Jump to content
Dogomania

Anything in Canidae that could cause tear staining?


Horsefeathers!

Recommended Posts

I recently switched from Wellness to Canidae. So far, the gang is doing well on it. One of my white Standard Poodles has recently started having horrible tear staining. He's had a bit of a drip in one eye before that was not really a big problem, but now both eyes have horrible red tracks under them. It's never looked this bad. The only change I can think of is the food. Is there anything about Canidae that would cause this that Wellness doesn't contain? One other thought... it's been pretty balmy here and Spring has pretty well sprung and there's a lot of pollen in the air. Would that cause it? It didn't happen last Spring. His eyes aren't red and itchy looking... it's just the tearing and awful staining. This boy has such a showy head. I'm sure it's my own vanity, but I do hate to see such a beautiful face marred by these ugly stains.

I know about getting rid of staining, but I would like to know what could be causing it... especially in BOTH eyes when it's never happened before. We also wondered if maybe something was going on with our water that we might not be aware of (we're in the county... well water instead of city water). For now, we've switched over entirely to bottled distilled water.

Any thoughts?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know if food would cause the tear stains with your poodle...In normal animals, tears are constantly produced and drain out through small ducts in the eyelids. The ducts empty into the nose. (That is why your nose runs when you cry.) In animals with blocked ducts, the tears overflow the lids and run down the face.
There are many reasons for dogs to have an overflow of tears..some due to having more prominent eyes, some dogs are born with an abnormal drainage system and in some cases, tear overflow may be due to excessive tear fomation caused by irritation of the eye by a particle of some thing in the eye, an allergy (which could be the pollen you spoke of) or an abnormal eyelid or eyelash which turns inward and rubs against the surface of the eye...the hair can act like a wick, drawing the tears out of the eye. This can be corrected by removing the offending hair. Inflammation or ulcers of the surface of the eye (cornea), or inflammation of the duct system is also a cause. These conditions, which are often painful, need to be seen immediately by your veterinarian....and if its allergies perhaps your Vet can give you some thing to ease the tearing and discomfort.

Since the tear accumulation on the facial hair can also lead to matting of the hair, skin irritation and possible infection, you must keep this area clean. Trimming the hair below the eye will help. Clean the area and remove any accumulated material or crusts. If a skin lesion is seen, clip the hair closer, and after cleaning the area it may help to apply an antibiotic ointment; it is best to use an ophthalmic (eye) antibiotic ointment on skin this close to the eye. If the lesion is large, deep, or ulcerated, or if you have any question about the severity of the lesion, you should see your veterinarian. More severe cases may require oral antibiotics and other treatment measures.

There are products available which are used to remove the brown stain from the hair. These products can be irritating to the eye. They should NOT be used directly in the eye. If necessary, to protect the eye, apply an ophthalmic ointment to the eye prior to using these products.

To help maintain healthy eyes in your pet, check the eyes on a regular basis, keep the area around them clean, and when in the car, roll the window high enough to prevent your pet from getting his head out of the window. Because your pet's eyes are so important, consult your veterinarian if you suspect any type of eye infection or problem.

Good luck HF

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks, Cassie. It just has me stumped. Perry's had a bit of tearing from one eye for quite a while, but it has never stained red before. That's a very recent thing.

I forgot one potentially important part of the equation... I'm growing him into a show style topknot (banded). Right now, his hair is flopping over in his eyes, but is not quite long enough to stay tied back. Growing pains :-? . Anyway, I'm wondering if the hair might be irritating him (duh? :o ). I've put him on a bit of tetracycline just for now until the hair grows a bit more to see if that was it (or possibly the pollen as mentioned since it's that time of year). We're still doing distilled water basically because I went and bought up a whole buttload of the stuff. :-?

Thanks. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...