Poodle Information
Your Subtitle text
Poodle Tear Stains
First a Few Words on Some Basic Yet Important Eye Care
One cannot stress enough the importance of keeping daily, proper care of your Poodle's eyes:
Poodle Eye Care
Your Poodle's eyes should be checked daily and cleaned of any mucus and foreign matter that may have collected on the inside corners. It is normal to find a little bit of matter on the inside corners of the eyes from time to time. This type of matter can be cleaned simply by moistening a cotton ball with warm water and dabbing carefully at the corners of your Poodle's eyes. Be sure to never rub over the actual eye with the cotton, as the fibers could scratch them.
Flushing Out Foreign Matter
The easiest way to flush out any foreign matter that you may see, such as a loose hair or a small speck of dirt, is to use a canine eye wash as such Eye Brite or Opticlear. Products such as these also help to clean the eyes and to treat minor infections or irritations. To make it easy on your Poodle, raise their head slightly, gently open the lower lid and then drop the fluid into the eye. Use dry cotton to absorb the excess moisture that floats to the eye corners, being careful not to touch your dog's actual eyeball.
Tear Stains
White and light colored Poodles, especially Toy Poodles sometimes have tear stains. This is a staining of the fur, around the eyes, which is caused by a discharge from the tear ducts. You can see an example of this in the photo above. Some owners mistakenly believe that the stained hair is a "darker coat" color that has grown in. This is never the case. If your Poodle has brownish/reddish color under or around the eyes, it is not supposed to be there....And should be taken care of.
What causes tear stains on dogs? There are actually many elements that can make this happen: heredity, allergies, improper grooming, improper feeding, infection of the tear ducts, distichiasis (an abnormal extra row of eyelashes on the upper or lower lid), trichiasis (ingrown eyelashes) entropion (eyelids that turn inward), conjunctivitis or even teething (you may notice that after your Poodle is done teething, that they no longer get stains).
How To Correctly Remove Tear Stains
Daily attention to the eyes and the hair under them is the best way to control staining. If any discharge, which may be a clear color at first, is cleaned up, it will not have a chance to gather on the coat, build up and then cause the stains. There are 2 steps that should be done to rid your Poodle of tear stains:
1. You (or a professional dog groomer) should carefully remove the stained hair with clippers. (Or as much of it as possible, don't worry, it will of course, grow back)
2. After this trimming has been done, do a daily cleaning of the area with a tear stain removal product....You will find many in pet supply stores and one is just as good as the other. Do remember that this must be applied carefully only under and around and not into the actual eye(s) of the dog.
Prevention
Certain minerals found in tap water can cause staining to a dog as they drink from their bowl and the water splashes onto the face...Also, plastic food or water containers can cause staining to a dog's face. If you suspect the water to be the problem, you may wish to make a switch to bottled water. If you are using plastic food and/or water bowls, do make a switch to ceramic or stainless-steel bowls.
Because so many medical problems can be the cause of staining such as distichiasis, entropion, conjunctivtis and other issues mentioned above...If your Poodle has excessive tearing that you see or excessive staining, do bring your Poodle to the veterinarian to check for this issue. Most of these conditions will not go away without veterinarian treatment.
Your Poodle's eyes should be checked daily and cleaned of any mucus and foreign matter that may have collected on the inside corners. It is normal to find a little bit of matter on the inside corners of the eyes from time to time. This type of matter can be cleaned simply by moistening a cotton ball with warm water and dabbing carefully at the corners of your Poodle's eyes. Be sure to never rub over the actual eye with the cotton, as the fibers could scratch them.
Flushing Out Foreign Matter
The easiest way to flush out any foreign matter that you may see, such as a loose hair or a small speck of dirt, is to use a canine eye wash as such Eye Brite or Opticlear. Products such as these also help to clean the eyes and to treat minor infections or irritations. To make it easy on your Poodle, raise their head slightly, gently open the lower lid and then drop the fluid into the eye. Use dry cotton to absorb the excess moisture that floats to the eye corners, being careful not to touch your dog's actual eyeball.
Tear Stains
White and light colored Poodles, especially Toy Poodles sometimes have tear stains. This is a staining of the fur, around the eyes, which is caused by a discharge from the tear ducts. You can see an example of this in the photo above. Some owners mistakenly believe that the stained hair is a "darker coat" color that has grown in. This is never the case. If your Poodle has brownish/reddish color under or around the eyes, it is not supposed to be there....And should be taken care of.
What causes tear stains on dogs? There are actually many elements that can make this happen: heredity, allergies, improper grooming, improper feeding, infection of the tear ducts, distichiasis (an abnormal extra row of eyelashes on the upper or lower lid), trichiasis (ingrown eyelashes) entropion (eyelids that turn inward), conjunctivitis or even teething (you may notice that after your Poodle is done teething, that they no longer get stains).
How To Correctly Remove Tear Stains
Daily attention to the eyes and the hair under them is the best way to control staining. If any discharge, which may be a clear color at first, is cleaned up, it will not have a chance to gather on the coat, build up and then cause the stains. There are 2 steps that should be done to rid your Poodle of tear stains:
1. You (or a professional dog groomer) should carefully remove the stained hair with clippers. (Or as much of it as possible, don't worry, it will of course, grow back)
2. After this trimming has been done, do a daily cleaning of the area with a tear stain removal product....You will find many in pet supply stores and one is just as good as the other. Do remember that this must be applied carefully only under and around and not into the actual eye(s) of the dog.
Prevention
Certain minerals found in tap water can cause staining to a dog as they drink from their bowl and the water splashes onto the face...Also, plastic food or water containers can cause staining to a dog's face. If you suspect the water to be the problem, you may wish to make a switch to bottled water. If you are using plastic food and/or water bowls, do make a switch to ceramic or stainless-steel bowls.
Because so many medical problems can be the cause of staining such as distichiasis, entropion, conjunctivtis and other issues mentioned above...If your Poodle has excessive tearing that you see or excessive staining, do bring your Poodle to the veterinarian to check for this issue. Most of these conditions will not go away without veterinarian treatment.
