Dog Tear Stains- Causes, Treatment & Prevention

Dog Tear Stains are reddish-brown in color stains that appear beneath your furry companion’s eyes. The presence of iron molecules in animal tears is the reason behind the discoloration of the tear. Those tears contain waste products that occur after the breakdown of red blood cells. Just like humans, dogs can also suffer from excessive tearing when dirt and debris get into his eyes whereas, in Epiphora, the stains occur when your furry companion is unable to properly drain tears.

On noticing any visible signs of tear stains beneath your furry companion’s eyes, you must consider taking him to a veterinarian.

Causes of Dog Tear Stains

There are various possible reasons behind the occurrence of tear stains, let’s find out all of them.

• Allergies

The foremost possible reason behind this issue is allergies. Tear staining can also occur as a reaction to the allergens. Dogs’ allergies can occur due to certain foods, environmental factors, etc. The dog owner needs to monitor the stains and if the stains are getting worse then you need to visit a veterinarian as soon as possible.

• Blocked tear ducts

The issue of excessive dog tear can also occur due to blockage in the tear ducts of your furry companion. If your dog’s tear ducts are closed then you need to visit a veterinarian to open it surgically. Blocked tear ducts can result in excessive tearing so the dog owner should take his furry companion to the doctor to fix it.

• Infection & injuries

Another cause of tear stains is infection and injuries. Dogs are very sensitive and any irritants such as dust, smoke etc. present in their surroundings can cause infection in your furry companion’s eyes.

• Genetics

Some breeds of dog are more prone to this issue due to genetics, and they tend to produce an excessive amount of tears and increase the possibility of tear stains.

So, these are a few reasons behind the tear stains of your dog.

Treatment of Dog Tear Stains

By putting little efforts, the dog owner can easily clean up all the brownish tear stains beneath his furry companion’s eyes.

• While grooming, the dog owner needs to ensure that he chop off all the short, sharp hairs near his furry companion’s eyes.
• The dog owner can apply stain-removal products for dogs over the stains. The dog owner should ensure that after applying the solution, he must clean up the area properly to get rid of any residue.
• The dog owner can also hide all the stains by using cornstarch or cream. It will help in lightening the area and will make his stains less visible.
• The dog owner needs to ensure that his furry companion only drinks filtered water, and must avoid drinking tap water as tap water has high mineral content which can affect the dog’s health adversely.

Prevention of Dog Tear Stains

As it is said that prevention is always better than cure so the dog owner must consider taking preventative steps in order to avoid any possibility of tear stains.

• The first thing that a dog owner needs to ensure is feeding only good-quality food to his furry companion. Feeding low-quality food can result in an allergic reaction, which can further be the cause of excessive tearing.
• The dog owner should consider regularly trimming all the short hair present near your dog’s eyes.
• The dog owner should feed his dog right-quality of water. Water containing an excessive amount of minerals should be avoided.

So these are a few preventative ways that a dog owner should consider to minimize the occurrence of his furry friend’s tear stains.