Dog Tear Stains Explained
Are you wondering about the best way to prevent and remove dog tear stains?
Of course, here at Glow Groom, we believe our tear stain remover supplement is the best product for tear stains in Australia. This being said, we strongly encourage all pet owners to fully investigate the possible causes of their dog’s coat stains. Here we provide some useful information to assist you in ensuring you eliminate any underlying causes of tear staining on dogs and learn how to prevent dog tear stains in the future. Although tear stains products, like Glow Groom’s tear stain remedy for dogs, provide comprehensive protection against unsightly tear stains, there are plenty of other tips for ensuring the health of your furry friend. Here we delve into different ways to prevent, treat and remove dog’s tear stains.
How to Prevent Tear Stains on Dogs - Quick Facts:
- Ears, eyes, teeth and gums should be checked regularly;
- Keep your dog’s face clean and dry;
- Ears and eyes should be kept as dry as possible;
- Keep facial hair tidy and remove hair from inside the ears;
- Have purified or distilled water available, preferably in a metal water bowls;
- Protect eyes from shampoo when bathing and use shampoos free from harsh chemicals (such as baby shampoo);
- Buy organic or natural dry food;
- Keep fleas under control;
- Trust Glow Groom’s tear stain cleaner for dogs, the best product for dog tear stains on the market.
CAUSES OF DOG & PUPPY TEAR STAINS
- Tearing and Tear Stains
- Ear Infections
- Genetics
- Teething
- Allergies
- Water
- Food
- Fleas
- Blocked Tear Ducts
- Sudden Increase in Tearing
- Shallow Eye Sockets
- Keep your Dog Healthy
There are many possible reasons for excessive tear production, but none are directly responsible for dogs developing tear stains. Staining is a by-product created by the moisture from increased tearing flowing through the hair below a dog’s eyes. Constantly wet facial hair is a breeding ground for bacteria (such as a yeast infection) and will often lead to excessive tears. The tear ducts become filled with bacteria that react to incoming light and release dark brown or reddish brown stains into the area surrounding a dog’s eyes.
This reddish colour can also be influenced by how your dog breaks down red blood cells. In certain breeds, when their blood cells are broken down, a naturally-occurring molecule remains and is flushed out through the dog’s tears. This molecule often contains iron, which leaves behind a red colouration on your pet’s face.
Extra care needs to be taken in drying your dog’s ears after bathing. Many dogs have a lot of hair inside the ears’ which can cause infection. You can gently pluck them with tweezers or trim inside the ears with blunt-nosed scissors (as used for the babies’ nails), or ask your groomer to do it for you. If you are concerned that your dog has developed an ear infection, seek veterinary advice as soon as possible.
Many dogs have a genetic sensitivity in the ear drums, with any water remaining likely to cause an ear infection. Certain breeds of dogs have large eyes and short muzzles, which can also tend to allow more eye irritation and less drainage. This is common among dog breeds like Shih-tzus, Pekingeses, Malteses, and Pugs. You may notice that light coloured dogs with pale or white fur have more visible tear stains. However, dogs with darker fur are also susceptible to developing heavily stained areas, they are just harder to see.
When puppies cut their first teeth, excessive tearing can occur. When cutting their permanent adult teeth, (usually between 5 to 8 months of age), the changes of the structure of their mouth and facial bones put pressure on the dog’s tear ducts and increase tearing. Many dogs that have had no previous staining problems are prone to developing stubborn stains during this time. Dogs of any age with teeth or gum problems are likely to produce excess tears, increasing the chance of stains around your dog’s eyes.
Many dogs can be susceptible to allergies coming from the environment which can cause them to develop tear stains. Exposure to smoke, wind, heating and air-conditioning have been known to cause allergies in some animals. Try to keep your dog from situations where they are exposed to eye irritations. Always take care when bathing, as shampoo in a dog’s eyes can also cause irritation.
The drinking water in many areas has a high mineral content. If a dog splashes while drinking water from a wide dish, getting the mouth and beard wet, the minerals may cause staining and the moisture may breed bacteria, leading to saliva stains. Providing your dog with purified water and using a metal bowl can assist with these problems and prevent tear and saliva stains. Another suggestion is to train your dog to drink from a dripping bottle to eliminate moisture from around the face and beard.
Your dog’s diet is known to play a significant role in eye discharge and staining. Many dog owners find that feeding their animals dry food with no preservatives, fillers or additives will boost their resistance to inflammatory reactions, therefore aiding stain-free faces. Many commercial pet foods also contain meat pulp along with artificial colours that can stain the hair around the mouth.
Check how your pet's diet rates here: http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/.
When it comes to the right diet for preventing tear stains in dogs, we recommend Ziwi Peak Air Dried Dog Food and Bell & Bone Chews and Treats BUY HERE.
Fleas are another common problem for dogs that causes tear stains. The instruction on most flea shampoos is to start shampooing from the head down. This is because fleas also need moisture to survive and stay mostly around the head, next to the wetness of the eyes. The constant and vigorous scratching is the dog’s way to relieve the itch resulting from the excrement (digested blood) the fleas leave behind, likely to cause an infection.
When people continuously ask, why does my dog have tear stains, it may be because some dogs may have clogged tear ducts, which need to be irrigated by a vet. This can be caused by congenital tear duct abnormalities in some breeds, making it harder to drain tears away from their eyes. Whilst a blocked tear duct system usually has no bearing on causing stains or weepy eyes, they should still be monitored for the health and wellbeing of your pet. Glow Groom’s dog tear stain treatment can be a great way of ensuring the health of pets with blocked tear drainage holes or ducts. This way you can clean dog tear stains off your pooch for good.
If your dog suddenly shows signs of increased tear stains and acute staining around their eyes or clumping of the hair around the eyes accompanied by a runny nose, we recommend a visit to your vet as soon as possible. These symptoms are signs of “epiphora”, the medical term for abnormal excess tear production from the dogs eye. “Epiphora” is caused by a variety of conditions that affect tear production, tear flow, or the function of the eyelids. The treatment for “epiphora” varies according to the underlying cause and your vet will provide an accurate diagnosis.
Poodles and brachycephalic breeds with pushed in faces (Shih-tzus, Pugs etc) are especially vulnerable to “epiphora” because of their shallow eye sockets. This means that tears frequently spill out onto the dog’s face, exacerbating the stains on their face while preventing their eyelids from fully closing. Across all breeds, Glow Groom’s tear stain solution for dogs can help treat your fur baby’s tear stains, even those with these sorts of issues.
Once you have ensured your dog’s overall health and comfort with your veterinarian and ruled out any underlying causes as outlined above, you can feel confident in using Glow Groom™’s tear stain treatment for dogs to eliminate bacteria and remove tear stains at the source. Glow Groom is the ideal product for removing tear stains and preventing tear stains in dogs in the long run.
CAUSES OF DOG & PUPPY TEAR STAINS
- Tearing and Tear Stains
- Ear Infections
- Genetics
- Teething
- Allergies
- Water
- Food
- Fleas
- Blocked Tear Ducts
- Sudden Increase in Tearing
- Shallow Eye Sockets
- Keep your Dog Healthy
There are many possible reasons for excessive tear production, but none are directly responsible for dogs developing tear stains. Staining is a by-product created by the moisture from increased tearing flowing through the hair below a dog’s eyes. Constantly wet facial hair is a breeding ground for bacteria (such as a yeast infection) and will often lead to excessive tears. The tear ducts become filled with bacteria that react to incoming light and release dark brown or reddish brown stains into the area surrounding a dog’s eyes.
This reddish colour can also be influenced by how your dog breaks down red blood cells. In certain breeds, when their blood cells are broken down, a naturally-occurring molecule remains and is flushed out through the dog’s tears. This molecule often contains iron, which leaves behind a red colouration on your pet’s face.
Extra care needs to be taken in drying your dog’s ears after bathing. Many dogs have a lot of hair inside the ears’ which can cause infection. You can gently pluck them with tweezers or trim inside the ears with blunt-nosed scissors (as used for the babies’ nails), or ask your groomer to do it for you. If you are concerned that your dog has developed an ear infection, seek veterinary advice as soon as possible.
Many dogs have a genetic sensitivity in the ear drums, with any water remaining likely to cause an ear infection. Certain breeds of dogs have large eyes and short muzzles, which can also tend to allow more eye irritation and less drainage. This is common among dog breeds like Shih-tzus, Pekingeses, Malteses, and Pugs. You may notice that light coloured dogs with pale or white fur have more visible tear stains. However, dogs with darker fur are also susceptible to developing heavily stained areas, they are just harder to see.
When puppies cut their first teeth, excessive tearing can occur. When cutting their permanent adult teeth, (usually between 5 to 8 months of age), the changes of the structure of their mouth and facial bones put pressure on the dog’s tear ducts and increase tearing. Many dogs that have had no previous staining problems are prone to developing stubborn stains during this time. Dogs of any age with teeth or gum problems are likely to produce excess tears, increasing the chance of stains around your dog’s eyes.
Many dogs can be susceptible to allergies coming from the environment which can cause them to develop tear stains. Exposure to smoke, wind, heating and air-conditioning have been known to cause allergies in some animals. Try to keep your dog from situations where they are exposed to eye irritations. Always take care when bathing, as shampoo in a dog’s eyes can also cause irritation.
The drinking water in many areas has a high mineral content. If a dog splashes while drinking water from a wide dish, getting the mouth and beard wet, the minerals may cause staining and the moisture may breed bacteria, leading to saliva stains. Providing your dog with purified water and using a metal bowl can assist with these problems and prevent tear and saliva stains. Another suggestion is to train your dog to drink from a dripping bottle to eliminate moisture from around the face and beard.
Your dog’s diet is known to play a significant role in eye discharge and staining. Many dog owners find that feeding their animals dry food with no preservatives, fillers or additives will boost their resistance to inflammatory reactions, therefore aiding stain-free faces. Many commercial pet foods also contain meat pulp along with artificial colours that can stain the hair around the mouth.
Check how your pet's diet rates here: http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/.
When it comes to the right diet for preventing tear stains in dogs, we recommend Ziwi Peak Air Dried Dog Food and Bell & Bone Chews and Treats BUY HERE.
Fleas are another common problem for dogs that causes tear stains. The instruction on most flea shampoos is to start shampooing from the head down. This is because fleas also need moisture to survive and stay mostly around the head, next to the wetness of the eyes. The constant and vigorous scratching is the dog’s way to relieve the itch resulting from the excrement (digested blood) the fleas leave behind, likely to cause an infection.
When people continuously ask, why does my dog have tear stains, it may be because some dogs may have clogged tear ducts, which need to be irrigated by a vet. This can be caused by congenital tear duct abnormalities in some breeds, making it harder to drain tears away from their eyes. Whilst a blocked tear duct system usually has no bearing on causing stains or weepy eyes, they should still be monitored for the health and wellbeing of your pet. Glow Groom’s dog tear stain treatment can be a great way of ensuring the health of pets with blocked tear drainage holes or ducts. This way you can clean dog tear stains off your pooch for good.
If your dog suddenly shows signs of increased tear stains and acute staining around their eyes or clumping of the hair around the eyes accompanied by a runny nose, we recommend a visit to your vet as soon as possible. These symptoms are signs of “epiphora”, the medical term for abnormal excess tear production from the dogs eye. “Epiphora” is caused by a variety of conditions that affect tear production, tear flow, or the function of the eyelids. The treatment for “epiphora” varies according to the underlying cause and your vet will provide an accurate diagnosis.
Poodles and brachycephalic breeds with pushed in faces (Shih-tzus, Pugs etc) are especially vulnerable to “epiphora” because of their shallow eye sockets. This means that tears frequently spill out onto the dog’s face, exacerbating the stains on their face while preventing their eyelids from fully closing. Across all breeds, Glow Groom’s tear stain solution for dogs can help treat your fur baby’s tear stains, even those with these sorts of issues.
Once you have ensured your dog’s overall health and comfort with your veterinarian and ruled out any underlying causes as outlined above, you can feel confident in using Glow Groom™’s tear stain treatment for dogs to eliminate bacteria and remove tear stains at the source. Glow Groom is the ideal product for removing tear stains and preventing tear stains in dogs in the long run.
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