# Inner corner of eyes always wet and reddish



## misobeanie (11 mo ago)

Hello, this is my 9 month old puppy Miso. Recently I noticed that the inner corners of his eyes (around the medial canthus) have started getting reddish and may be losing fur? He has always had eye gunk (the inner corners are always wet and get crusty easily). He has had worse tear staining before, but it's only now that I noticed this redness and it seems to be irritated. 

Is this worrisome? Has anyone else experienced this with their maltese?


----------



## mss (Mar 1, 2006)

Yes. It's probably because it has been wet there too much due to tearing and the fur is keeping the area wet. Bacteria or yeast can grow in that environment. A good groomer could help you trim the hair. But the excessive tearing should be brought under control. Your vet should probably advise you how to do that. The eyes are so delicate, and the skin looks so irritated, I would be leery of recommending anything other than blotting it often with a clean tissue until you can get professional help about the excessive tearing.

Maybe it is hair in or too close to his eyes. (If you are not growing out a topknot, a good groomer could help you trim the hair in a way to keep it out of his eyes,) Maybe your dog has environmental allergies or irritants making its eyes water. Or maybe it's teething. Or maybe the "drains" of his eyes are clogged. But the best is to ask your vet.


----------



## misobeanie (11 mo ago)

Hello! Thank you for your quick reply. This is stressing me out quite a bit. I've mentioned this to his vet 2 months ago, and I was just advised to clean the area regularly. However, it wasn't this bad then. The affected area seems to be getting bigger. 

Here's a photo from 5 weeks ago when he was newly groomed:










And here's some photos from today:

















We are actually seeing a groomer tomorrow. I'm scared we might make it worse.. 
I'm hoping this is something I can manage at home and keep at bay.

Will definitely get in touch with a vet soon.


----------



## mss (Mar 1, 2006)

Show the vet the photos. I usually don't clean my dogs up before a vet appointment if there is a skin issue, but in this case if the groomer can help, that's different! Looking at the after-grooming photo, maybe ask the groomer to carefully cut the fur between his eyes a little shorter. Hope it helps! {{{{}}}}


----------



## Mia321 (Aug 8, 2021)

misobeanie said:


> Hello, this is my 9 month old puppy Miso. Recently I noticed that the inner corners of his eyes (around the medial canthus) have started getting reddish and may be losing fur? He has always had eye gunk (the inner corners are always wet and get crusty easily). He has had worse tear staining before, but it's only now that I noticed this redness and it seems to be irritated.
> 
> Is this worrisome? Has anyone else experienced this with their maltese?
> View attachment 275994
> ...


Miso is so cute! The skin does look very irritated in the photos. My suggestion is to see the vet as they can best determine if it is yeast or a bacterial infection as it may need an antibiotic. In the meantime, I agree with keeping the area clean and dry.


----------



## Shauna] (Aug 27, 2021)

This may sound weird, but my guy experienced aomwthinf simular and they tested him and said he had dry eye. Weird to think that since his eyes were always wet, but the vet recommended me using fake tears on him and it helped. Just the same kind you or I would use from the department store. Best of luck to you guys.


----------



## misobeanie (11 mo ago)

Thank you everyone for your input. 

We went to the groomer earlier today and here is what his eyes look like now:



























I think my camera makes the area look more pink than in real life, but the area is definitely noticeable pink. He also seemed to be scratching at his eyes at one point today. I hope it doesn't get worse 

His previous vet recommended flushing with eye drops containing boric acid for when he had reddish brown tear stains as a young puppy (not the same as this current redness around the eyes). I'll ask his current vet about that.


----------



## mss (Mar 1, 2006)

It looks better (though from one angle I still see some little hairs awfully close to his eyes). It looks like some gunk is gone!

Some basic saline eye washes also contain boric acid. I used to use one to clean a bit around that area of my dog's eyes, but I hesitated to recommend that. Somebody got that kind of product confused with contact lens products, which are different!

Until your vet recommends or prescribes something, maybe just clean with a tissue moistened with tap water and blot very well. 

Hoping it goes well in the meantime! {{{{}}}}

Edited to add: He sure is cute and has such a sweet expression! 💗 💗


----------



## Vdubs1 (Apr 14, 2021)

I have a 1 year old Maltese with the same issue. I use Miracle Care (Amazon) once a day, it has Boric acid, and my little girl is fine.


----------



## Dc1227 (Jul 18, 2018)

mss said:


> Yes. It's probably because it has been wet there too much due to tearing and the fur is keeping the area wet. Bacteria or yeast can grow in that environment. A good groomer could help you trim the hair. But the excessive tearing should be brought under control. Your vet should probably advise you how to do that. The eyes are so delicate, and the skin looks so irritated, I would be leery of recommending anything other than blotting it often with a clean tissue until you can get professional help about the excessive tearing.
> 
> Maybe it is hair in or too close to his eyes. (If you are not growing out a topknot, a good groomer could help you trim the hair in a way to keep it out of his eyes,) Maybe your dog has environmental allergies or irritants making its eyes water. Or maybe it's teething. Or maybe the "drains" of his eyes are clogged. But the best is to ask your vet.


I gave my puppy when she was a baby, buttermilk powder added onto her food. It worked. It was suggested by my breeder. I always comb her eyes. But that looks more than just tearing. I would take her to the vet. I also give her 
pet post tear stained chews. And I have no issues but I would see a vet .


----------

