As virtually any dog owner with pets that have white colored faces will know, tear stains can cause major discoloration and alterations to your pet's appearance. Tear stains, which are caused by a variety of different factors, are stains of the fur on your pet's face. They tend to be darker in color and may discolor any light colored facial fur or hair.
Although tear stains are not, in and of themselves, a menace to your dog's health, many owners find that they are compromising to the beauty and appearance of a pet's face and wish to remove them. Excessive tear staining may be a sign of certain other underlying health conditions as well, so it's best to be aware of them when you see them.
Causes of Tear Stains
In order to best eliminate tear stains and prevent them from occurring in the first place, it's a good idea to recognize some of the many causes of tear stains. While it's true that many of these are things that you'll have no control over as an owner, there are nonetheless some ways that you can help to prevent your pet from developing tear stains on his face. The most common causes of tear staining in most dogs are:
- Eye discharge
- Ear infections
- Genetics
- Water purity
- Flea infestation
- Genetics
- Type of food
By carefully controlling the purity of your pet's food and water, eliminating and preventing fleas and various infections, you can drastically reduce the instances of tear staining before it occurs.
Removing Tear Stains
For tear stains that are caused by infection of the ear, eye or some other part of the face, the single best means of removing the staining is to deal with the underlying issue. This typically means that you should give your pet a dosage of antibiotics to help him to get over his issue. Tetracycline is one of the more common antibiotics that is used for runny eyes, although there are many different types of drugs that can work to help your pet.
OTOMAX or other anti-yeast agents can help to eliminate infections as well. They may also lead to less tearing up of the eyes in general, which leads to fewer stains. Like antibiotics, there are a number of different types of medicines and treatments which are designed to limit the yeast that can build up and accumulate in your pet's ears, eyes and other areas.
Whitening products are available from a number of leading dog food and supply manufacturers. Crown Royal, for instance, manufactures a product called Whitener which is very effective. If you're looking for an at home method of removing tear stains, mixing Milk of Magnesia with corn starch and human hair bleach is effective. However, if you plan to treat your pet's fur with bleach, be very careful to take all necessary safety precautions, and avoid getting the substance in his eyes, nose, mouth or anywhere else besides the stained area.