9 Tips for Preventing & Removing Tear Stains From Your Dog’s Face

Some of our favorite breeds are small, fluffy white dogs. Poodles, Maltese, Havanese, or Bichon Frise; we love them all. They have soft coats that make them fantastic cuddling partners. However, these breeds can develop tear stains. While tear stains can be a sign of a health issue, most owners have aesthetic issues with them. Since we had to deal with tear stains in our dogs, we decided to share some tips dog owners and vets gave us for preventing and removing tear stains in dogs. Before we go into details, we need to understand what tear stains are.

What are tear stains in dogs?

Have you ever seen a beautiful white dog with red-brownish color around their eyes? Well, those are tear stains. Tears are necessary for eye health. They keep the eye wet, provide nutrients, help with vision, and even protect the dog’s eyes. When tears overflow, they can accumulate and drain on the hair surrounding the dog’s eyes. They can also overflow because the dog has poor tear drainage or the quality of the tears isn’t optimal.

puppy maltese

Tips for preventing tear stains in dogs

If you want the fur around your dog’s eyes to match the rest of their coat, you will have to control tear stains. This is very undesirable in the show ring, but even casual owners don’t like them on their dogs. They can make a perfectly fine dog seem sickly or even dirty. Here are 5 tips on preventing tear stains in dogs.

1. Check water quality

One of the things that might affect your dog’s tears and tear stains is the quality of the water they’re drinking. We know, giving your dog bottled water might seem a bit too much for some owners, but that doesn’t mean you should give your dog anything. You should purify or at least filter your dog’s water. Make sure there aren’t excess minerals that might cause tear stains.

2. Check food quality

Low-quality dog foods usually contain fillers. While some things like corn or wheat might not necessarily be bad if they’re included in a good way, too much of them can affect tear stains. These foods can cause allergic reactions that might cause tear overproduction. That will, in turn, cause tear stains. Make sure you feed your dog high-quality dog food which can prevent tear stains from happening.

3. Keep the hair dry

One of the best ways to prevent tear stains from affecting your dog’s face is to keep the fur around the eyes and the muzzle dry. This is not only important for tears that dogs might overproduce; it is also essential to keep the fur dry after they drink or eat. Make sure you dry your dog’s face after.

4. Proper face hygiene

Another easy way to prevent tear stains is to make sure your dog has proper facial hygiene. Use eye drops to clean your dog’s eyes. You can use basic saline solution you can even make at home. Make sure you wash the area around the dog’s eyes regularly using dry dog shampoo. Keep the hair around eyes short and groomed.

5. Products for preventing tear stains

There are different products available that will help you prevent tear stains from affecting your dog. If you have a dog prone to tear stains, you could use something like I-LID ’N LASH to prevent them. This product has good results, and owners are pretty happy with it.

How to remove tear stains from my dog?

Most of us with dogs that have tear stains want to know the answer to the question, “How can I remove tear stains from my dog?” Well, the best way to do it is to talk to your vet and see what is causing them in the first place. If your dog has a bacterial infection, the vet might prescribe antibiotics or antifungal ointments for yeast infections. Once the cause is rooted out, the remaining discoloration around your dog’s eyes must be dealt with. Here’s how you can do that at home;

1. Baby shampoo

One of the things you can safely use is diluted baby shampoo. Wash the stained fur around the eyes and make sure you don’t get any in your dog’s eyes. This shampoo has a mild effect and shouldn’t cause any problems for your dog.

2. Dog shampoo

One of the more obvious answers is to simply use your dog’s usual shampoo. There are great options out there, and you can even choose those that contain natural ingredients. However, the rule to not get any in your dog’s eyes still applies.

3. Contact lens solution

Contact lens solution is one of the tips experienced dog owners know. It is very effective, but you need to make absolutely sure you don’t get any in your dog’s eyes. Use this only if you have a dog that can withstand the grooming session around their eyes.

4. Tear stain wipes

One of the most elegant solutions is to simply get pre-made tear stain wipes. There are great options on Amazon, and one of our favorites is Angels' Eyes Gentle Tear Stain Wipes. Simply wipe the area around your dog’s eyes. You don’t need to rinse afterward. They are easy to use and have a very affordable price.