# sick of the tear stains



## cloey70 (Jan 6, 2008)

angel eyes, straight tylan, boric acid eye drops, cleaning everyday, corn starch, facial scrub, vet flushed tear ducts, changing food. i've come to the conclusion nothing works, and I need to accept it. sorry, needed to vent, just completely frustrated!


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## Julie718 (Feb 17, 2006)

Oh no!  How long did you use the Tylan for and how much did you use? It worked for both Tango & Tillie so I'm surprised it didn't work for Clifford.


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## Cosy (Feb 9, 2006)

Have you had the vet check his tearducts? They may still
be blocked.
It could also be a food allergy. Very often something

in their food will be the culprit. You might try changing

foods to something completely different (ingredients)> 
It will take awhile before you will see a change so you 
have to be patient.


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## CeeCee's Mom (Sep 14, 2006)

I think the main thing is just to keep it as clean as you can each day and forget about it. It really will drive you crazy if you let it. It is good to vent though!!!!!!


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## cloey70 (Jan 6, 2008)

i've done the tylan twice ten days. changed foods several times. tried grain free, now i'm trying solidgold wee bits because it has no chicken.

yea, i've just about given up, but will just pray something will come forward


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## cloey70 (Jan 6, 2008)

delete, duplicated accidently, sorry


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## dr.jaimie (Mar 23, 2004)

try a food with a novel protein like duck, venison, salmon, rabbit. and a novel carb like potato, green pea or sweet potato. no rice, no soy...and stick with it for 10 weeks...it can take a while to see results of a food trial. also have to eliminate all treats that dont follow this also and heart worm prevention needs to be in pill form or topical....even one bite will ruin a whole food trial. u can also see an ophthalmologist and rule out other causes.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

I would recommend seeing an ophthalmologist to rule out other problems. Dr. Jaimie is right on with the food trial. Switching for a week or two is worthless.


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## makettle29 (Nov 12, 2005)

just wanted to say, I feel your pain :smilie_tischkante: 


mary anna herk and theena :wub:


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## luvmyfurbaby (Feb 11, 2007)

It might be a blocked tear duct, inverted eyelashes or any other medical issues......also try a teaspoon of pure apple cider vinegar in the water to change the ph in the tears.


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## Tina (Aug 6, 2006)

I understand your frustration. Like you I've tried it all. Stress can also cause tear staining. I finally gave up and started mine on Tetracycline 500 mg a pinch 2 times per day for 30 days. You can also use Lincocin 200mg 1/2 a tablet two times per day for 30 days. Someone told me that a lower protein dog food helps. She told me to feed Burns Salmon. It does work for some of my dogs, but not all. 
Tina


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## bentleyboy (Dec 13, 2006)

I know how you feel! Brie suffers from this as well as stinky ears. I have tried most things. We don't get much here though so angel eyes have not tried. But she has now turned one and her eyes do seem to be improving. Perhaps 10 months is just a bad tear staining age.


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

Abbey has had an operation to enlarge her tear ducts and had ingrowing lashes removed. ($1,800)

We use Tylan periodically, eat out of ceramic bowls, drink bottled water, eat NB duck and potato......and she still gets stains!

Archie does not have that problem. So I believe some dogs are just prone to it - no matter what!!!!!! (sorry). :huh:


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

Nikki has bad tear stains too. When she turns 1, I am taking her to the eye specialist. I've tried everything (except antibiotics) and nothing seems to work. Antibiotics like Tylan and others are not an option unless there is proof of an infection somewhere because I don't believe in giving unnecessary medication. I'll wait it out until we visit the eye doctor. 

I don't think anyone knows exactly what causes it in each individual dog, and we can speculate all we want, and offer suggestions of what worked for each of us, but that doesn't "cure" the problem in every dog across the board.


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## luvmymacy (Mar 18, 2005)

Angels Eyes and Natural Balance works for me. It is frustrating I know my little Daisy had a black face when I rescued her and now she is almost stain free. Good luck!


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## jodublin (Sep 27, 2006)

i feel your pain :smilie_tischkante: i have tried everything too.i have a white cat too , has any body tried eyebright its a herb....


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

A couple people have asked me what I actually use (as opposed to me recommending you go to the eye dr LOL). 

On Soda, I clean his face with a cotton ball wet with Proline Selfrinse plus, Collyrium, or Groom Aid daily. During allergy season he gets chlorpheniramine 1/2 tab as needed because he gets snotty/teary on bad pollen days. If he has any ick in his eyes, a flush with the Collyrium. Before bathing, I put some Genteal for severe dry eye gel in his eyes to protect them from soap. 

Jonathan has no lower tear ducts that work. I trim the hair in the corner of his eyes with small clippers and wipe it with some eye flush on a cotton ball daily. His face doesn't look that bad. 

Mikey had distichiasis (eye lashes into his eyes) and had 3 surgeries. No tearing problems after that though his lids were a little scarred. 

Peeps is a puppy. I wipe his face and ignore the stains. He's only 6 months and will still be teething his molars over the next few months. I don't waste my time worrying about it. He'll get his ACVO exam in the winter. If it is a problem after his teeth are all in and his ACVO is normal, I will consider a course of antibiotics after culturing the area. More expensive...but then I'm not messing around with antiobiotics that don't work.


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## wolfieinthehouse (Dec 14, 2007)

It can be very frustrating.

Wolfie's staining was bad for so long, I sort of gave up on it and it seems to be minimal now.

No clue why.


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

Jackie did I miss something? Did you get a new puppy?


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## jadey (Nov 2, 2006)

sorry, i dont have much advice to give you. Did you rule out any allergies? we changed food and now none of the kids are tearstainning. 


congrats on your new baby jackie!!! cant wait to see pictures.


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## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

How about environmental/household allergies? Can that be a cause?

Ollie's never had a prolonged problem--the only times he's had staining is change of season--particularly in the fall. He had them at the onset of spring and they went away with some angel's eyes for just several days--I don't know if the angel's eyes helped or it was just a coincidence. Just a thought.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

QUOTE (camfan @ Aug 13 2008, 03:10 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=619258


> How about environmental/household allergies? Can that be a cause?
> 
> Ollie's never had a prolonged problem--the only times he's had staining is change of season--particularly in the fall. He had them at the onset of spring and they went away with some angel's eyes for just several days--I don't know if the angel's eyes helped or it was just a coincidence. Just a thought.[/B]


Yes, inhalant allergies can be a factor. Discuss if an antihistamine (like benadryl or chlorpheniramine) may be appropriate for your dog as needed. Soda needs it in the spring and summer.


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## paris (Apr 8, 2005)

I've had Paris checked by a specialist and she does have some eyelashes growing in but the dr. said even if they took them out they might grow back...was even given Tylan to try but Paris wouldn't take it.

Paris also has inhalant allergies but receives an injection every 10 days for that. I've noticed that after I give her a bath she looks really good (I do keep the hairs trimmed around her eyes, too). It's when I'm cleaning the ick out of her eyes (which is usually brown) every morning and evening that I am smearing this mess onto her hair. I wish I could figure out a way to remove it without smearing it.


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## kathym (Aug 5, 2006)

One more suggestion .It could be the water ,i only give Baci bottled water.Every day i clean his eyes first by using a flea comb,then with a damp cloth then if it seems discolored i use the eye envy .thats what has been working for us . its not easy i used everything when Baci was old enough i tried numerous potions and lotions.


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## cloey70 (Jan 6, 2008)

I've always given Clifford bottled water too, so I know it isn't the water. I bought NB Duck and Potatoe small bites, and will see how it goes. I will continue cleaning his eyes with the opticlear, and when he turns one, my vet said he would write a script for Tetra, but didn't know you would need to take it for 30 days, I thought it was for 10. Tina, is that how long I would need to dose him for? 

I do believe it is allergies with Clifford, and will see how the NB does for him. He has always had some kind of chicken in his food, and I am starting to believe its that.

I appreciate the food advice from Dr. Jamie. I didn't know about doing single source protein, and carb, and I am excited and hope this helps.

I am trying one last round of Tylan and after a few weeks, I hope things have settled down.


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

The most common allergies are inhalant, not food.


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## TheButtercup (Mar 3, 2005)

i'm sure this will be completely unhelpful advice LOL

the buttercup's staining was at her worst at about 6-8 months. it didn't go away until around 14-16 months. she still stains occasionally, but not like she did back then. but heck, she tries so hard to pull her bangs down so i can't see her eyes when she shoots me dirty looks.... it could be worse than i imagine :smilie_tischkante: 

but seriously... her staining was bad until well after her first birthday. i attributed it to a combination of teething and the ridiculous amounts of pollen we had in the atlanta area in the spring/summer time. that also made her paws bright yellow, but i think it affected her eyes, too, since she would paw her face sometimes....

again, totally not helpful, i know. that's what i'm best at around here!




ann marie and the "she really IS helpful! she helped me get my chewy out from behind the sofa!" buttercup, who completely misses the point sometimes


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## lovesophie (Jan 28, 2008)

Ugh, Sophie has the worst tear stains. I've noticed she tends to tear a lot when she plays with Joshua. Could it be the dust from the carpet getting into her eyes, thus irritating them? She's always had tear stains, though. Her diet is really good, so I'm not sure it's that. Anyway, I'm going to try the eye drops/wash and see if that helps. If not, I'm going to ask my vet to check her tear ducts. 

QUOTE (TheButtercup @ Aug 13 2008, 07:33 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=619409


> i'm sure this will be completely unhelpful advice LOL
> 
> the buttercup's staining was at her worst at about 6-8 months. it didn't go away until around 14-16 months. she still stains occasionally, but not like she did back then. but heck, she tries so hard to pull her bangs down so i can't see her eyes when she shoots me dirty looks.... it could be worse than i imagine :smilie_tischkante:
> 
> ...


LOL, your posts always crack me up! :HistericalSmiley:


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## shebas.maltie (Aug 16, 2008)

When we picked up Abby from the breeder she had terrible stains! (like black eyes) :yucky: 
someone had told me to use : Angel Glow, and I changed her food to Natural Balance. (I use Natural Balance treats as well)
It was about four weeks to the day, and she was tear stain free.....of course I did cut out all the stained hair...but yeah about four weeks
the new growth was stainless..........
Good LUCK! :flowers:


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## gizzy's mom (Jun 3, 2008)

QUOTE (Dr.Jaimie @ Aug 12 2008, 11:08 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=619017


> try a food with a novel protein like duck, venison, salmon, rabbit. and a novel carb like potato, green pea or sweet potato. no rice, no soy...and stick with it for 10 weeks...it can take a while to see results of a food trial. also have to eliminate all treats that dont follow this also and heart worm prevention needs to be in pill form or topical....even one bite will ruin a whole food trial. u can also see an ophthalmologist and rule out other causes.[/B]


Ok so Im wondering where do you get food like that ? Or treats for that matter ? I know I can cook it myself but time restraints wont allow me to..


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

QUOTE (Gizzy's mom @ Aug 17 2008, 07:35 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=620754


> QUOTE (Dr.Jaimie @ Aug 12 2008, 11:08 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=619017





> try a food with a novel protein like duck, venison, salmon, rabbit. and a novel carb like potato, green pea or sweet potato. no rice, no soy...and stick with it for 10 weeks...it can take a while to see results of a food trial. also have to eliminate all treats that dont follow this also and heart worm prevention needs to be in pill form or topical....even one bite will ruin a whole food trial. u can also see an ophthalmologist and rule out other causes.[/B]


Ok so Im wondering where do you get food like that ? Or treats for that matter ? I know I can cook it myself but time restraints wont allow me to..
[/B][/QUOTE]

Your vet likely has IVD/Royal Canin prescription diets that come in duck/potato, venison/potato, whitefish/potato, and rabbit/potato. They come in dry and canned. NO other foods/treats during the trial.


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## gizzy's mom (Jun 3, 2008)

QUOTE (JMM @ Aug 17 2008, 09:01 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=620772


> QUOTE (Gizzy's mom @ Aug 17 2008, 07:35 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=620754





> QUOTE (Dr.Jaimie @ Aug 12 2008, 11:08 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=619017





> try a food with a novel protein like duck, venison, salmon, rabbit. and a novel carb like potato, green pea or sweet potato. no rice, no soy...and stick with it for 10 weeks...it can take a while to see results of a food trial. also have to eliminate all treats that dont follow this also and heart worm prevention needs to be in pill form or topical....even one bite will ruin a whole food trial. u can also see an ophthalmologist and rule out other causes.[/B]


Ok so Im wondering where do you get food like that ? Or treats for that matter ? I know I can cook it myself but time restraints wont allow me to..
[/B][/QUOTE]

Your vet likely has IVD/Royal Canin prescription diets that come in duck/potato, venison/potato, whitefish/potato, and rabbit/potato. They come in dry and canned. NO other foods/treats during the trial.
[/B][/QUOTE]
Thanks so much for the info. I will be finishing up the pro one I use now and give it a shot !


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## caveninit (Aug 6, 2008)

Want to hear something weird? My dog Willie, who I adopted a few weeks ago, has only one eye due to serious neglect in his past home. His "good" eye has always been cloudy and goopy and he has terrible dark brown stains under that eye and on his muzzle. The eye that was removed, of course there is no staining at all on that side of his face. He also has really really bad teeth...none missing, but all full of plaque and nerves exposed...really smelly breath..etc. I purchased that teeth cleaning product called PetZlife..and while it's a real struggle getting that spray or gel in his mouth, I have been seeing a HUGE improvement in his eye. Since I have been spraying his mouth twice per day with the product, I noticed that his eye is no longer cloudy or goopy and his hair under the eye is no longer wet from tears. His staining is starting to fade a bit too! I don't see much difference in his mouth yet, but it's only been one week, but his breath is getting much better so I think alot of that bacteria is being killed. I was just astounded by how much healthier his EYE looks since using this product in his mouth! I guess it makes sense that all the bacteria in his mouth could have been causing the goopy wet eye and tear staining as it's all connected...ears, nose, mouth.. His ears are really bad too....just started treating that yesterday with an ear wash twice per day and medicated drops. This poor dog was a huge mess when I got him...but what a sweetheart he is!


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