Getting rid of tear-stains in white dogs?

[Catlady711]

I can't say much for dogs, however Dusty has had a tear stained eye for years. I was told by the vet to use plain Saline Solution to rinse the eye out, and to use peroxide on a Q-tip to clean the stains. She doesn't have an eye infection (although if I don't keep it cleaned it can become one), the vet said it was a partially blocked tear duct. Being that she's a cat and the surgery is difficult for them being small, and her age, we've opted to not do surgery.

However you do need to be careful with those commercial 'eye cleansers/wipes'. We got some once that had been recommended by a friend, and Dusty got a bad eye infection from using them, and no I didn't get them in her eye. Ended up that I wasted money on the fancy cleanser, and then had to spend extra $$ on eye meds! So now I'm leary of those type of products and don't use them. The peroxide and saline solution seem to work fine.

Good luck

[daryl]

The very popular Angels Eyes and Angels Glow are definately the fastest food additive tear stain removers but please be aware that they work because they contain the antibiotic tylosin which has never been approved for dog use (anywhere in the world!!!)

There are loads of natural products out there which work as well, perhaps a little slower.

These have the advantage of being.

1. Legal.

1. Safe in the long term (check ingredients closely).

1. Natural and drug free.

1. Less likely to affect the efficiency of Vet meds.

1. Likely to have added health benefits.

I am extremely happy with Angels Delight from Bichon Hotel as a natural tear stain remover for my dogs. The people there explained to me that I could reduce the long term usage by switching to feeding raw- it seems that in nature dogs rarely ate grains.

http://www.bichonhotel.co.uk/angels_delight

As for the other natural products I have not used them but I have read good reports about NaturVet.

Beware of the surge of products claiming to have FDA approved ingredients but in reality are Tylosin based- I hate this type of selling as they don't tell you that Tylosin is FDA approved but not for dogs

[dawgplanet]

i have a pit half his face is white and he gets the tear stains every now and then through out the summer but goes away when its gets a little colder, could it be hes allergic to something that makes his eye watery. i will try angeleyes this coming year.

[daryl]

You could be correct about summertime allergies.

It could be pollen related- do you spend more time in the long grass in the summer? If yes and it is pollen related then feeding a small amount of local honey might help to build up resistance.

Local honey rather than generic shop honey as the pollens used will be the pollens that your dog is exposed to.

I have no idea of quantities though and am only guessing that it safe to do so.

Good luck

[mejane]

I've read the posts above and there's some great advice that I'm going to try. I'm wondering, for those who have used Angel Eyes...How long does it take to work? My dog has been using it for over a month and he's shown no signs of improvement. I know the stains will have to grow out and be trimmed, but it seems the new tears are still red as well.

@PoodleEmpire, I'd like to try the Leo Eye Lotion. The improvement in your dog's eyes is amazing. Did you put it INSIDE your dog's eyes as well as around and on the stain?

Thanks for any help of suggestions anyone can offer.

[daryl]

Angels eyes should work for most dogs- perhaps you could try using more.

TBH I am now very Anti Angels Eyes- so much so that I think using it is dangerous- not necessarily to your dog in the immediate term but to all of us. Cross resistance in bacteria is on the rise because of inappropriate antibiotic use.

If you are unhappy with your angels eyes then demand a refund- not sure about the USA but here in the Uk credit card companies have liability- you have purchased a product that is illegal (in the USA) so they might be liable to refund you as a credit card company.

I recommended a product that worked for me, ie Angels delight but there are other safe and natural products such as the NaturVet tear stain supplement

http://www.naturaldogs.co.uk/store/n...n-remover.html

Good luck

[Freedom]

Mejane, what type of dog do you have?

With bichons, we work to identify the source of the staining, and deal with it that way. Most of us avoid Angel Eyes precisely because it includes an antibiotic.

Some of the common causes of eye stains:
- water. Use filtered water (I use a Brita pitcher) or distilled water
- protein. A commercial food too high in protein can result in stains. Bichons do well on a food of 25% or lower in protein.
- grains. Most grains are not digestible by dogs: corn, wheat. Use a grain free food. In some dogs, you can supplement with oats or rye, but many dogs can't even tolerate these 2 grains.
- food coloring. And while additives are the common one, bichons generally need to stay away from brown rice - a natural coloring, but it comes through
- for particularly tough stains, which you can't figure out, if they are red it is a yeast infection; a vet visit can get the antibiotics needed to clear it up.

More and more bichon owners are finding we just have to fed a raw diet to cope with the stains, and skin allergies. While I am not feeding raw (yet) I do cook most of what my dogs eat. No stains, itchies gone, no more nibbling feet.

Good luck!

[daryl]

I second what freedom says.

However I do not understand why protein or brown rice have an effect but I have heard others make similar comments.

Avoiding grains may also reduce tooth decay- dog's do not have the necessary enzymes in their saliva to break down the carbohydrates from wheat and corn.

[swfloridagal]

OK... so what I've read includes.....

Use peroxide to bleach it out
Use angel eyes to clean it up
Forget both these things and treat the problem with "raw food" .. I don't know what that means.
Don't feed the dog with fillers in her food like grains.
Forget all that and take the dog to the vet for antibiotics

Did anybody find anything that works for sure? My head is spinning....I want to know what works.

I don't feed my dog anything except natural balance duck and potato for small breeds..... and dried liver treats. thats it... and still... tear stains!

[Freedom]

Liver treats, dark colored foods, may be the culprit. For some (but not all) bichons, they can't have liver treats, even though there are no artificial colors involved.

If it were easy and clear cut, you wouldn't even have to ask us, you could quickly find an answer on line, lol! For some dogs, it is an allergy, for some dogs, it is environmental. Lots of trial and error involved.

[daryl]

OK... so what I've read includes.....

Use peroxide to bleach it out
Use angel eyes to clean it up
Forget both these things and treat the problem with "raw food" .. I don't know what that means.
Don't feed the dog with fillers in her food like grains.
Forget all that and take the dog to the vet for antibiotics

Did anybody find anything that works for sure? My head is spinning....I want to know what works.

I don't feed my dog anything except natural balance duck and potato for small breeds..... and dried liver treats. thats it... and still... tear stains!

On the face of it your food looks Ok but I do wonder about the importance of potato and potato derivatives in a dog's diet

http://www.naturalbalanceinc.com/dog...ml#Ingredients

TBH I don't know if potatoes have the safe effect as grains- at a guess I would assume that dogs have difficulties breaking down the carbohydrates in them but that said I am just guessing.

Diet change might help- then again, if you have a fussy eater then I understand any reluctance to change foods.

It may indeed be the case that if you opted for a poor quality food the stains would be much worse.

It is probable that you will find an off the shelf solution, many of the supplements do really work quite well- some are more effective and faster than others though.

The tylosin based products are generally the fastest and most effective but tylosin tartrate is NOT approved for dogs and cats- ergo it is illegal to self prescribe. Many people don't notice any major problems in their dogs. The wider effect on bacterial resistance jumping over to humans however is unknown.

Alternatively, there are safe and legal supplements that work for many owners- granted they do take longer and do not work for all dogs but they might be worthwhile looking at. Some of them will have additional health benefits which will placate/negate the need to wait longer for them to work