# Get the gunk off their eyes?



## louise (Dec 5, 2008)

I've read several posts, often associated with tear stains, where people talk about getting the gunk off their eyes every day.

My 5 month old cream Hav has pretty bad tear staining and all the standards such as Diamond Eye and a flea comb haven't done much. I try pulling it off with my finger nails but she really resists my efforts and it doesn't seem very successful anyway. 

The stained hair is also stuck together. 

Could someone explain EXACTLY what they mean and what they do when they get the gunk off every day? And does this stop the hair from sticking together?

Also, BTW, I have just taken her off all the foods that had any beets and will be trying yogurt and parsley. I'm hoping one or all of these helps. But meanwhile, how might I best manage the red stuck-together hair?

I don't want to use Angel Eyes because it is an antibiotic - and particularly so because she is young and has yet to get her adult teeth.

Thanks.

Louise


----------



## Jane (Jun 2, 2007)

Every morning, I take a tissue and I dab it at the inner corner of my dogs' eyes - it tends to pull a string of mucous off of the eyeball. Then, I use the tissue and my fingernails to pick off any other globs of mucous around the eye area. If there is dried on crusty stuff, I wet the area with water and work it out with a flea comb. 

During the day, if I notice more gunk, I remove it immediately so it doesn't dry and get stuck on. Also, keeping the hair out of their eyes helps to decrease the amount of gunk too. Good luck!


----------



## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

If it is crusty and stuck there for more than a day, you may need to find a way to loosen it. You can do a human eye wash like Bauch & Lomb, or water, or just pull it off dry, even with her fighting you. The best way to remove it is like Jane describes - while it is still soft and goopy.

By the way, beets don't cause red staining. That's a myth. Beet pulp in dog food is the small, white sugar beets - not the red beets that we eat.

Keep it clean and keep it dry and you'll get the eye area clean. However, if she has tearing that is keeping the area wet (which does _not _sound like you do), then you will continually get the redness since it is caused by a bacteria or fungus that feeds off the wetness.


----------



## Amy R. (Jul 1, 2007)

I loosen the gunk gently with a small section of folded paper towel rinsed in warm water, then comb everything out carefully with a flea comb. This area and the tear duct are so delicate, so I would never just comb it or pull it out without first softening it up. I do this almost daily. You must also be sure the hair around the eyes isn't poking and irritating the eye~~my groomer does this discrete trimming for me.

Using bottled spring water as their drinking water also works wonders. We just ran out over the holiday (and I think that's also part of Biscuit's current problem--see below)

That being said, for the first time since he was teething, Biscuit , over 2 yrs old, is having horrible tear staining just the last couple of days. I think it's because he is chewing a lot (mimicking the new baby-puppy Heath ! ) and they are constantly play-biting each other's faces.

Ugh, I hate it, it looks terrible! I may resort to Angel Eyes. I think it's great, used for the short term. Seems to break the cycle of tearing and staining.


----------



## micki2much (Feb 8, 2007)

Amy, OMG Seamus too had tear stains return just return (he also just turned 2)! I thought it might be the meds his vet had him on for his runny stools, but he has been off for 3 weeks. I also just went back to Angel eyes - we used it for about 6 months and never needed them after that. Hoping I will have the same results (have tried yougart, parsley etc). So glad Finnegan is dark!


----------



## hungover (Dec 24, 2008)

Hi louise

I can understand why you would rather not use antibiotics such as Angels eyes.

The eye boogers are no longer an issue for me since I discovered Angels Delight- the natural alternative to angels eyes. Rather than killing the bacteria it prevents the red yeast by oxidising the iron deposits before they end up in the tears. I love angels delight because it sorts out the stains and boosts the dogs immunity by making it fitter.

Rather than using bottled water you might find filtered water is more effective- bottled water is a scam- remember Dasani???

A metal bowl can also help by subtly changing the structure of the metals in the water.

Cider vinegar in the drinking water seems to help some- mine wouldn't touch it though.

Raw breen beans are great for your dog (overall) and can help reduce the staining.

All of the above will take some time though so in the mean time you can wipe a little vaseline around the eyes at night to keep the fur from matting with the boogers.

This is a link for Angels Delight if you want to read up on it.

Best of luck

ps havtahava is correct about the beet and staining being an urban myth, that said diet is possibly the main factor.


----------



## Posh's Mom (Dec 20, 2007)

All I can say is I'm a monkey and constantly pick out eye boogies on my children and Posh! Ha!


----------



## louise (Dec 5, 2008)

I got a flea comb at Petco - it is plastic - it doesn't seem to go through the hair in a way that pulls anything out. Do you use a particular kind of flea comb?

I've been using Diamond Eye or Crystal Eye to try to loosen up the gunk but it isn't working. I'll try warm water.

Thanks

Louise


----------



## louise (Dec 5, 2008)

I do use filtered water (I have a filter for myself built in under my kitchen sink) and I do use stainless steel bowls for her.

I tried cider vinegar and she wouldn't touch it either. 

I looked at Angels Delight - do you use the paste? They say to apply it with a brush, let it dry and then brush it out with a toothbrush. What kind of brush do you use to apply it with?

Is there anywhere in the US where one can purchase it? If not, I'll get it from the UK.

Thanks.

Louise


----------



## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Louise, the best flea comb I've found is the Evolution rotating pins flea comb. It works very well, I love it.


----------



## Renee (Mar 27, 2008)

Havtahava said:


> Keep it clean and keep it dry and you'll get the eye area clean. However, if she has tearing that is keeping the area wet (which does _not _sound like you do), then you will continually get the redness since it is caused by a bacteria or fungus that feeds off the wetness.


How do you know if it's bacteria or fungus?? We've dealt with tear stains since Miley was a puppy. I had decided I was going to order some Tylan powder and use it short term to see if that helped. I picked up Miley the other night, and she smelled like BEER. So I'm assuming she has developed a yeast infection. And she's been itching her eyes like crazy. When I called the vet, she said she needs to see her to determine if it is in fact a yeast infection. If it is, she said we need to treat it as a fungal infection. If it isn't she said I could go ahead with the Tylan powder, although I could tell she thought the Tylan powder was kind of "voo-doo". She said if it is a yeast infection, the Tylan powder, being an antibiotic, could FLARE up the yeast infection (just like humans that get yeast infection from being on an antibiotic). So she has an appt at 4:00 today to determine what's going on....


----------



## louise (Dec 5, 2008)

Let us know what you find out. My dog has tear stains which the vet ignores. The last time I complained about them the Vet said "I've seen worse - a lot of these little dogs have them".

Louise


----------



## Perugina (May 28, 2008)

Contact all-in-one solution works well to loosen it up and kill off the bacteria. I got the suggestion from my groomer. She also says a clear mouthwash/dental rinse works well too...although I think the contact solution is safer in case you would get some in the eye.


----------



## mckennasedona (Feb 20, 2007)

My groomer used to breed and show cats (for over 30 years). She said that a well known cat breeder trick for controlling tear staining is vitamin A. She said to get vitamin A gel caps, poke a small hole in the top with a sterilized needle and put a small drop in each eye. Return the needle to the gel cap to plug the hole so that the gel cap can be used more than once. In other words, don't glop a whole gel cap into the eye but just a drop. 
It will help control the staining though it will not cure the tearing itself. Has anyone heard of this?


----------



## louise (Dec 5, 2008)

Do you mean a solution you purchase in the drug stores that is used for contact lenses? 

Louise


----------



## Renee (Mar 27, 2008)

louise said:


> Let us know what you find out. My dog has tear stains which the vet ignores. The last time I complained about them the Vet said "I've seen worse - a lot of these little dogs have them".
> 
> Louise


Well, Miley went to see the vet, and she does NOT have a yeast infection. So the vet was fine with letting me try the Tylan powder for short term use. She said to use 1/16 of a tsp in her food everyday. She had not heard of using Tylan powder for tear stains, so she did some reading on it and said it is a "groomer's secret" to tear stains. She wants me to let her know how it works. We shall see.....


----------



## Renee (Mar 27, 2008)

Just found something else out about the dog food I've been feeding Miley. She gets Blue Buffalo (chicken & brown rice). The reviews on dogfoodanalysis said that it has Black Malted Barley, which is an unneccessary source of sugar and likely to contribute to yeast problems...Yikes! Guess her food hasn't been helping her situation any. I'm glad she's almost out, and that we're going to Omaha this weekend so I can get something better for her. So I'll be doing some research on which kind of food I should switch too. Right now I'm leaning towards Solid Gold Barking at the Moon or Solid Gold's Just a Wee Bit for adults. Comments, suggestions??


----------



## louise (Dec 5, 2008)

Yes, one of the pet stores I respect said that beet pulp is not "really" the issue - it is the issue only because it is a sugar and all sugars contribute to tear stains.

However, I'm feeding raw with only a little kibble for supplementation. Ellie is 5.5 months old, 7 + a couple of ounces, and and eats 3x day with kibble available. When I feed her 4 ounces of raw she doesn't eat much kibble.

I went off of Stella and Chewy's because of the beet pulp.

Stella and Chewys and Natures Variety raw - has 2% fiber (they don't mention sugars - the sugars seem to be in the form of starchy vegetables such as squash.

Primal Nuggets raw has 1% fiber. 

The kibble I use, only as a supplement, is Innova puppy food - she didn't like Solid Gold, and it definitely has carbs in it, but no beets. It also has acidophilus (anti yeast) and some other good stuff.

Let us know what you find.

Louise


----------



## SaydeeMomma (Sep 9, 2008)

louise said:


> Yes, one of the pet stores I respect said that beet pulp is not "really" the issue - it is the issue only because it is a sugar and all sugars contribute to tear stains.
> 
> However, I'm feeding raw with only a little kibble for supplementation. Ellie is 5.5 months old, 7 + a couple of ounces, and and eats 3x day with kibble available. When I feed her 4 ounces of raw she doesn't eat much kibble.
> 
> ...


Louise
You might try eliminating kibble completely for a few weeks. That was when I saw the best results. I used to use all kinds of tear stain cleaning products, but now I just wipe Saydees eyes with those soft disposable cotton makeup pads you can get a Costco, Target, etc. and a little warm water. Once a day I moisten the area and run the flea comb through just go get any goop off. Then when I give her a bath I use baby shampoo to get the area nice and clean.


----------



## CaseysMom (Jun 10, 2008)

louise said:


> I try pulling it off with my finger nails but she really resists my efforts and it doesn't seem very successful anyway.


Softening the crusties is key. The previous suggestion about using a warm paper towel is best. I make sure I really soften up the gunk before I use the flea comb so it doesn't hurt to be yanking at the fur. Casey used to hate this at first, but she has really become accustomed to it and doesn't even fight it now. I also check her eyes alot and drag out any stray hairs that get in there.


----------

