Poodle/Shih Tzu tearing type dogs?

[lukenick1]

Hi all,
I have a poodle/shih tzu mix dog. He gets that gross tear staining under his eyes. I gave him a bath yesterday and when I went to clean his eyes I noticed he had a big brown scab at the corner of his eye where the tear staining is. When I was able to get the scab off with the wash cloth he has a sore there. Has this happened to your dog before? I'm not sure if it is an infection or just a sore. His eye is fine and doesn't seem affected by it. I would like to avoid going to the Vet $$ if its just going to simply require some antibiotic ointment and time to heal. Does anyone have any experience with this type of dog?

 

[packofjedis]

I have a Havanese/Bichon who gets the brown tears that stain her fur. She does also sometimes get the brown scab looking hard thing. I've never seen a cut or anything under it. I always assumed it was like an eye goober but dog version.

We eliminated the brown tearing that stains her fur by cutting out all wheat - from food, treats, everything. Haven't had to deal with the brown fur near her eyes in years.

 

[DisneyDebbie]

My Inlaws have a poodle mix, I don't know about the eye scab, but they use angel eyes powder in their food and his eyes are so much better! No extra cutting or cleaning needed

 

[LockShockBarrel]

My cats get like that too, not the staining but where its a little dried brown thing in the corner of their eyes. I think it's just that the tear dries against the skin and when it comes off it acts just like a scab. Now if I see any little eye boogies I try to get them while they're still moist rather than letting them dry. If you already see that it's dry, you could try holding a moist washcloth or what have you against it for a bit (assuming your dog will let you) and see if it'll soften a bit.

 

[lukenick1]

Brought him to the groomer so she could shave his hair away from the scab. It is an open sore on the bridge of his nose where the staining occurs. I have been putting antibiotic cream on it. I hope I don't end up at the Vet. I would like to eliminate the eye staining all together. What a gross thing!

 

[JessB320]

Antibiotic ointment should be fine to heal it up. Once it's healed keeping the hair trimmed short around the eyes and wiping that area with a damp cloth daily to prevent the eye goober build up should keep a sore from forming again. There is the chance that your pup has plugged/clogged tear ducts that's causing the tearing and goober build up. That however requires a vet trip and heavy sedation. They would then flush out the tear ducts. Honestly though only about 1/2 the vets I have ever worked with will even do this procedure and I'm a little skeptical about how much it actually helped most dogs. Daily maintenance is free and should prevent the sores.

 

[lukenick1]

Antibiotic ointment should be fine to heal it up. Once it's healed keeping the hair trimmed short around the eyes and wiping that area with a damp cloth daily to prevent the eye goober build up should keep a sore from forming again. There is the chance that your pup has plugged/clogged tear ducts that's causing the tearing and goober build up. That however requires a vet trip and heavy sedation. They would then flush out the tear ducts. Honestly though only about 1/2 the vets I have ever worked with will even do this procedure and I'm a little skeptical about how much it actually helped most dogs. Daily maintenance is free and should prevent the sores.

Thank you......do you recommend angel eyes??

 

[JessB320]

There is no harm in trying it and there seems to be a following for it among some breeders, but we never sold it or endorsed it at any of my clinics. If you want to try it, you can find in on amazon cheaper than a pet store. There are several brands out now as well with the same ingredients, so one of the off brands may be the way to go. The idea behind these is that it won't stop the tearing but it changes the PH of the tears so they don't stain the fur when they dry. You will still get the goober build up if you don't trim the fur and wipe the eyes. Hope this helps, I spent 10 years as a licensed vet tech so I'm happy to help you avoid a vet trip if I can

 

[JessB320]

Oh I also forgot to say make sure the dogs eyelids and eye lashes are normal. Once in a while, due to genetics, they will curl inward. This irritates the eye as you can imagine and causes a lot of tearing. It will then over time cause scratches and ulceration to the cornea of the eye. If this is a puppy or a young dog check this .

 

[lukenick1]

Oh I also forgot to say make sure the dogs eyelids and eye lashes are normal. Once in a while, due to genetics, they will curl inward. This irritates the eye as you can imagine and causes a lot of tearing. It will then over time cause scratches and ulceration to the cornea of the eye. If this is a puppy or a young dog check this .

Thanks again!!! He is almost 2 and his lashes are soooo long that the groomer usually cuts them when he goes. He has such beautiful lashes . His eyes are completely fine....this little boo boo is on the bridge of his nose where the hair is stained. I will try wiping it everyday with a warm cloth and will also bring him in more often to have his eye hair shaved shorter. I will definitely keep you in mind for any doggy health questions in the future If that is ok?

 

[JessB320]

Thanks again!!! He is almost 2 and his lashes are soooo long that the groomer usually cuts them when he goes. He has such beautiful lashes . His eyes are completely fine....this little boo boo is on the bridge of his nose where the hair is stained. I will try wiping it everyday with a warm cloth and will also bring him in more often to have his eye hair shaved shorter. I will definitely keep you in mind for any doggy health questions in the future If that is ok?

Yeah of course

 

[lady_hlh]

We got a malti-poo from rescue this year and lately I've been wiping his eye area every day with a baby wipe which seems to help with the tear stain issue.

 

[dancin Disney style]

I've had many little dogs with the tear staining. A very weak(watered down) solution of Boric acid applied every day or alternate days on a cotton ball will keep the stains away. You can get it from a pharmacy.

The little dog that I have now (maltese/bichon) doesn't have the staining but does get the crusty blob in the corner of his eyes. We just pick it out every time we see it there....maybe once a week. His is never on the skin, it's always just attached by a hair or two. I do trim the hair around his eyes about once a month or else it's sticking out and partially blocking his vision.