# parsley for tear stains



## louise (Dec 5, 2008)

I'm trying parsley for tear stains for my 5 month old Hav - I'm trying yogurt - I'm trying everything  SS bowls and changed food etc.

How much parsley should she eat? She likes it and will eat it directly out of my hand but I've no idea how much is a safe and reasonable amount to give a 7 pound dog.

Louise


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## SaydeeMomma (Sep 9, 2008)

I tried everything from parsley to yogurt to stainless steel bowls, to topical cleaners. I washed her face daily and my Saydee still had terrible tear stains! Then I eliminated wheat from her diet, and completley switched her to raw food, specifically Nature's Variety Medallions. She hasn't had a single tear stain since, her hair below her eyes is clean and white, and it's been many months now. I'm not sure whether it was the wheat or the raw diet, or the combination of both, but it sure worked!


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## Evye's Mom (Dec 16, 2008)

*Anxious to read responses*

I will be anxious to hear the responses to this post. I am using bottled water, ceramic/SS bowls and 1/4 Tums a day (too afraid to use 1/2 tab). All to no avail. I have no idea how much parsley and if dried parsley works just as well...so I will be watching the posts.


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## Suzy (May 9, 2008)

Well,
My breeder recommended one blueberry a day, and a pinch of parsley (I use dried) in each dish of food (a good kibble). We have done this all along. Linus is nearly 10 months old now--and we have not had eye problems. He is really good to let me get any dried matter out of the corner of each eye daily. I know that one of his half sisters from an earlier litter that stayed with the breeder has had lots of tear/goop/stain problems----so who knows? Maybe it is just luck???
Suzy


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## louise (Dec 5, 2008)

Which raw food(s) are you using?


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## SaydeeMomma (Sep 9, 2008)

louise said:


> Which raw food(s) are you using?


I feed Saydee Nature's Variety medallions and patties, but there are other brands out there that are good too (Primal, AFS and more). It's quick, easy and very fresh. There's folks on this forum that even make their own raw diet for their pups. I think it's just a matter of your comfort level. When I first heard about raw food for dogs it seemed very complicated and gross. But thanks to some of the helpful folks on this forum I was motivated to try it and never looked back!

I really have seen amazing results in Saydee. She's healthy, strong and vibrant. Clear bright eyes and soft shiny coat. Small poops, and no barfing or digestive problems of any kind. She doesn't even have that stinky awful dog gas like my previous pups did eating kibble. The final bonus was those red rusty tear stains disappearing. I was beginning to think tearstains were something we were stuck with for life!

Raw diet isn't for everyone but it works so well for us, so I always feel like I should share our experience with others. There's lots of threads in the archives regarding raw diets, but feel free to PM me if there's anything I can help you with.


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## louise (Dec 5, 2008)

I was feeding Ellie Stella and Chewys raw, but the tear stains seemed to either stay the same or worsen. I just changed over to Natures Variety because of the thoughts about beet pulp (which is in Stella and Chewys), contributing to the problem.

Since then I've been told on this forum that the beet pulp used is white and therefore it is a myth. However, she likes Natures Variety, I like that they have organic chicken available, and for now I'll stick with it and see if the change of food (just last week), reduces or maybe even eliminates the staining.

I also bought one bag of Primal Nuggets to see if she likes them. If she does, I thought I might switch back and forth for variety.

BTW, a holistic pet store here, who carries all these good products, told me that a raw food diet should be supplemented with fatty acids - buy a bottle and build up to 1/4 tsp per day. They say it helps the coat and might even help the staining.

Louise


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## SaydeeMomma (Sep 9, 2008)

louise said:


> I was feeding Ellie Stella and Chewys raw, but the tear stains seemed to either stay the same or worsen. I just changed over to Natures Variety because of the thoughts about beet pulp (which is in Stella and Chewys), contributing to the problem.
> 
> Since then I've been told on this forum that the beet pulp used is white and therefore it is a myth. However, she likes Natures Variety, I like that they have organic chicken available, and for now I'll stick with it and see if the change of food (just last week), reduces or maybe even eliminates the staining.
> 
> ...


Hi Louise
One thing I noticed Nature's Variety has that some of the other brands don't is apple cider vinegar which may contribute to cleaning up the tear staining, although I never saw a difference when I added acv to her drinking water. Saydee has been eating Nature's Variety and a squirt of salmon oil and a little sprinkle of acidophilus in each meal. Saydee also gets a NuVet supplement her breeder recommended but she had tear stains before on the supplement so I know it's not that.

Like you, I really like the organic chicken but we do alternate in beef and venison here and there. I tried the lamb once and wanted to barf every time I gave it to her because the smell reminds me of Anatomy and Physiology class in college, dissecting lamb hearts, etc... The lamb is also not nearly as tender or fresh looking.

I've also heard that the beet pulp thing is a myth and I never saw any change in tear stains when I eliminated it (I used to have white Maltese with staining so I've been experimenting for a long time with this!). I think fatty acids can't hurt - in particular I like the salmon oil for the added benefits to the coat and skin.

I started writing down everything I fed Saydee whenever I made changes and that helped me to narrow it down to the little mixture I have going on right now. When I brought Saydee home she ate Solid Gold Wee Bits kibble and we moved to Innova Puppy, then Evo canned and kibble, and then finally to raw, so it helped to document everything. If you switch too often you don't get a chance to see results. It's also important to make sure that when you eliminate something, say wheat, you eliminate it _completely_ - no wheat in treats, no pretzels dropped on the kitchen floor, etc... I had trouble for a time when Saydee was in puppy kindergarten because the well-meaning doggie parents would give her treats with wheat when I wasn't looking 

I did notice improvements in Saydee's eyes when I switched to Evo, eliminating the wheat. She seemed to have fewer eye goops in general and the staining was less severe. But it wasn't until 10 days on Nature's Variety medallions that I realized the staining had stopped completely.

I've thought about trying Primal but I don't want to mess up a good thing. All I know is this little combination works for Saydee's eyes so I'm stickin' to it!


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