A friend of mine has a bichon and she has to keep hair cut away from her dogs eyes and mouth or the tear staining is worse. I think it's genetic, dietitic and sometimes yeast infections. Not so sure about the blocked tear ducts. There are products on the market made for removing the stains so I'm sure someone who has this problem to deal with will step forward and give you the low-down.

It can be caused by blocked ducts, by allergies or by a genetic condition. It can also happen because of a problem with the eye itself. The stain removers on the market will help some but you have to use them every day, preferably twice a day. It will also bee less noticeable if you keep him with a traditional "clean face" as opposed to a "teddy" face. The less hair on the face the less obvious the staining will be.

Lisa

Rawhide chews also cause it. Once I stopped giving them to my poodle, the stain went away.

I looked it up, and I think it only effects white dogs, but not just poodles. Once the stains are there, they are hard to remove so it is better to prevent them if possible, by frequent washing of the area with warm water and a soft cloth, and drying to prevent the yeast from growing.

Geez, stop reading stuff and looking at pictures. My husband is having skin issues related to his Chemo Therapy. Doesn't matter that his Docs took an ingredient out of his Chemo last Monday known to cause his skin problems, he found something online and thinks it must be true. SIGH!!

The normal discoloration is caused from tear ducts working. It is just stained fur under the eye. Poodles get eye goop just like we do (I call them eye boogers) and it stains their fur. If your poodle licks one place enough, that spot will be stained by saliva a rusty color.

You have a poodle, stained fur is going to happen. If the fur from the inside corner of the eye isn't stained from eye boogers. Then it is time to worry about clogged tear ducts.

It affects all colors but it's only really noticeable on white dogs.

Lisa

Our black poodle gets black eye boogers which I just pick off. Of course we don't see a stain. Recently a new vet told me that he (the poodle) has a genetic condition (whose name I don't remember) that causes the hair around his eyes to grow toward the eye and irritate it, which causes the eyes to water. She said there is plastic surgery he could get for it. Yeah, right. I don't think so.

All of our dogs get those things, worse during allergy season.

When my collie has weepy eyes (or starts to sneeze), I pop a Claritin into her and they dry right up. The older poodle gets goopy when her fur is too long and curling into her eye, but the younger poodle's fur curls in a better direction and she hasn't had any trouble with eyes so far. Eye infections, ectropion (wooderlander's eye lid deformity), and tear duct problems can also cause weepy eyes.

I don't see how it compares to cancer, in refer to the poster above. I am not worried, because he is not white, but I see no reason for not wanting your dog to look his best. If you child was suffering a discoloration would you not want to try to improve the condition? I get really annoyed at people who don't care about thier dogs and don't groom them or even bathe them. I guess caring is just too much work for some people, and they would prefer to let all kinds of skin conditions go untreated.

I have a 10yr old white Toy poodle that has always had staining. I use "Crystal Eyes" to keep it clean and trim around his eyes. That being said, altho I care for my dog and buy good quality food and get him groomed regularly, I would never compare him to my children.

It has nothing to do with cancer, you looking online and making a self diagnosis just remindes me of my husband and his cancer. His doctors can tell him one thing but he looks online and finds a million sites with doom and gloom. You are looking online and finding eye problems, not normal poodle stuff or any breed stuff, just doom and gloom.

Bug if you think your poodle has an eye infection then take her to a vet.

I have kids, and grandkids and they have never gone without care. Nor have my dogs. Heck my kids say I spend more money on dog health care than I do on them.

My poodle isn't white either, she is "apricot". Her eyes goop, she has two spots on her paws that are always stained because the skin warts grew back and she licks them. And that is just the way it is with poodles.

You will learn, hopefully before your baby suffers too much. Tear stains, and saliva stains, and dribble water stains happen with Poodle fur and is completly normal.

I just saw a product called Angel Eyes which is supposed to take care of the very condition you are posting. Check it out. It was, I believe, in the Fosters & Smith Catalog, but I am sure you could google it.

Good luck.

My very white poodle is almost 7 years old. We had never experienced staining until a couple years ago. We had changed her food and shortly afterward began to notice brown stains around her eyes and other areas she licks. The food we put her on was Canidae, which is one of the top foods, according to WDJ. It's a great product, but for some odd reason, had an adverse reaction with my dog. Once we put her back on her old food, the staining stopped. We used "Eye Envy" to remove any old stains. It's a little pricey ($20+), but worth it. According to our Canine Nutritionist, barring eye infections, food and snacks are the main cause for staining. You might want to speak to your vet and get his/her opinion.

Toy and miniature Poodles can also be predisposed to ingrown eyelashes or eye lashes that grow inward that could cause excessive tearing or even corneal damage. The condition is known as Distichiasis. Normally the hairs that make up the eyelash curve outward away from the eye, but in some cases there is extra eyelashes that grow inward and can cause discomfort.

Bob

Well, I am lucky, and my dog is not having a problem, but my friend's white dog has this red discoloration which is only on the fur. We don't want to cut off the fur, because then the skin would be discolorated. I think the fur protects the skin. If we cut off the stained fur he would be fine with no stain, but the skin discoloration appears to be uncurable. Then if he cut off the fur the new fur would stain or the skin. Until the root problem is cured nothing can be done.

This is a frequent question I encounter from many clients. Here is my best advice:
Biggest thing! Only use bottled water!!!!!
Also only use stainless steel or ceramic bowls.
I suggest keeping the eye are clean. If you have a poodle I suggest a clean face or clean face and moustache. You still need to wipe the eyes daily.
The staining can be a result from many factors that have been mentioned. I have not seen or used a product that will clear it up.
I know someone mentioned the Angel Eyes product, I read their info a few weeks ago and their product contains a small amount of antibiotic. This can throw off bloodwork levels, and they don't provide the variation it can cause.
Some owners of show dogs will use tetracycline to clear it up, I do not advise this and your vet will probably not give you an rx for using it to clear eye stains. Hydrogen peroxide applied to a cotton ball can be used to wipe the area 2 to 3 times daily, use caution not to get into the eyes.

I have a white poodle that had the tearing on her eyes & it started around the mouth area. I started her Angel's Eyes,distilled water & a tum aday. I really does work. Took away all the staining. I have noticed though in the last month she is getting the (as you call it) mask around the eyes. Not sure what this is from. Has anyone had this problem & what did you do. Everytime I look at her & feel like somethings wrong with her. But me husband insist theres nothing wrong with her that shes a healthy puppy. Does anyone have an opinion?? Thanks D. Berry

About 4 months ago we moved from a larger city with city supplied water to the suburbs and now have well water. Our 5 yo Bichon who always had very clear eyes has suddenly developed red staining under his eyes. I've also noticed red staining on other areas where he licks his fur. My question - can it be the well water that is causing this? I've read a post here that said using bottled water will help, can anyone confirm this?

Thanks for the help - Bill

Bill- that would be the most likely source causing the staining if you have not made a food change. I only use bottled water for my furkids and they only use stainless steel bowls or ceramic. Plastic bowls can get scratches and harbor bacteria. I recently switched to Nutro dog treats about 3 weeks ago and just noticed the shih tzus are having red staining. The treats have an ingredient called "brewers yeast" that is thought to be a source of staining as well. Nutro food does not have it but the treats do. Check all of the ingredients that you are feeding your Bichon and make sure there is no brewers yeast too. Let me know if you need any help, good luck!

groomingal,

Thanks for the helpful response. The water is the only thing that has changed so I'm going to start using bottled water. I found another useful artice at http://www.fix.net/~dogmag/shihtzu/eye-stain-article.html
that mentions hard water with high iron content as a cause.

I'll keep the group informed about the results.

Thanks again.

I have a white poodle that has always had tear staining. Not knowing what to do to eliminate it I just covered it with the white 'cover cream' product from a pet supply store. Then recently I saw Angels Eyes advertised and asked the Vet if it was safe. He said it was and I was able to get it at his office. I sprinkle a teaspoon on her food most every day and it has completely stopped the staining. She was given bottled water for a long time, although not for this, and it did not stop the staining.

I have a toy poodle; in fact this is my third toy poodle. Poodles, various dogs as well as cats, eyes water, which causes a stain on the fur just below their eyes. This condition is called epiphora. When the facial hair is wet from excess tearing it is the breeding ground for bacteria and yeast. Not only is it unsightly but may be very irritating to your pet. These reddish brown stains due to tear pigments can be hard to eliminate completely. Tear staining can be traced to health and diet, as well as genetics.

There is a new product on the market called, ANGEL EYES and it works GREAT! It eliminates unsightly tear stains. Angels Eyes works to prevent tear staining by tying up circulating porphyrins. A porphyrin is a compound that reacts with light to produce a reddish brown stain to the medial canthus. The ingredients in Angels' Eyes will prevent your dog from contracting Ptyrosporin (Red Yeast) and bacterial infections which causes excess tearing and staining.

The ingredients in Angels' Eyes is wheat and dye free, it's made of 100%Pure beef liver, tylosin as tartrate. The difference between ANGELS' Eyes and all the other products on the market is, all other products mask or have artificial food coloring, artificial food additives and preservatives, and cereals such as wheat causing the stains to reappear worse than before. ANGELS' Eyes does not require rubbing or any other difficult maintenance. With ANGELS' Eyes you will not need to use bleach, peroxide or any other product that may cause allergies and irritations.

My poodle has the clearest, cleanest face with not tear stains. Please email me and I can send you pictures of my poodle. I stand behind this product 100%. You can order it online or you can find it at your local pet store.

email: mskymm7@aol.com

erm..... Angels eyes does work but it is far from new- i used it years ago until it was officially removed from sale in europe on the grounds that it has never been officially approved anywhere in the world.

I was pretty annoyed that no one ever told me that the active ingredient is an antibiotic (tylosin tartrate)!!!

i dont think it harmed my dogs but i have found a new product called angels delight which is both legal and natural and free of antibiotics

have posted a link if you want to find out more

Here is a link that might be useful: angels delight