Tear Stain Products

While not necessarily painful for your pooch, unsightly tear stain s blemish your dog's fur, especially breeds with lighter coats. You'll find an extensive stock of products to prevent and clear up tear stain s at EntirelyPets.

Tear stains are the reddish-brown streaks your dog (or cat) may have at the corners and/or under their eyes. The tears themselves, of course, are clear, but the redness is the result of porphyrins, naturally occurring molecules that contain iron from the breakdown of red blood cells. While most porphyrins pass through the body and exit in scat, some make their way into the tear ducts and salivary glands. As they are excreted, they settle into the hair around your dog's eyes and are plainly visible on lighter coats. (Note: If the stains appear to be dark brown and have a foul odor, your pet may have a yeast infection. Seek veterinary advice.)

Typically, tear staining is caused by epiphora, or excessive tear production, coupled with the porphyrins. Beyond hypothesizing that genetics plays a role, scientists still aren't quite sure why some breeds like the maltese, lhasa apso and shih tzu are more susceptible to epiphora. But tear staining isn't breed specific. Other causes include ingrown eyelashes, puppy teething, too large or too small tear ducts, poor diet, eye disease, exposure to secondhand smoke and more.

Treating epiphora-caused staining is a rather easy routine process. Feed your pet a well-balanced diet and provide plenty of fresh, filtered drinking water. Replace plastic food bowls, which may harbor bacteria over time, with stainless steel, glass or porcelain. Keep the hair around your pet's eyes neatly trimmed and wipe their face with a tear stain solution daily to remove tears before they have time to stain. EntirelyPets also have tear stain prevention supplements that target the molecules responsible for the staining. Simply mix with your pet's food.