Tear Staining in Pets

You’ve probably seen dark brown or reddish tear stains under a dog’s (or cat’s) eyes and wondered where they come from. Tear stains appear in certain breeds more often than others, and they can indicate a lot of different things. It’s important that you see a veterinarian or eye specialist if your dog is developing tear stains to determine the cause and possible treatments. Here’s what you should know about tear stains under your pet’s eyes.

Tear Staining: What Is It? What Causes It?

Tear staining is usually caused by epiphora, which is the technical word for excessive tear production. The tear stains themselves are reddish-brown streaks under a dog’s (or cat’s) eyes. The condition is much more prevalent in certain breeds (for example, the Maltese, the Lhasa Apso, and the Shih Tzu), and is much more obvious in animals with light-colored coats. While tear staining is typically no more than a minor annoyance, it can also be a symptom of a serious eye health problem.

Medical causes of tear staining can include:

• Ingrown eyelashes – These are usually hereditary and appear more frequently in certain breeds.
• Unusually large or small tear glands – Irregularities of your dog’s eyes can cause more tears to be present.
• Glaucoma – An eye disease that causes fluid buildup in the eye and damages the optic nerve.
• Conjunctivitis– An inflammation in the lining of the eye that can also result in mucous, pus, or discharge.
• Brachycephalic syndrome – Shallow eye sockets- More common in brachycephalic dogs (dogs that have shorter snouts and flatter faces). The eyes bulge out and sometimes the eyelids don’t fully close, which results in irritation and damage. Some short-nosed breeds are: Shih Tzu, Pekingese, Maltese, and Pugs, and they are prone to developing eye problems.
• Medications – Check with your vet to ensure that medications your pet is taking are safe and are not causing the tearing.
• Poor quality diet – Some pet owners have discovered that feeding their pets a dry kibble with no preservative, fillers or additives will boost their resistance to inflammatory reactions and thus reduce tear staining.
• Stress – Talk with your vet about the possibility of stress as the cause for overactive tearing.
• Infection of the eye – Can be caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, or irritants like smoke or shampoo.
• Irritant exposure- Secondhand smoke, dust, and allergens can cause your dog’s eyes to produce more tears to flush them out.
• Entropion (inverted eyelid) – Entropion is a condition where a portion of the eyelid is inverted, resulting in eyelashes rubbing against the eye. This can cause irritation, scratches, and damage to the eye.
• Ear infection – An infection in one ear can sometimes cause the eye on the same side of the head to start tearing up more than usual.
• Plastic food and water bowls – Plastic bowls can leech chemicals into the water and food that dogs react to.
• Teething in puppies – In puppies, teething can be accompanied by excessive tears.
• Allergies- These can cause your dog’s eyes to produce excessive tears as the body responds to what it perceives to be a threat. These can be seasonal, food related, or the result of using plastic food and water bowls.

If you have a dog or cat with tear staining, it is recommended that you talk about it with your veterinarian during your next appointment. It’s important to rule out medical causes before you assume that it’s just a simple matter of too much tear production.

Why Some Pets Have or Show More Tear Staining

Tear stains are typically the result of porphyrins. Porphyrins are naturally occurring molecules containing iron (waste products from the breakdown of red blood cells) and are mostly removed from the body in the usual way (in poop). However, in dogs and cats, porphyrin can also be excreted through tears, saliva, and urine.

When tears and saliva containing porphyrins sit on light-colored fur for any period of time, staining will occur. And if it seems your pet’s tear stains are worse after he’s been outside, you’re not imagining things. The iron-containing stains do, indeed, darken when exposed to sunlight.

If the stains are more of a brown color than rust colored, it’s likely your pet has developed a yeast infection on his face because the fur under his eyes is constantly wet with tears. Brown stains from a yeast infection are different from red staining caused by porphyrins. This can be important to know if you’re trying to resolve brown stains with a product intended for red stains, or vice versa. Yeast infections are also odiferous, so if your pet’s face smells, think yeast. Pets can also have both a porphyrin stained face and a secondary yeast infection from the constantly moist skin.

You may notice that pets with white or lightly colored fur have tear stains more often, but this is mostly because the tear stains are just more visible against those colors. Dogs or cats with dark fur can be just as likely to develop epiphora, and you should always examine your pet’s eyes closely for anything out of the ordinary.

Some dogs make more porphyrin than others, and therefore have more tear staining. It is assumed that genetics and innate bacterial levels are involved, because certain breeds and lineages can be more prone to staining.

Poodles and Cocker Spaniels, along with other breeds, are more genetically likely to have imperforate puncta, a condition where the holes near the eyes that drain tears do not properly develop. This causes tears to build up, and the stains are more likely to form.

How to Treat Tear Stains Safely

Treatment for epiphora is as varied as the causes, which is why you must see a veterinarian or eye specialist before you attempt to treat it yourself. Your vet will determine the cause and form a plan to treat the condition.

If the cause is an irritant, a simply eye flushing may be enough to reduce tear production. In cases of an eye or ear infection, you might be provided with medicated drops or antibiotics. For genetic conditions or issues with eyelashes or eyelids, surgery or electrolysis could be required. If the cause is allergies, you may need an antihistamine or a change in diet. When stress or poor diet are the causes, you’ll need to discuss some lifestyle changes with your veterinarian, which will probably include more exercise and switching to a grain-free diet and a non-plastic food bowl.

You can do control your pet’s tear staining by keeping his face meticulously clean and free of porphyrin-containing moisture. This means gently wiping his face at least twice a day with a soft, warm, damp cloth, keeping his face hair trimmed, and if necessary, making regular appointments with a groomer.

Other suggestions:

• • Feed a high-quality, balanced, species-appropriate diet. The less unnecessary, indigestible stuff your pet’s body has to deal with, the less stress on his organs of detoxification. Consult with your vet to form a balanced diet and work to reduce anxiety. A grain-free diet without filler will usually work best.
  • Provide your pet with fresh, filtered drinking water instead of tap water, which is often high in mineral content or iron and other impurities, including chlorine and fluoride, which are toxic to pets.
  • Replace plastic food and water bowls with stainless steel, porcelain, or glass. Worn plastic containers can harbor bacteria that may irritate your pet’s face.
  • Clean your pet’s face with colloidal silver, which is completely safe around the eyes. You can buy it at any health food store, in a spray or liquid dropper. Apply a little of the colloidal silver to a cotton ball and wipe your pet’s face. Colloidal silver has antimicrobial properties and will help reduce opportunistic yeast infections and moist dermatitis that can occur in the corners of your pet’s eyes.
  • Keep the fur around the eyes trimmed so that it doesn’t cause irritation. Clean the area affected by excess tears with a paper towel soaked in warm water. Use a dog-safe eyewash to remove irritants, and you may want to consider an Elizabethan collar (cone of shame) if your dog is pawing at his eyes to avoid further damage.
  • If your dog or cat is prone to excessive crusting or matting in the corners of her eyes, ask your groomer to shave the hair away so you can effectively clean the skin under the eyes. Using a dab of coconut oil on the moist “tracks” of skin where tear stains accumulate can also prevent the skin from becoming irritated and inflamed.
  • Ask your holistic veterinarian for suggestions on one or several of the all-natural tear stain removal products on the market.

Things I’ve seen suggested that are not recommend for use to treat tearstains include: Tums, topical apple cider vinegar (oral is fine), milk of magnesia, hydrogen peroxide, makeup remover, gold bond in any form (or any powder intended for humans), or corn syrup. Additionally, never use human eye drops on pets, except for basic eye saline solution with no additives.

Avoid certain products. Some tear stain removing products are not FDA approved and can potentially cause problems. This is why it’s so important to talk over tear stain removers with a vet. For example, avoid the following:  Angels’ Eyes, Angels’ Glow, Pets’ Spark, Groom, and Health Glow

The last word is that there isn’t just one foolproof preventative, and each pet responds a little differently. It often takes a little experimenting and patience in reducing or preventing tear staining in your furbaby, but it is worth the effort to have that precious little clean face smiling at you again.