# Advice on best routine for a clean face and eyes



## Toffee170221 (Sep 10, 2021)

So, Toffee is 9 months now. His eyes are often watery and I carefully wipe them with small make-up remover pads moistened with cool, boiled water to clean them and remove any gunk. This is usually enough to keep his eyes clear but his face is always wet and sometimes his eyes get quite streamy. This is not helped by his love of ‘snuffling’ in the wet grass verges at the side of the pavements and paths where we walk ( can‘t get away from the rain over here ☹). Can any of you wonderful, experienced Havanese people advise or give me any tips please? Many thanks in advance 😁


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## Cassandra (Dec 29, 2015)

On the gunk removal, i started off by wiping whenever I “noticed it.” But that did not work very well. So i changed to wiping every single day right when I finished brushing my own teeth. Cassie hears the sound of my tooth brush now in morning and goes to the couch where she knows she will have her eyes wiped and waits for her turn! I use a very soft cotton wash cloth with slightly warm water because it seems to soften the nightime gunk better. Your cool boiled water is undoubtedly better than my tap water, but this fairly easy routine works for us. I tried commercial canine eye pads, but frankly, if done before there is any build up, the plain water seems to work fine. Gunk removal is a common problem and figuring out a way to stay ahead of any build up is key.


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## Toffee170221 (Sep 10, 2021)

Cassandra said:


> On the gunk removal, i started off by wiping whenever I “noticed it.” But that did not work very well. So i changed to wiping every single day right when I finished brushing my own teeth. Cassie hears the sound of my tooth brush now in morning and goes to the couch where she knows she will have her eyes wiped and waits for her turn! I use a very soft cotton wash cloth with slightly warm water because it seems to soften the nightime gunk better. Your cool boiled water is undoubtedly better than my tap water, but this fairly easy routine works for us. I tried commercial canine eye pads, but frankly, if done before there is any build up, the plain water seems to work fine. Gunk removal is a common problem and figuring out a way to stay ahead of any build up is key.


Thank you 😁 Cassie’s routine sounds definately worth a try to keep the gunk at bay and stop a build up. The ‘wet face’ is probably an ‘environmental hazard’ we’re just going to live with. We’ve just had the late afternoon walk after a rain shower and following ‘supper’ I’m doing a face clean and a 5 minute cool hair dryer to sort the wet face 😂


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

I second wiping them more often, even if they don’t seem bad. It takes less time than having to wipe them more thoroughly and comb them out after skipping more often. I say this having gotten out of the habit and I think Sundance’s eyes looked better when he was a weepy eyed puppy because it was part of my routine to wipe them when I set up his meals. 

You do have an additional challenge because you are in a very wet climate. I know there are powder products that can be combed through to help, I think cornstarch might be one of them? I don’t know what OTC products are safe, but there are a few. Some of them have been controversial because they make wild claims to cure tear stains. If you find a safe product and go into it with the expectation that it’s to help keep the area dry, not resolve any major problems with tear stains, maybe it would at least help combat the humidity.


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## Toffee170221 (Sep 10, 2021)

EvaE1izabeth said:


> I second wiping them more often, even if they don’t seem bad. It takes less time than having to wipe them more thoroughly and comb them out after skipping more often. I say this having gotten out of the habit and I think Sundance’s eyes looked better when he was a weepy eyed puppy because it was part of my routine to wipe them when I set up his meals.
> 
> You do have an additional challenge because you are in a very wet climate. I know there are powder products that can be combed through to help, I think cornstarch might be one of them? I don’t know what OTC products are safe, but there are a few. Some of them have been controversial because they make wild claims to cure tear stains. If you find a safe product and go into it with the expectation that it’s to help keep the area dry, not resolve any major problems with tear stains, maybe it would at least help combat the humidity.


😁 Thank you for replying. You’re right about the challenge of the wet climate, its been another wet day today and with 3 short walks, I’ve had to follow up with a face ’mop up’ and a quick blow dry with the hairdryer x3. I don’t take that much trouble over my own hair or face 😂 hilarious isn’t it? His eyes are nice clear at the moment and I’ve got some Beaphar eye drops which help to keep them clear. They don’t claim to prevent or cure eye stains just soothe. He still has tear stains but I’m hoping this will improve with time as others on the forum have commented. It’s really helpful and reassuring to get advice from experienced owners like yourself and others 😊


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