How to Remove Dog Tear Stains

The nature and cause of dog tear stains can be anything from genetics, to diet, or to a bacterial or fungal infection. Some dog breeds are just naturally prone to tearing and therefore--tear stains. Sometimes the root cause is in the brand of food Fido is eating.  There are simple things to try to eliminate the cause, but if it appears as though your four legged pal has a problem that needs medical attention, seek a veterinarian's advice. He may need an anti-infective of some sort to combat the problem.

Remove Dog Tear Stains

How to Remove Dog Tear Stains

The first line of defence to removing the dog tear stains from your dog's hair is to simply clean the hair using some household mixtures. You will need the following:

  • Hydrogen peroxide and warm water to make a solution.
  • Cotton balls or cotton swabs.
  • Soft clean cloth.
  • Clean rinse water.

When you've gathered these items, you can clean your dog's tear stains by:

  1. Mix a weak solution of hydrogen peroxide and warm water.
  2. Wipe the stained area carefully with a cotton ball or cotton swab dipped in solution to remove tear stain, being careful not to get any in your dog's eye.
  3. Rinse the area with clean water.
  4. Wipe dry with soft cloth.

Hopefully this first line of defence was the solution to cleaning your dog tear stains. Otherwise, if not, then you might want to try introducing some dietary changes to see if you can get them to stop tearing.

Preventing Dog Tear Stains via Diet

You can potentially prevent your dog from tearing by feeding your dog some specific items in their diet. Here are the steps to show you how to prevent the dog tear stains:

  1. Add 1/2 tea spoon of apple cider vinegar to your dogs water daily for about a month.
  2. Give fresh water every day.
  3. Change to a higher quality brand dog food, if not using one already.
  4. Keep long hair around eyes groomed.

As previously mentioned, have your dog seen by his veterinarian if you suspect any issues that cannot be cleared up with these methods.

Using Medicine to Treat Dog Tear Stain Infections

In certain cases it could be an infection that is causing the tearing problem with your dog. You will need to seek the advice of a veterinarian to determine if this is the case to avoid misdiagnosing. You can also receieve the appropriate medication from the veterinarian, who can likely treat your dog's tearing if it is related to an infection. In certain cases, they may want to apply a topical solution directly to your dog's skin.

To Treat Dog Tear Stains with Topical Solution

  1. Calm or sedate your dog
  2. Trim hair on and around the tear stains using electric clippers or scissors
  3. Shave the effected area of dog hair
  4. Use a razor to access skin
  5. Wash the skin using soap and warm water
  6. Apply a topical treatment for the dog tear stains
  7. Apply an ointment to protect the area
  8. Use a collar for a few days so your dog can't harm the treated area

This method is really a last resort. Many dog tearing stains can be removed through cleaning and dietary changes.