Above photo courtesy of Extreme Chinese Crested
White coated breeds like the Bichon especially at some point in their life may develop tear stains underneath their eyes. Other colors of dogs can also develop stains. Muzzles and between the toes can be a place where stain accumulates. Why does this happen and how do you clean them?
Causes might be:
- health problems
- shape of the eye
- blocked tear ducts
- teething
- ear infection
- allergies of any kind
If your dog just suddenly develops stains after being free of them you might first consult your vet or a veterinary ophthalmologist to see if there are underlying health issues as the cause. After finding out your dog is healthy, in this article explore a few tips and suggestions to hopefully restore and maintain a beautiful white or light colored face. Not only white coated breeds develop tear stains; other colors do as well; it is just more noticeable on the white coated dogs.
The problem might be the food you are feeding. Check the ingredients of food you are feeding. If it contains corn, wheat and meals used as fillers in dog food, you may have found the cause of tear stains on your dog. Switch to a higher quality brand of food and see if this improves the condition. You need to feed a high quality dog food anyway to avoid other health issues.
If after switching foods you still notice tear stains examine the water your dog drinks. Is the water full of excess minerals? If so, this can cause tear stains. Try using purified, distilled or reverse-osmosis water.
I recommend using glass water bottles. As your dog dips into a water bowl, this can cause stains around the mouth.
Daily eye and mouth cleaning goes a long way in keeping stains away. Flush the eyes daily with a canine eye wash. You can also get eye wash wipes made especially for dogs to rub underneath and around the eye.
Try a do it yourself solution for cleaning such as one tablespoon boric acid powder boiled in one cup of distilled water. Make a fresh batch weekly and keep this in the refrigerator.
Try using 3% hydrogen peroxide on a paper towel to wash the muzzle hair and around the toes; don't use this around the eyes, and be careful to not get into the mouth.
My favorite product is Eye Envy. It is a little expensive, but works very well. Use the solution to clean each day and use the powder afterward to catch whatever falls after cleaning.
Keep the hair around areas that stain trimmed.
