believe it works well. I've never tried it though.

wakeupandora 5 years 13 weeks

i had to sit a persian cat for a week once, and his eye goop made me gag when he tried to purr in my face SO i went to wegmans (a local whole-foods type store) and bought organic chemical/alcohol/scent free baby wipes and used those. they worked and got a majority of the goop and stain out. Now his owner uses them exclusively and there hasn't been any negatives!

Betty 5 years 13 weeks

My vet recommended Malaseb wipes (2x a day) but my boys hate the scent so I'm lucky if I can wipe their stains once a week.

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