LoveToKnow Dogs:AllComments

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Hi Daryl, thanks for the tips. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

Hi Kelly

Great advice.

Mikki make eye scissors that have rounded edges to reduce the risk of injury.

There are also food supplements that you feed to your dog along with their food that will prevent future staining. These can either be antibiotic based or natural.

One antibiotic based product is Angels Eyes and a natural alternative is Angels Delight by Bichon Hotel.

Both work well but the natural version takes slightly longer (5 weeks rather then 4 weeks for the antibiotic versions)

-- Contributed by: daryl

Hi Janell,

Great tip!

-- Contributed by: Kelly

I wanted to make a comment regarding tear stain trails. I have a small, white mix-breed terrior who had dark tear stains. It was suggested to us to add a couple of drops of unfiltered apple cider vinegar to his food each day (gradually building up to a capful. The apple cider vingar will regulate the PH balance of the body. Within a week, our terrior's face was pure white again. Just remember to start out with a few drops in order to let your dog's nose get use to the new smell/taste. We add chicken broth over kibble, so it was pretty easy to acclamate our dog.

-- Contributed by: Janell

Thanks for the tip Tracy!

-- Contributed by: Kelly

hi jo jo

be carefull!!!!!!! Purifeye has hops which can be very dangerous for dog. Hops are fatal fo some breeds- eg greyhounds.

I have tried angels delight since reading these posts and am vey happy with it. One of my boys was on a diet supplement- that dog hadno tear stains but this works out even cheaper than the supplement. I can say that it is great for getting rid of my other boys tear stains

-- Contributed by: tracy mack

Hi JoJo,

Thanks for the suggestion!

-- Contributed by: Kelly

Try Purifeye - it is an all natural supplement that you add to the food. I was totally amazed with the results - the tear stains stopped after just a few weeks. And the ingredients are all simple herbs which are an added benefit to my dog's diet, lots of nutrients that she doesn't get from her usual food. The makers are Pet Purity. Look in to it before you buy anything else! No need for tylosin based products!

-- Contributed by: JoJo

hi Kelly

sorry about the delay in getting back to you.

Before discovering Angels Delight I would have been happy to continue using Angels Eyes.

It is generally accepted that the banning of Tylosin as a growth promoter in the EU has been overkill and not evidence based. Tylosin is still allowed in the EU and UK for medicinal use in live stock. Indeed since it was banned as a growth promoter its medicinal use has increased massively as it is no longer part of the animals diet.

The problem with angels eyes and angels glow tear stain removers is that neither company had applied for a marketing authority here (read: expensive rubber stamp). DEFRA state that any such products are medicines because of the mere existence of an antibiotic, regardless of the quantity. It might be the case that any application would have been turned down as DEFRA do not like the idea of the use of antibiotics to treat what they see as a cosmetic problem. By contrast your FDA state that it is not a medicine as it does not change the dogs physiology.

Tylosin is, it would seem, safe for dogs and effective as a tear stain remover, just dont let it anywhere near horses: It can kill then as a result of messing up the bacterial balance in the horses gut.

With regard to angels delight- now i have started to use it i would not go back to the tylosin products as it works as well but also has a bucket loads of other benefits.

I am also happy to use it 365 and no longer need to worry about giving my dogs breaks from it as i had to with AE.

Here are some of the ingredients in Angels delight- Key ingredients-

ascorbic acid, flaxseed oil, kelp, bone meal, lecithin, niacin, copper carbonate, silica aerogel, Vitamin A, Processed grain, Biotin, Carotene, Pantothenic acid, Omega 3,6,9, calcium, phosphorus, Lactobilus acidophulus, FLAX SEED, BLACKSTRAP MOLASSES, RICE BRAN, PRIMARY DRIED YEAST, SUNFLOWER SEED, FREEZE DRIED LIVER, DEHYDRATED ALFALFA, DRIED CARROT, FREEZE DRIED BONE, DRIED FISH MEAL, FREEZE DRIED OYSTER, SPROUTED GREEN BARLEY, DRIED KELP, LECITHIN, GARLIC AND YUCCA SCHIDIGERA EXTRACT.Flax Seed, Corn Fermentation Solubles, Lecithin, Norwegian Kelp, Fish Oil, Biotin, Vitamin E (mixed Tocopherols), Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Rosemary Extract and Vegetable Oils.

the link to it is

bichonhotel.co.uk/angels_delight

So in summary, I believe Tylosin to be perfectly safe but prefer not to use an antibiotic when there is an alternative that works as well.

Diet changes can also help but I am to disorganised to work out which foods to avoid.

Good luck

-- Contributed by: hungover

Hi Hungover,

Thanks for the info. Do you know why Tylosin was banned in Europe and the UK? Was it causing undue side effects? If it was banned there, perhaps there are reasons we shouldn't use it in the US even if it is available.

What exactly is in Angels Delight? It seems very wide spectrum. I'd be curious to know what the ingredients were before I tried it on my dog. Thanks for any light you can shed. :)

-- Contributed by: Kelly

Tear stains can be so aggressive that they are more than just a cosmetic issue. There are a number of tear stain preventers (rather than removers). Some of these use the macrolide antibiotic Tylosin. This kills the bacteria in the tears that provide the basis of the enzyme that in turn is the building block of the red yeast.

Many dogs also suffer from staining where they lick their coats, again the tylosin will help with this.

These Tylosin based products are no longer legal in the UK and Europe but can still be purchased over the counter in America.

We now use a product called ANGELS DELIGHT that was initially developed as a food additive to help with a number of issues; with bladder stones, cataracts, patella slipping, arthritis, bowel conditions and skin conditions, just happened that it also helped remove tear stains in dogs.

We get ours from BICHON HOTEL. It has done wonders for the the tears but i have no way if it is doing the other stuff.

-- Contributed by: hungover

Hi, Kelly. I have a 8 week Shih-Tzu and his tearing seems to be getting worse. I bought some eye wipes and they aren't working that well. What do suggest I do?

Thanks, Cathy

Hi Cathy,

It's unusual to see stain build up in such a young puppy. By any chance, does your puppy have a set of eyelashes growing out from the inside corners of his eyes? This is getting more common in the breed and it can lead to excessive tearing. I have known of some owners who've had their vet surgically remove this set of lashes to address the problem.

At eight weeks old, it's difficult to to band the hair into a top knot because it isn't quite long enough yet. However, try to take up at least a small section in the middle of the forehead from the stop up. This will help keep it out of your dog's eyes while he's growing out of his "chrysanthemum" stage.

Finally, you can ask a groomer to help you trim out some of the hair between the corners of the eyes and your dog's nose. This eliminate's the "tear trail" and lessons the look of the staining. It also keeps the face drier. This will also help prevent further staining.

Thanks for your question. :)

-- Contributed by: Cathy

Our dog Cody is a Bijon/Shih Tzu mix - white with some black patches, he is 9 months old. He gets tear stains and we have been unable to completely remove them. Two weeks ago I noticed a patch on his back that is the same color of the tear stains. Could this mean he has a yeast infection? He seems fine otherwise.

Hi Donna, only your vet can diagnose a yeast infection, but the red spot does indicate that your dog is licking the area excessively. Check through his fur to see if there's any irritation. This could turn into a hot spot.

Thanks!

-- Contributed by: Donna

Hi-I have a Bichon/Shih-Tzu Mix dog and a Shih-Tzu/Poodle Mix dog. I have kept them on the same dry dog food for years (one is age 5 and one is age 3). The tear stains on my dogs come and go. I had attributed it to allergies, but wanted to check and see if I am correct. Why would the tear and face stains (and paws) go away for most of the year, and only appear at other times. Both dogs are a mess right now with the reddish stains, which are on the face and paws. My Shih-Poo is obcessed with licking her paws here lately, for the past 7 weeeks. Both have checked out perfect at the vet. I need someone to please tell me why these stains disappear and I have dogs with perfectly white faces, then they reappear at other times for weeks. Would that mean it is allergies? I feed my dogs Eukanuba Adult Dry only, never table scraps, and they get 1 dog treat daily, which is the same also. Thanks so much for your help.

Expert Reply

Hi Gail,

Do you ever use different shampoos? One might work better at removing the stains than the others. Also, since your dogs have long coats do you have a professional groomer trim them for you? If so, perhaps the groomer uses a product that efficiently lifts the stains.

As for the possibility of allergies as the cause behing the staining, it's highly possible. Your dogs might have common allergies to things like grass and pollen. Does your dogs' staining occur on a seasonal cycle? If so, this may be the cause.

Thanks for your question.

-- Contributed by: Gail

Is this okay? we have a maltease, and when we take his tear stains out we take a warm papertowel, that is wet and rub genntle it still comes off!

Expert Reply

This is perfectly fine if it works for you. Sometimes the staining becomes too deep to remove, but if you keep up with it then you've found a good solution. It's always better to avoid using any chemicals near a dog's eyes if you can avoid it.

Thanks for your question.

-- Contributed by: song45

May I know how many type of dogs have tear stains? Can you please give me the list of the dogs who have eyes stains problems? Thank you Phoebe

Expert Reply

Hi Phoebe,

Any type of dog can get tear stains, but it really depends on the color of the dog's fur as to whether or not the stains will show.

If you're trying to choose a breed based on this information, I recommend you choose a dog that has a dark colored face. This way you'll never have to worry about staining.

Thanks for your question.

-- Contributed by: Phoebe
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