Eye Tear Stains

Lola :) · 01-10-2013, 04:10 PM

Lola's always had wet, goopy eye stains. They stain her face and are really messy and dark! I clean them every day and give Lola filtered water with a Brita pitcher, but nothing seems to help. I've had the vet look at them and she says they seem fine (no infection or tear duct problem) and suggested I cut the fur around her eyes but I really don't want to have to do that. I also asked the vet about Angel Eyes but she doesn't recommend it because it can cause yeast infections, which I don't want to subject her to. Does anyone have other remedies/solutions for eye stains? Thank you!

TilliesMom · 01-10-2013, 04:46 PM

wish I could help .. Tillie had REALLLLLLY bad red staining when she was little.
I did end up putting her on Tylan Powder for 6 weeks (active ingredient in Angel Eyes) and it DID help a LOT. but also ended up giving her a really weird skin outbreak...

I tried giving her the powder again about 6 months ago and 2 weeks into the treatment I noticed her skin was ANGRY red all along her side and starting to "crack" in places!!
I stopped the typlan powder immediatly and her skin slowly calmed down. So I am certain that is what caused her original outbreak as she was only 9 months old at the time and I wasn't as observant and educated as I am now.

I have tried EVERYTHING, cleaning her eyes with contact lens solution, damp wash cloth, only giving bottled water, she is on a home cooked diet with NO allergens anywhere near her, yet her eyes are still very wet and gross and her face, literally smells like yeast. gross. I know. I bake a. lot. so know the smell well. it is odd.
I use a flea comb every morning and evening to clean the gunk out and even dab a kleenex along her face to soak up some of the moisture.
Tillie is 2 1/2 yrs old now and although the tear staining itself isn't TOO bad anymore, she def. still has some. I have tried growing the hair out AND trimming it, niether way makes any difference for her.
sooooooo, good luck!! and I'll be following this thread to see if anyone has any new suggestions worth trying!

Becky Chittenden · 01-10-2013, 06:25 PM

I've had no problelms with tylan powder, but never give it on a long term basis. I give my dogs distilled water, used to use just bottled water and the distilled is better. Some long haired dogs, including Havanese, have some fine eyelashes or hairs under their eyelids, not bad, but can lead to tearing. I've been told giving them some organic plain yougurt can help. I know of some show people who wrap the area under the eye to prevent the staining, doesn't prevent tearing but stains. There's also a prescription medication to help with this but, unfortunately I've forgotten what it is.

HavaneseSoon · 01-10-2013, 07:12 PM

I have had lots of experience with that awful tear staining of the eye area with Jack.

I do trim between the eyes, I fluff it up with fine tooth comb and clip away. When the staining was really bad, Jack would get eye care twice a day and I would dab the corners of the inner eyes and the drip area with "Eye Clear" a tear stain pad for pets. The jar contains 50 pads and I am still using the product. I make sure I do not run out. The product can be bought at Amazon.com

Dexter eyes get clean maybe 1-2x week, he has no problems with the stains.

Jack is 3 years old now, the tear staining is still there, but it is not as bad as it use to be when he was younger.
See this link www.havaneseforum.com/showthread.php?t=15427&highlight=eye+clear

It is a daily eye care maintenance grooming duty, I mean daily! Especially if the condition is bad. Try out different foods to see if that is the problem.

Good luck! Welcome to the forum, lots of information here for the taking.

Lola :) · 01-10-2013, 07:39 PM

Thank you for the feedback everyone! It's reassuring to know that Lola isn't the only Hav with these tear stains, I didn't realize that it can be common for some Havanese to have.

Linda- Lola's eyes look just like Jack's in the lower left picture. I'm going to order those pads, thanks! I already buy eye wipes by Petkin but they don't seem to help, other than loosening up the eye gunk before I comb it out.

Becky- I'll also start to give the plain yogurt, how much do you give a day? Lola only weighs 7.4pounds.

Tammy- Lola's eyes used to smell like yeast too! Not anymore thankfully.

Thanks again everyone!

wynne · 01-10-2013, 08:28 PM

I just started using the Angel Eyes, but now I am thinking maybe I should stop. I only give Maya 1/2 tsp -not the recommended 3/4 tsp.

atsilvers27 · 01-10-2013, 08:56 PM

I gave Hanna 1/4 the recommended dose, and not every day when it was bad, and that seemed to do the trick. I still have quite a bit left and haven't given any to her in over a year. I am giving serious thought to getting her back in the show ring so I may put her back on it for a little again. My vet said it is safe since it is a different antibiotic than what is normally used.

Pixiesmom · 01-10-2013, 09:33 PM

I sprinkled a teeny amount on her Merrick canned, nowhere near what was prescribed, and it helped tremendously.

Dolores · 01-10-2013, 10:02 PM

I looked online for tear stain treatments that don't contain antibiotics. The best one recommended is Tearlax. It has vitamins and minerals and something called Eyebright. I just started my girl, Sadie on it. I also give her some yogurt each day besides cleaning and combing her eye area each day! I'll let you know if it works.

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MarinaGirl · 01-10-2013, 11:15 PM

I use Tearlax, which they claim is made from 100% natural ingredients and does not rely on chemicals such as Tylosin. A friend told me about it as it had helped her two white small dogs. It's working for Emmie; her eyes are much less weepy so the hair around her eyes is much better. You need to use it for 2-3 months for the results to stick. I mix it up in wet food, which I feed her in the morning.