REDUCING THE APPEARANCE OF TEAR STAINS

Online forums are full of misinformation on tear stains and owners are often too consumed with how to reduce the appearance without focusing on the cause of the tear stains. Before reading this post, please make sure you've read our post on the Causes of Tear Stains as the cause is much more important than the cosmetics. 
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Once you've determined what's causing your dog's stains, you now want to turn your attention to treating them and then minimizing their appearance. Some of these suggestions may not apply depending, again, on what's causing your dog's stains; however, none of them are harmful and may help reduce the appearance of the stains.

1. ​Diet - A high-quality, well balanced diet should always be your first step as it's the most common cause of tear staining. Depending on the age of your dog, please read our posts on puppy nutrition and dog nutrition. Please do not poor a commercial "tear stain supplement" on top of a poor diet and expect results. Even if there is a medical condition behind your dogs tear staining, a quality diet will help your pooch recover. If you are looking for quality nutrition for your puppy or dog, please also consider learning more about PawTree products.  
2. Stainless Steel Food & Water Bowls - You will see this recommendation appear online and it's an amazingly simple way to reduce tear stains. Plastic containers can grow bacteria which are then ingested by your pet or can get on their face while eating. There are now stainless steel bowls in every shape and size including those designed to deter fast eaters. 
3. Filtered Water - When I first saw this recommendation, I was sure it was silly - more internet nonsense. However, it turns out that minerals, iron, chlorine and other impurities in much of the tap water in our homes can be toxic to pets. This change actually completely cleared one of our dogs who was struggling with excessive tears. 
4. Eye Wash - With your vet's permission, consider regular use of a safe antimicrobial eye wash. Our favorite is here on Amazon. Others also swear by coconut oil to clean under the eye and reduce the tears ability to stain the fur. Lastly, a handful of vets suggest using a contact solution that contains a mild boric acid to clean the under eye area. We've not tried this.
5. Eye Comb - In combination with an eye wash and a warm damp cloth to the affected area, an eye comb which removes the dreaded "eye boogers" and helps to keep the eye area clean is really helpful. This kit on Amazon is great for smaller dogs and comes as a pair (since they are easily lost and it's best to have one per dog due to possibility of cross contamination). 
6. Grooming - Simply having your groomer trim or shave the area where the tears are accumulating can really help. To keep on top of this at home we use these tiny eyebrow and peach fuzz razors made for women as they are tiny and not sharp around the eye area.  
7. Blueberries - Forums are full of recommendations to offer blueberries to your dog. While our vet can't confirm whether this will or won't help, we can confirm it won't hurt the dog and they are a powerful antioxidant. Many really enjoy blueberries - ours love them frozen. As to how many to feed, it's best to start with one at a time to make sure not to upset your dog's tummy. Work up to 3-4 per day to determine if they will offer any benefit. 
8. Yogurt - Others claim yogurt has reduced the appearance of tear stains. This is another food that falls in to the category of unconfirmed but not harmful. In fact, a spoonful of plain, low or non-fat yogurt (Greek is best) provides probiotic benefits and serves as an excellent source of calcium for your dog. Again, start small to make sure your dog isn't lactose intolerant. Also make sure to discuss dietary changes with your vet, specifically if they are older or on medications. 

As a reminder, we aren't vets but we own lots of dogs and these are the solutions our vets have offered that we feel have worked. We do not recommend any tear stain supplement until you carefully research as many of them contain low dose antibiotics and are not good for long term use. We also don't recommend many other internet options such as tums or human eye drops! 

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