How do I get the brown stains off my tan and white chihuahua’s eyes? He is a pet therapy dog and I want him to look his best.

Most vets agree that tear stains come from excessive tearing. The reddish brown color occurs when the normal bacteria on the hair and skin react with the clear tears. It is important to determine if your dog has blocked tear ducts, which prevents tears from draining naturally into the nose and therefore overflows out of the eye. The tear ducts may need to be opened surgically. If your chi frequently paws or scratches his eyes, you should get it checked out by a vet, this is a sign or irritation or infection. If the staining is cosmetic rather than medical, there are several things you can do to reduce the stains:

1. To remove set-in stains resulting from tears, I recommend using a water-based tear stain remover. Show Eyes from Drs Foster and Smith contains soothing Aloe Vera and Vitamin E. You can apply the solution with a cloth or cotton ball and control the amount of solution you want to use. The pads are slightly more convenient. Be careful not to get the product in your dog’s eyes. Use consistently for several days to see results.

2. Once the tear stains are gone, you can use plain water and paper towel everyday to wipe away tears to prevent more tear stains, bacteria and debris buildup.

3. Since allergies is a common cause of excessive tearing, I recommend switching your dog’s food to Solid Gold Hund-n-Flocken, which is a dry food made of lamb that is free of hormones and medications. The grains used are pesticide-free and not genetically modified. Regardless of tear stains, this is an excellent food for your chi. Solid gold never uses preservatives such as BHA, BHT or Ethoxyquin, and they never use soy, wheat or corn, which are common allergens in dog food. This was recommended by my friend Karen who switched her shih tzu Sadey to Hund-n-Flocken and saw a huge improvement in tear stains. Someone from her pet food store recommended it to her for this purpose. Since then I’ve heard many positive testimonials by other dog owners.

4. A “wonder supplement” that is recommended frequently for tear stains is Missing Link. Missing Link reintroduces natural, unprocessed food into your dog’s diet by providing essential fatty acids, enzymes, phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals. Dog owners have seen improvements in their dogs with bad breath, excessive tearing, shedding and coat dullness, lethargy and joint problems. If you have an older chi with arthritis or joint stiffness or you want to prevent these problems, Missing Link Plus contains glucosamine to provide extra joint support. Many cosmetic, health and behavior problems have root cause in nutrition, Missing Link is a holistic approach for a long-term solution.

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Tags: Eye Care, Grooming, Health, Tear stains