Removing dog tear stains?

Cali Mae

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#1
Maybe I missed it, but I couldn't find a post on removing tear stains. So I was just wondering what ways you guys have found effective for removing tear stains from white fur. :)


Thanks!
 

MafiaPrincess

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#2
Depending what you feed, better food can help. Raw has helped some dogs. In some cases antibiotics for life is the 'answer'.. which is a poor answer.

Apparently Angel eye's makes an antibiotic free version these days. It's a daily supplement, and is pricey.. Depends how much the tear stains offend you. I deal with the fact my one cocker has them as food hasn't fixed it.
 

Cali Mae

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#5
I'm thinking about switching her over to TOTW, now that she doesn't have a problem with chewing bigger sized kibble, and do you guys think that would be a good choice for her? I've heard lots of Papillon owners feed it, and I know a local springer spaniel breeder sells it so it works out.

And they don't bother me horribly, as you can only see it on the left eye because the white goes up a little farther. I also read that warm water on a cottonball removes it, but I'm kind of skeptical but I think I'll try it.

Thanks for the help! :)
 

Kat09Tails

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#6
Papillons can in fact chew... it should probably be encouraged with every meal. ^.^

Mine eat normal size kibble (when I feed kibble) I don't go for small breed size chunks unless it happens to be on sale.
 

Cali Mae

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#7
We only had her on a smaller sized kibble because with her older food, she would take about a minute to chew just one kibble or she'd just chew it and spit it out... that was our reasoning for the smaller size. :) She certainly can chew though.
 
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#9
We only had her on a smaller sized kibble because with her older food, she would take about a minute to chew just one kibble or she'd just chew it and spit it out... that was our reasoning for the smaller size. :) She certainly can chew though.
That sounds like my toy poodle, he can chew a normal kibble piece but he gets tired or bored if he eats more than two pieces.

For a grain free kibble I recommend Earthborn holistic primitive natural and it has 38% protein more than totw Primitive Natural - Ingredients : Earthborn Holistic Pet Food , the pieces are small enough for my toy poodle to chew.

This is size comparation pic I took for another forum:

propac puppy small breed (left) EB primitive natural (middle) kirland chicken adult (right)



This pic is of the propac, but it gives you an idea of the EB primitive.

 

~Jessie~

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#10
I'm having the same problem with Emma and recently Rylie. Rylie has summer allergies and has always gotten wet eyes during this season. Emma has had tear stains since she was a little puppy and has allergies in the spring/summer.

My dogs are on raw and drink filtered water... I wipe their eyes multiple times a day, so I'm not sure what else to do. I don't want to put them on antibiotics, and I'm not sure how well the natural tear stain stuff works. I'll probably try that next, though.
 

MafiaPrincess

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#11
I'm having the same problem with Emma and recently Rylie. Rylie has summer allergies and has always gotten wet eyes during this season. Emma has had tear stains since she was a little puppy and has allergies in the spring/summer.

My dogs are on raw and drink filtered water... I wipe their eyes multiple times a day, so I'm not sure what else to do. I don't want to put them on antibiotics, and I'm not sure how well the natural tear stain stuff works. I'll probably try that next, though.
My kids switch between grain-free and raw and have for years. Cider's a life long tear stainee. When I trim her face, I take off some of the stained hair, I wipe it and looks better for a day or two, and then she's back to tear stains everywhere.

It's nice to see there are other choices now, as I can't justify life long antibiotics either, but I try not to let it bug me too much. For around $15 I'd try the NaturVet supplement.
 

Maxy24

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#12
I heard mixing Apple Cider Vinegar with their water or food can clear it up (you'll have to look online for dosage). It works by changing the acidity of the tears so that the red yeast and bacteria that causes the actual stain can't survive in the moisture on their face.

I chose not to do it because I don't like the idea of changing body chemistry, I'm afraid it could affect urinary health. But there is no proof of this that I could find, so I don't know if it's really something to worry about. I don't want to risk anything though because it's just an aesthetic problem.

I think applying it directly to the tear stain would work as well, but if you got it in their eye it would hurt pretty bad I'd think, so it's not recommended. I did it a few times and never got it in his eyes, but he HATED the smell and started avoiding me. I didn't want to cause him to have face touching sensitivities so I stopped.
 

Romy

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#13
I don't know that it's possible to change the tear chemistry that drastically through adding the vinegar to food. We do give the dogs 1 tsp of cider vinegar in their food 2x a day. It's the raw unfiltered kind with the "mother" in it. Kaia doesn't tolerate dairy so we use it in place of yoghurt for her to get enzymes and probiotics. It may be more that it strengthens the immune system enough to take care of the bacteria/yeast by itself.

Kaia despises vinegar by the way. She will not touch water tainted with it. lol. We put it on her kibble with a squirt of fish or flax oil, then a half cup of tepid water on that. She always snarfs it down.
 

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