White boxer, Ugly Tears.. Help!

[shnooka842]

I have a white boxer (Nube) and after cleaning and cleaning his eyes, he still has the most awful tear stains! I have tried many different products and nothing seems to work.

Does anyone have any idea's? Is there anything out there that will take those stains off his cute face? Please let me know.

Thanks guys and gals...

 

[gmacleod]

There are a few products out there that help with the tear stains - diamond eye and crystal eye are two of them.

BUT - it makes more sense to treat the cause than the symptoms, if it's possible. In a great many cases, excessive tears and eye boogers (the cause of the staining) is caused by low quality food and allergies - both food and environmental ones.

Is the staining seasonal, or a year-round thing? If it's seasonal, he probably has some environmental allergies. If it's a year round problem, then it's likely to be food related (and it can actually be both). What do you feed him? Common causes of this sort of problem are foods/treats containing wheat, soy, corn, beet pulp and molasses.

 

[shnooka842]

Thanks for the information. He had some tearing during winter, but he was also playing in dry grass. Now that things are blooming in our yard and the grass is growing it seems like his eyes are constantly tearing. I clean his face twice a day, like some of the products say to do, but the tears are still staining his face.

Do you reccomend I keep him inside and only let him out for walks and the bathroom to see if it improves? Or should I just take him to the vet and see what they can do, before changing his food?

Thanks...

 

[Pearlywhirly]

I would definitely make an appointment with your vet. This is very common with white dogs but I also suspect it occurs with brown and black dogs and it's just not noticed as much. There are so many reasons this could be happening it could take a while to narrow down exactly what is causing it. As a groomer I see dogs every day with grape sized chunks of black, smelly crust literally adhered to the skin below the eyes and after it's removed the whole area is raw and bleeding. Kudos to you for being proactive and actually cleaning it. I hope you can get good results! There is a product I have seen on the net but not actually had anybody use so I don't know firsthand if it works but you could try.

www.eyeenvy.com

 

[karenrunge]

Why would you want to take a dog to the vet for eye stains? They are utterly harmless, even though it is not the prettiest thing to look at. As for it being related to diet, all I can say is every dog is different. Both my dogs are white and eat the same diet. Spenser has no tear stains, whereas Coach has nasty looking stains. I've tried Crystal Eyes, didn't do a thing. Other people have suggested unsweetened pumpkin. They boys loved it, but it didn't do a thing for the stains.

 

[gmacleod]

Why would you want to take a dog to the vet for eye stains? They are utterly harmless, even though it is not the prettiest thing to look at.

Because tear stains are caused by excessive tear production. That is never normal and can be the result of a physical problem with the tear ducts, blockages included. Or the result of problems with eyelashes growing inward and constantly poking the dog in the eye. And medical problems should be diagnosed and addressed, not just shrugged at.

Likewise, a great many dogs have excess tears as the result of allergies. If those are food allergies, you should be addressing cause, not just saying "too bad". Just because one dog isn't allergic to, or have problems with the ingredients in his food, doesn't mean another can't. Your pair would seem to be a case in point

In a few cases, you're never going to find the cause. Or it may be environmental allergies that you really can't do much about. But in many other cases, the cause will be pinpointable and treatable. That's hardly a reason at the outset to say just don't bother, or why on earth would you consult a vet over it :rolleyes:

 

[carole]

I have tried every tear stain remover around but have found the best thing to keep them at bay is cleaning daily with warm to hot water with a pinch of salt added. Dry the eyes after cleaning and add a tiny spot of vaseline below the eyes. Not a lot just enough to coat the hairs that stain. A lot less expensive

The reason for Finn's was food related. Now they are very faint.

 

[Maddie's dad]

When I first adopted Billy and Gracie, they had terrible tear stains. Billy's were'nt as bad as Gracie's but they were still heavy. Billy's started clearing up within a few weeks but Gracie's took longer. I did talk to the vet about it and she said they would look into her tear ducts if ever she had to be put under. I did buy some of the stain remover but never used it. After Gracie started feeling better (she had heartworm), and her appetite picked up, the stains cleared up on their own. They were being fed what donations Wal-Mart gave to the shelter and since I couldn't bring myself to buy Ol' Roy, they went straight to Chicken Soup. Now both Billy and Gracie have clear eyes and no tear stains at all. -Jan

 

[shnooka842]

Thanks...

Thanks everyone for all the information. I am going to get Nube into the vet on Monday and keep him in all weekend. Or at least try to keep him in, he loves to play outside!

As for his food, I will ask the doctor if I should change it. Hopefully I can get his tears under control. It's not that I hate the way the stains look...it's more that they smell and get in his eyes and could be a sign of other health problems.

Thanks again!

 

[Adelle]

Diet can also be the cause of tear stains. When I first got Finnegan my white boy he had awful stains but once I switched him on to a better food they cleared up. He currently eats CA Natural and doesn't get any more tear stains. But a trip to the vet is also a good idea because it can be caused by some sort of eye irratation and an exam can rule that out so then you can focus on diet or other causes.