Most owners of small white dogs take great pride in keeping their dogs spotlessly clean. You can imagine then how frustrating it is to have to deal with those annoying tear stains below the eyes. If you’ve ever seen a dog with red or brown marks in the areas around and just under the eyes, you’ve seen a dog that is suffering from tear staining .

The staining can matte around the dog’s eyes and leave a gooey, thick mess that is hard to clean. Most people assume that the stains are caused by excessive moisture from the dog’s eyes and that they’re just a fact of life. In fact though, tear stains have many different causes, and figuring out the root of the problem could end up saving you some work and also improve your dog’s life.

1. Ear Infections

Tear staining can be linked back to ear infections, so it’s important to keep your dog’s ears as clean and dry as possible. If you notice that your dog is getting a lot of ear infections which also coincide with excessive tearing, the two are probably related. Use a good cleansing product to make sure the ears are clean and your dog’s tear stains might be reduced as a result.

2. Allergies

Dogs can experience reactions to thing just like humans, and tear staining can often be a reaction to allergens or irritants. In fact, some dogs will suffer reactions to their food which will change the pH level in your dog’s system which in turn can cause excessive tearing. If you notice that your dog’s tear stains get worse in certain situations than it might be an environmental factor that is adding to the problem.

3. Blocked Tear Ducts

Some dogs are born with tear ducts that are closed which need to be surgically opened by a vet, but this isn’t the only way a duct can be blocked. At times, a dog can develop clogged tear ducts which can add to excessive tearing, and unfortunately, a trip to the vet will be needed to irrigate the ducts. Luckily, this isn’t a very common problem, but if you suspect clogged tear ducts, it should be taken care of, lest your dog suffer unnecessarily.

4. Red Yeast

One of the biggest causes of tear staining is from a dog having an excessive amount of tears. This high level of moisture can keep the hair around the face wet, which then becomes an area where fungus can breed. One of the most common forms is called Red Yeast, which causes a yeast infection around the eyes and leads to the brownish-red stains that you sometimes see on dogs.

5.Water

Some waters contain a high mineral content, which can cause staining on a dog’s entire face and beard. A lot of moisture can remain on the face trapped in the hairs after a dog drinks, which can be moved to eye level by the dog trying to lick his face clean. And, if the mineral content is high, it will increase the level of red-brown staining on a dog’s face. If you notice both tear stains and a discolored beard, try switching your dog’s water to combat the problem.

Red or brown tear stains are not attractive to look at, and they can be a symptom of a larger problem. If your dog has excessive staining around they eyes and on its face, it might be worth looking into what the cause of the staining is.

Why So Sad?

If your dog has a chronic tear staining problem, it’s a good idea to have him checked by your veterinarian. You need to find out if there is an underlying medical problem. Hair rubbing on the eye is painful, and may lead to more serious conditions such as an ulcer on the cornea. Infections usually need a course of antibiotics to clear them up. Stray eyelashes and skin folds which cause hair to rub on the eyes may need corrective surgery. If your dog has any of these problems, you’ll probably notice other symptoms such as squinting, or rubbing at the eye with a paw.

If your dog has a blocked tear duct, sometimes flushing it can help. However, because the problem with the duct is usually related to the dog’s conformation, this doesn’t often improve the situation.

Your only real option is to control the staining.

Dry Those Tears, Eyepack to the Rescue!

Maltese, Bichon Frises, Shih Tzus… all adorable and all prone to brown tear stains around their eyes. The staining is by no means limited to these breeds of dogs; it can occur in many light colored dogs, but particularly the smaller breeds. The good news is that there are things you can do to leave your pampered pet stain-free.

Your first step is to keep the hair around the eyes trimmed nice and short. This helps the hair dry out quicker and slows the growth of any bacteria. Some vets recommend using antibiotics to control the bacteria that cause the staining. This isn’t a good long term solution because you may end up with the bacteria becoming resistant to the antibiotic.

There has been some suggestions that changing a dog’s diet can reduce tear staining. It’s not known if the change in diet has a direct effect on the staining, or whether the tear staining is secondary to a food allergy, and the dietary change reduces the symptoms of that allergy.

There are also many anecdotal cures, such as giving your dog demineralised water to drink, avoiding foods containing beet pulp, and adding buttermilk to the diet. None of these have been proven to consistently make any difference.

Many dog owners prefer a natural product to clear away tear stains. Now you and your pup can shed of tears of joy and say goodbye to unsightly stains and grubby muzzles! Happy Tails Eye Pack does the job beautifully. It contains Eyepads to remove the stain, and Eyemunity , a nutritional supplement to boost your dog’s immune system and help him fight the bacteria which cause staining.

The Eyepads are infused with eyebright, an anti-inflammatory and antiseptic herb, and golden seal, well known for its effectiveness against eye irritation. They also contain colloidal silver, a natural antibiotic which helps to reduce the bacteria on the hair around the eyes. Regular use of the Eye Pack will keep your dog’s eyes sparkling, and his coat white. No more red stains on his face, and no more frustration for you, his hardworking owner!

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Not all dogs are amenable to the idea of being bathed. But does that mean they would remain perpetually dirty? Of course not because there are alternative ways of keeping your pooch clean.

Dry shampoo available at a pet store can solve the problem. Rub the shampoo into his body without using water and then brush properly. However, before using it you should never forget to read the instructions. Other ways of keeping his coat clean are by using baking soda or a home made mixture of cornmeal and salt. Baking soda is a natural deodorant which keeps your pet’s coat bright and shining. All these methods are safe and convenient. Moreover, in this world of rising water crisis it’s high time that we start conserving water in our own little ways. Also brush your dog as often as you can especially when he’s shedding. Nylon brushes are good for long haired dogs while metal brushes are good for the medium haired ones. For the short haired dogs you can use either of them.

However, keeping the coat clean is just one aspect of it but other places like the ears, eyes, and teeth also need to be washed regularly. But how will you keep those areas clean? Very simple by using damp sterile cotton balls. While cleaning his teeth, however, soak the cotton ball in baking soda.

Having said all this we cannot ignore the importance of nails. Taking good care of nails is equally important because broken pieces can cause grievous injury to our paw pals. Either take him to a vet or clip his nails yourself. Embalm the nails with petroleum jelly so that you don’t confront difficulties during the clipping episodes.

For detailed information on nail clipping click here.

Basic Eye Care For Your Dog

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When it comes to dog grooming, do not neglect proper eye care and safety. Some dog owners forget the little things when it comes to grooming their dogs. This can result in health problems in the future.

Here are a few tips for dog eye care…

1. Guard your dog’s eyes from injury

It is important to be extra careful of your dog’s head when you are playing games that have the potential to injure the eyes. For example, be careful when…

• you are kicking a ball around your dog
• playing fetch with a stick
• play-wrestling by using your hands

2. Examine your dog’s eyes

Each and every morning, examine your dog’s eyes and wipe away any of that "morning crust" that builds up overnight. If this crust is left unchecked and builds up, your puppy can experience a very irritating and painful reaction. Use warm water and a soft cloth to wipe the eyes clean.

3. Trim around your dog’s eyes

If your dog has very long hair, do your best to trim around the eyes. I realize that there are some breeds out there who are supposed to have long hair covering or overlapping the eyes, but this can cause irritation if the hair is constantly rubbing inside of the eyeball.

Just use your best judgment and try to err on the side of your dog’s health as opposed to her appearance.

4. Try to avoid getting shampoo in the eyes

When bathing your dog, try to avoid getting shampoo directly on top of her head. Even if you are being extremely careful, there is always a chance that some of the shampoo will get in her eyes.

Instead, gently rub the shampoo into your hand and then over your dog’s scalp and surrounding face areas. This will avoid potential eye irritation.

5. Avoid letting your dog hang its head out the car window

When bringing your dog along for a car ride, avoid the temptation to let him hang his head out of the window. I know it is a joy to watch your pet having so much fun as you are driving along, but there have been many serious eye injuries, and even the loss of an eyeball due to a small pebble or rock hitting the dog’s face.

I don’t know about you, but that is not something I would want to risk at all.

6. Use a www.ohmydogsupplies.com%2Fproduct.php%3Fproductid%3D16944%26site%3Dwww.linkconnector.com" rel="nofollow">tear stain remover

You can use a tear stain remover to remove those unsightly stains that occur below your dog’s eyes. This is especially a problem in dog’s with light colored coats.

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Basic Ear Care For Your Dog

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No matter what the shape and size of your dog ears, and most dogs just love to get their ears rubbed. However, massaging a dog’s ear alone is not enough to keep your dog or puppy’s ears clean and healthy.

Ears are one of the central breeding areas for dog yeast infections, mites, fleas. It is up to you to take good care of the ears to prevent infections and other problems. You will need to keep your dog’s ears free of moisture and build up of wax because that the perfect environment for parasites.

Cleaning Different Types of Dog Ears

Not all dog ears are the same, therefore there are different cleaning tips for different breeds. Some dogs need their ears cleaned every day, while others only need an ear cleaning every few weeks or so.

As a general rule, dogs with large ear flaps will need their ears cleaned more often. The large flaps causes a lack of circulation.

You may also have a dog that has too much hair growing from the inside of the ears. If so then you may want to trim away the excess hair.

General Dog Ear Care Tips…

1. Moisture inside the ear can be very attractive to parasites and fungus.

Mixed with ear wax and dirt, this creates a breeding ground of health problems for your dog. One way to combat this is to avoid water from going into your dog’s ears. When bathing your pet, get her used to having thick balls of cotton placed inside the ears so that no water enters inside.

2. Pay extra attention to cleaning your dog’s outer ear flap.

You’ll want to use some sort of www.ohmydogsupplies.com%2Fproduct.php%3Fproductid%3D16940%26site%3Dwww.linkconnector.com" rel="nofollow">ear solution that will help in preventing infections. You simply use a very soft cloth or a cotton ball, soak it in the solution, and gently rub the flaps clean.

However, be careful not to clean too deep inside because the ear is extremely tender and going too far inside can cause pain.

Be sure not to use a Q-tip or any other sharp cleaning object because you can easily damage your dog’s ear canal if poked too hard. This kind of damage to the ears cannot be repaired.

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