Information on Tear Stains

Topical solutions for solving tear stains are effective if used consistently - every day.

Tear stains are caused by a number of different reasons but the symptom is Excessive Tearing. If you can find out what is causing your dog’s tears you can be much more effective at removing the tear stains. The best thing to do is start by asking your vet to diagnose what’s causing them. If your vet finds a problem he can treat it with a variety of antibiotics. If there doesn’t appear to be a health problem causing tear stains, they may be caused by one of the following problems which can be improved by proper grooming.

• Yeast Infections
• Ear Infections
• Teething
• Fleas
• Food, Water & Treats

Excessive Tearing

Determining the cause of excessive tearing is important because the side effect is wet face hair. Wet hair near a warm body breeds bacteria and yeast infections which can get into the tear ducts and cause worse tearing. One of the most common yeast infections is called Red Yeast because it leaves the deep red or brown stain under the eyes. The medical name is Ptyrosporin.

Ear Infections

Ear infections can cause excessive tearing which results in staining. Taking good care of your dog’s ears involves cleaning – and drying! – them every time he’s bathed. If your dog as drop ears, or ear flaps, check them once or twice a week for excessive moisture. If it’s warm and moist, you should use Cardinal’s Clean & Dry Ears, a easy to apply lotion that dries to a powder and soaks up excess moisture.

We recommend using Cardinal’s Clean Ears weekly. It has a special ingredient which interacts with ear wax to create bubbles (like carbonation) that breaks up wax and dirt and dislodges it. Use it to clean both the inside and the shell of the ears. You should also use Cardinal’s Groomer’s Ear Powder to pull out any excess hair in your dog’s ears. Keeping ears clean and healthy makes sure that ear infections are not a cause of tear stains.

Teething

Puppies cut their second teeth any time between the age of 5 and 8 months. Like children, who have excessive dripping noses when cutting teeth, teething can sometimes cause tearing in puppies. It’s usually temporary. Keep the face fur dry and wash the area around the eyes daily with Cardinal’s Tear Stain Remover.

Allergies, Irritations and Smoke

Dogs with excessive tearing may have allergies aggravated by smoke, chemicals or environmental factors. For bathing, use Cardinal’s Puppy Shampoo, a mild and gentle formula with no known irritants. It’s gentle Baby Powder fragrance has been used for many years without irritation.

Stains Caused by Fleas

Fleas are another potential source of staining on your dog’s face. There’s a red stain caused by the digested blood from the flea feces. If you use a flea drop and a shampoo with Cardinal’s Flea & Tick shampoo –being careful to carefully wash the face and head of your dog, you won’t have to worry about stains caused by fleas.

Food, Water & Treats

Dog food and treats that contain no food coloring, beet pulp or preservatives may help reduce stains, especially in white faced dogs. Be careful to keep your dog’s face clean of food particles from eating.

Some areas have water with a high mineral content which is thought to cause facial staining in the chin or beard. Often times show dogs are taught to drink from a water bottle to keep the face clean and dry. You may also choose to use purified water or bottled water instead of tap water if you know your water has a high level of minerals.

Breed Genetics

Lastly, some breeds are more like to have excessive tearing than others, partly due to the shape of their heads and partly due to genetic predisposition. Maltese, poodles, schnauzers and many others are prone to excessive tear staining. Refer to web pages for your particular breed to learn more about possible causes of tear staining by breed.