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Depending on what breed of dog you may have, they may sometimes shed tears that are significantly colored, unlike human tears. These tears can cause stains in their coat or fur, and the color varies per breed of dog. It is the majority of white or light colored dogs who experience dog tear stains, most probably due to their light color, making the stain quite visible and distinguishable. It is not just because these breeds have lighter coat color; it is also because they may have excess hair over their skin folds, especially around their eyes. Having extra fur on these areas may cause the blocking of tear ducts. Some breeds that exhibit dog tear stains include: Poodles, Cocker spaniels, Pekinese, Shi-Tzu, Maltese and the Pug. The causes and remedies for dog tear stains will be covered below.
Causes and Remedies for Dog Tear Stains
The causes and remedies for dog tear stains naturally vary from breed to breed so how do dog tear stains develop? It all begins with the dog’s tear ducts. If these ducts get blocked, they will not be able to drain out the tears from the eyes. There are a lot of circumstances that gets the dog’s tear duct blocked. These can include growing hair around the eye area, having shallow eye sockets and having eyelids that turn inward. As a result, dog tear staining can occur.
So what are you to do with your dog? The first thing to know is why your dog sheds tears with stains. Some dogs shed excessive tears because it is in their bloodline or a genetic trait. There can also be a different medical cause, such as a skin irritation or an allergy. Some of the common causes of excessive tearing of a dog are: injuries, hair getting into the eyes, dry eyes, glaucoma, corneal ulcers, eye infection, cataracts inflammation, and allergic reactions.
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d
Apr 4, 2013 at 2:22 pm
I have to agree that prevention is better than the “cure”. Peroxide will be absorbed into the skin in varying degrees. It will also make the hair become more brittle.
a raw food diet will have the advantage of eliminating many of the bulking agents that your dog might be intolerant to, such as wheat and corn, which can increase tear production.
alternatively there are dedicated tear stain remover supplements such as naturvet
Jennifer Boehme
Apr 2, 2013 at 1:03 pm
lol, 2 hours is not do-able. 2 hours of not letting it in your dogs eyes…that’s 2 hours of not moving off the couch at all.
Nancy
Apr 2, 2013 at 12:02 pm
I rescued a beige and white Shih Tzu who had terrible tear stains. After putting him on a raw diet, the tear stains went away.
Nora
Apr 2, 2013 at 9:53 am
Are you people for real!? I could never get my papillon to leave a hydrogen peroxide/corn starch paste on her face for two hours! Would be lucky it is lasted 10 minutes!