Red stains face of white dog?

August 21, 2008 4:43 PM

Little Maltese and Papillion mix gets those nasty red/blackish fluids which come from his eyes and cake all over his muzzle. We try to clean it up but its really bad and gets embedded in his fur. Any ideas on how to get rid of this stuff or to nip it in the bud? His once-a- month groomer does a good job on him, overall, but she can't offer anything on how to deal with these nasty stains. Thanks for any help.
posted by Tullyogallaghan to Pets & Animals (10 answers total)

I have absolutely no idea whether or not this is a good/safe/working product, but it's the only thing I've ever seen referenced on how to get rid of tear stains. angelseyesonline.com
posted by phunniemee at 4:56 PM on August 21, 2008

There are loads of products out there that claim to work (try your Google fu ) but really you should talk to your vet because, while it is very common, it could be exacerbated by things like fleas, minerals in the water, your dog food, etc. Our mutt had this problem when I was a kid and, if I recall correctly, it was mostly a flea issue.
posted by rosebengal at 4:56 PM on August 21, 2008

I had a Maltese, not a mix, and he would frequently get brown staining under his eyes. I've tried combing some baking soda in with a baby toothbrush, which worked a little, but you need to be super careful about not getting it in their eyes. What finally worked for me was cutting the hair super-short around the eyes and top of the nose. Made the junk much easier to just wipe away and keep on top of.
posted by dreamphone at 5:09 PM on August 21, 2008

I assume that this is similar to the gunk that my Persian cat gets around her eyes, and I've tried a couple of products but the only thing I've found that works fairly well is a washcloth and warm water. I hold it on the gunk to soften it up, then wipe at it.
posted by amro at 5:10 PM on August 21, 2008

phunniemee's got it. I have friends that use Angel Eyes and it works.
posted by gnutron at 5:21 PM on August 21, 2008

What gnutron said.
posted by box at 5:30 PM on August 21, 2008

Bichons get these because (despite being prized for being hypo-allergenic; that is, they don't provoke allergic reations in humans) they tend to be allergic to many things.
posted by orthogonality at 5:47 PM on August 21, 2008

Here is some information about causes and cures for tear staining. and it's "Papillon", not "Papillion".
posted by biscotti at 6:03 PM on August 21, 2008

With our Westies, we've taught them to let us clean the "sleep" out of the corners of their eyes a couple of times a day. This lets us nip in in the bud before it cakes up going down their faces.

We also give them filtered water. Where we live now (SE Texas) they generally seem to have fewer allergies than when we lived in California; that may also be a factor.
posted by Robert Angelo at 8:21 PM on August 21, 2008

my cat gets this type of thing. if i'm not dilligent about cleaning out the winkies daily she gets the tear stains too. my cleaning method is a swipe with a finger or tissue. i think daily maintenance is really the key, regardless of what "product" you use.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 7:14 AM on August 22, 2008