Tear Stains

Yes I was talking about Innova! oops. Where can I get it? Not from somewhere like petsmart right? Also- how would I test the allergy of pumkin?

Eye Envy
 
[linkhttp://eyeenvy.com/]http://eyeenvy.com/[/link]

Number one, Feed the best you can afford and check the treats too.
Nothing artificial, no colours, preservatives, bi-products etc and watch the quantity of grain fed. He's a dog not a chicken
Using a stain remover might work but most are bleach based and make the hair porous so it stains easier than ever.
Pinching just a mouthful of cheap multi coloured cat food at a friends place is enough to bring staining back with my boy.
Best

Here's a really informative list from Eye Envy about the causes of tear staining:
 
[linkhttp://www.eyeenvy.com/StoreFront.bok]http://www.eyeenvy.com/StoreFront.bok[/link]

Q: What causes excessive tearing and staining:
A: Staining can be caused by a variety of things:

Clogged or Shallow Tear Ducts: Studies indicate that 20-25% of small dogs and cats are born with closed of shallow tear ducts. Tears overflow because there the eyelid space is not deep enough to contain them.

Excessive Tearing: When the face hair is wet from excessive tearing, it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria and yeast infections (AKA: Red Yeast, which causes deep reddish-brown stains); Low grade bacteria infections may also cause excessive tearing.

Cutting Teeth: Cutting teeth may cause changes in the head & mouth structure of your pet, placing pressure on the tear ducts.

Irritation & Allergies: Some animals get hair or eyelashes into their eyes causing irritation.  Many breeds are susceptible to allergies. Shampoos and other chemicals can also irritate their eyesSome foods cause allergic reactions; animals may also build an allergic reaction over time to a type of food.

Water: Water with high mineral levels causes staining

Food & Treats: Diet can play a significant role in tearing.  Many commercial foods contain additives, preservatives and food coloring. This could lead to staining.

Fleas: Fleas survive in moisture, which they get from the eye or moth area. This could cause irritation and in addition red stains left behind may be from flea feces.  These are just a few reasons. There are MANY more!!

Gingerbread has never had a big roblem with tear staining. Then about a week and a half ago it seems like overnight he had really bad reddish stains on his face. The only change that I made was feeding him Merrick canned food. I looked at the label and the only ingredient I saw that I thought could have maybe caused the staining was "caramel color". I had also been giving Gingerbread tap water and it's possible that something changed with the mineral content.
 
So just as a precaution I threw out the opened can of Merrick and switched Gingerbread over to purified water. I also got Eye Envy about 3 days ago and it's starting to help. I'm going to keep using it even after the stains are gone because it has an antibacterial and Gingerbread has always had tearing (just never reddish brown before) and his face would start smelling within about 2 days of bathing him. Eye Envy is the only thing that has worked to get rid of that smell in between baths.
 
Also, Eye Envy doesn't work by bleaching.
 
[color=#000000]Q: What is Eye Envy so different that all the other products that I've bought and don't work?
A: Eye Envy works at the true problem, a bacteria infection.  Eye Envy contains a cleanser, an astringent (to dry the area) and herbal flower extract (acts as a natural antibiotic) and an antibacterial. 

Eye Envy is a topical tear stain remover.  Other products are often masked as palatable supplements, taking months to work and requiring your pet to ingest antibiotics (e.g. tylan, tylosin as tartrate). 
 
Anyway, don't mean to sound like a commerical for Eye Envy, but I really think it's great stuff!![/color]

At the grooming shop I work at, we've tried the "Eye Envy" and don't think it's all that it's cracked up to be.
 
Many breeds are predisposed to tearing, but excess hair around the eye area can be the cause of excessive tearing, as can eyelashes, food, water, tear duct blockage, etc.
The staining itself is caused by either yeast OR bacteria and in order to eliminate the "stains", you have to bleach the area OR cut it out. We have found NOTHING that eliminates stains that have already formed in the hair. What we have found is using just a tiny bit of ointment on the fur just below the eye (where the tears track). This helps to keep the hair less absorbant, thus less chance of bacteria and yeast taking hold *IN* the cutical of the hair shaft.
You can also use ACV and water on a Q-tip and swab the area (carefully) each day to keep the yeast and bacteria in check.
I think the MAIN thing is to find what is causing the TEARING, then you don't have to worry about the STAINS.

i bringing my white poodle to be groomed  this friday.  once his face is shaved, you can't see his tear stains.  i was wondering if anyone could advise me on how to keep the stains from reappearing, if that's possible.  i was thinking if i start taking care of them right away, they will be less noticeable.  i've tried washing them everyday with warm water, but that really didn't seem to work.

Some people on the forum have said that feeding the dog yogurt helps.

I probably won't be much help but thought this might be interesting.  My daughter has a brown lab mix and a blond cocker spaniel that were raised together from puppyhood.  The lab mix is the Alpha and has always licked clean around the cocker's ears and eyes.  Cockers have tear stains also sometimes and he has NONE, never has.  They also tend to have ear infections and he has never had one.  I think this might be due to being cleaned on a daily (somes several times a day) basis by his buddy.  Has anyone else out there seen this phenomenon?  It is quite amazing. 

how much apple cider vinegar and water do you mix together, when using it to keep the area clean?
thanks

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I wash my dogs face everyday and still have the staining problem very bad. I have tried pumpkin, yogurt, and the very expensive eye envy without any good results. At this time I'm going to try these things I read on a bulldog site:  
 
 
 [align=left][align=left]TUMS [align=left]If you need to change the pH of your dogs system to aid in preventing yeast or infection then Tums is primarily a source of Calcium, known as an antacid formulated as 500 mg Calcium Carbonate. Giving your Bulldog 1/2 of the Fruit flavored vareast and bacteria.[align=left]
[align=left]White Vinegar[align=left]A teaspoon of white cider vinegar can be added to your dogs drinking water to control new tear stains.  It may take a while for your dog to "decide" to drink this water so start with a little less and gradually increase the amount of vinegar.  Vinegar works much like TUMS in that it can changes the pH of the drinking water. Changing the pH of your dog slightly will do wonders in the tear stain war and help eliminate bacteria and deep stain color and prevent yeast build up and is best used as a prevention once you have the tear stains removed or nearly removed. This will help for the future of the tear stains and make them a minimum occurrence.[align=left]
[align=left]Milk of Magnesia, corn starch and peroxide [align=left]
[align=left]Use equal volume of MOM (plain white) and peroxide, and then use the corn starch to make a good paste of this; put on and work well into the stained area and let dry 4 hours. Wash out, CONDITION WELL. Keep doing this for several days until tear staining is gone, although I would recommend skipping a day or two between applications if possible. Apply a thin coat of desitan diaper rash ointment after the area is washed out and dry. Try this every other day if possible and the choice way of doing it. If your dog has heavy stains then do this for 3 days in a row, then skip every other day.[align=left]
[align=left]This MOM formula is my personal preference when I do need to remove tear stain color from the face of dogs. It works well but give it a few days to show results.

Poodlemom,
 
You can use 50/50 ACV and water and just dap the area with a cotton ball once or twice a day. Also, if you use a little neosporin or petroleium jelly (just small amounts) and lightly coat the area under the eyes, this will keep the hair from absorbing the fluid and prevent the bacteria from accumulating. Just wipe clean with the ACV and then apply ointment. Just remember, SMALL amount. You don't want alot of residue.
 
This helps PREVENT recurrent staining.

kennel_keeper,
thanks for getting back to me.  i'm gonna give it a try.  hope it works. 

Make sure and use organic apple cider vinegar with the 'mother'.Plain white supermarket vinegar is useless! Make sure not to get any in the eye as it will sting.

April started with bad tear stains when she was a pup, I have always used and still do a drop in each eye and clean the eyes out, they get gooky overnight, I use opticlear veterinary eyewash which I buy at the pet store.  A bottle of 4 oz. last a long time.  I ask my vet about the stains when April was a baby too, she had no remedys for me but funny, I ask about food causing it and she said no way does food cause tear stains. odd

I've been using Eye Envy for Gingerbread for about 3 weeks now and I just wanted to mention how AWESOME it is!

He's always had some tearing (never staining though until about a month ago), but the hair under his eyes smelled just gross. Using a warm, wet washcloth did absolutely nothing to help. I even tried using a little tearless baby shampoo and it didn't help at all. The Eye Envy works really, really well. The 1st step is an astringent with an antibiotic and herbal antibacterial properties. Gingerbread's face hasn't smelled bad since I started using it and that is AMAZING. It's 100% better. The 2nd step is a powder that helps repel the tears. I've noticed over a few weeks that the staining is gradually getting lighter. I think it mostly helps to keep new stains from forming and the most important thing to me is that it kills the bacteria.

Just wanted to add, I don't feel comfortable AT ALL using peroxide or vinegar near my dogs eyes! The Eye Envy is harmless if a little gets in their eyes.

Also wanted to add that Eye Envy must be refrigerated otherwise it's not going to be effective.