Hello all, my bichon has a little problem with tear staining. I have done a bit of research and seen all the angel eyes, etc  and remedies you can buy. But also found that this can also be caused by tomato pomace and beet pulp in foods, I wouldnt have to get rid of the stains if I didnt contribute to it in the first place with the diet!! Does anyone here know of any other ingredients that cause it or anything that will detoxify the diet? any help is greatly appreciated!!

Hi stitch8689,

Sorry! I have never had it, on my dogs or puppies.
I don't know if any other white dog breeds on here have?

Denese

Hi ya stitch, one of my Paps tends to get staining, I just use a good tear stain remover to keep it under control, I took him to the vets as a pup and he said it was a blocked tear duct, my boy had AntiB's and the staining cleared up for a week or two then come straight back, other people I have spoken to about it say some get staining and some dont, I have heard that Angel Eyes is extremely good at clearing it but last time I looked which admitadly was an age ago it was jolly expensive, I use one I got from a Bichon breeder/judge on Ebay his name is John Reynolds and his ebay name is petsperks, hope thats of some help :-)

I find Angels Eyes is good if it gets to be bad, dogstuffstore,on ebay  120grms for about £32.00 . It comes from the States, but comes very very quickly. Don't use it if 2nd teeth aren't through though. I find Kelp tablets make it much worse so stay clear of those. Feeding a raw diet is the best thing though, as soon as mine have a processed diet they start to stain.

Liz

thanks everyone! managed to get hold of some angel eyes before they withdrew it from the UK market, I use it occasionally, but was wondering if anyone knew more of how to stop it earlier, prevention being better than cure and all that!!

Why was it withdrawn from the UK market please?

I think they explain it quite well here.

Many thanks for posting the link Isabel :-)

I have a 5 Month old bichon who has bad tear stains. i have recently bought a product online called lavish spa pet. It is a facial wash for dogs. Its gentle on their eyes.  I noticed a difference from the first wash. I would recommend it to anyone. Take a look for yourself the link it below.

http://www.spalavishyourpet.com/product.php?id=6

Blatant advertising...please remove.

I heard that angel eyes has caused liver faluire in small dogs with prolonged use so be careful if you are using it. My shih tzu gets tear stains sometimes but its mostly her white chin that tends to turn orange. Things i have been recommended are, bottled water as some people say trace metals in tap water can cause the staining also, keeping the area as dry as possible, as the bacteria that cause the staining need moisture to live, washing the face regularly with a gentle hand soap and drying thouroughly. I wash my shih's face at least once a week and everyday after she eats i wipe her face with a  damp face cloth then blow dry till she is dry (but not directly at her eyes) and it really does help she also only drinks bottled water but not sure if it really makes any difference. Also make sure there are no hairs poking in her eyes and causing them to water, a tip i have had was to put a little vasiline on any stray hairs and slick them out of the way of the eyes.

thanks everyone, with crufts round the corner, i need all the help i can get lol