Just been reading about a USA product called 'Angels' Eyes' which claims to treat 'from the inside out'.  This is by means of powder sprinkled on food or mixed with yoghurt etc. given daily but gradually reducing over a period of 9 months in total.  Brilliant results claimed after 5 weeks treatment !  They state tear staining is a condition called Epiphora which results from facial hair wet from staining is a breeding ground for bacteria and yeast. 
Greateful to hear if anyone has any knowledge of this product or any other proven and safe method of getting rid of tear staining on light coloured breeds please ?
Grasshopper

Didn't work for me or anyone else I know ...... and I know a lot of owners of white faced dogs.

The only thing that helps is very carefully trimming the hair away under the eye .
It never goes away compleatly but it inproves the appearance without giving drugs.

was a waste of money for me.

Haven't tried it as I have been told that in effect it is an antibiotic and I dont fancy keeping a dogs on ab's, also not availbale over the counter in this country

I found this product made no difference at all. Also found the only thing that works is trimming the stained bits and using a little bit of talc to keep the area dry. Product was a waste of my money I'm afraid.

Giving your dog bottled water is supposed to help.

I have tried and and would not recommend.  Have to agree with other comments about having dogs on antibiotics, even is it is only a very small amount.  I have tried quite a few if not most products sold and now do it my own way that works for me.

It's important to keep the eye area dry.  My dogs who need it have the stained hair cleaned by spraying a no rinse shampoo on to a face cloth and wiping / rubbing hair till cloth comes aways clean.  I then wipe with damp cotton wool to remove any shampoo that may remain then dry throughly with another clean face cloth.  This is done daily with all dogs, and 2 or 3 times a day for anyone with excess staining.

One dog I had was so bad in one eye we went to the vet and it was found he had no tear duct, they operated and created one and that totally changed his appearance.  Was so nice to see him with a white face again,

ps  My dogs eyes are a lot better since I removed the auto scent / plug in air freshners.

I was talking to a very helpful lady at Dorwest, and she recommended their Mixed Vegetable tablets for tear staining. She did say that she was only repeating what customers had told her, but that they were getting a lot of feedback to this effect. It might be worth giving them a ring for further details.

Daisy only drinks bottled water. And no longer has tear stains or a brown beard. It took about six months maybe longer for them to grow out but she is all white now.

I sometimes use it for a couple of months at a time and it does work. It takes about 4-5 weeks, giving one dose a day, every day to start working, then I cut it down to twice a week and then once a week and then leave it for ages until they start staining again. You can buy it off ebay.com. I mix it with about a tablespoon of wet dog food.

I was recommended to use Banish from Doreen Paige--bought some at Crufts on Sunday and they had no small bottles left at all, so there must be a few out there who believe it works. I've not had a chance to try it yet but will be interested to see how we get on!

> so there must be a few out there who believe it works

Not for me I'm afraid.

I've used and had great success with Banish on my boys belly staining. 
Personally I wouldn't use it near the dogs eyes due to the acetone content.

thanks Abbeypap, I was under the impression that this was a *herbal* product...so how does that include acetone? I am not questioning what you say--more wondering about the DP sales pitch? I wouldn't be using acetone on skin, never mind near eyes!

Forgot about them being herbal products apologies to DP.  Just that it smells like the acetone we used at work.

Found some sites via google that say there are natural plant extracts which are called acetones this may be what is used and give off the same smell.  Sorry if I've put doubt in your mind, why not give them a call and ask the question I have in the past about other products and found them to be very helpful.

thanks Abbeypap, I will give them a ring tomorrow.

Angels Eyes works for most users. The antibiotic- tylosin- kills the bacteria which otherwise would metabolise the oxidising iron content and create the enzyme that is the buiding block of the red yeast.

You can order it online from USA suppliers but please note that it is ILLEGAL. No marketing authority exists for Tylosin as a dog medication, additionally only vets are legally allowed to prescribe antibiotics.

There are however natural food additives that will work by oxidising the iron content before it enters the tears. This means that there is nothing for the bacteria to metabolise. Some of these products also have other health benefits.

I use Angels Delight from Bichon Hotel which is made in the UK. It does what it says on the bottle but I have heard that there is another product now available made by NaturVet which is also pretty good. I haven't used the NaturVet tear stain remover but I have heard good things. My understanding is that it lacks the health benefits of Angels Delight, hence it is cheaper but more affordable for larger dogs, eg bulldogs.

I would not recommend anyone using a tylosin based product continuously for 9 months... the natural products can be used continually and some are also safe for dogs giving milk to puppies.

There are other natural food supplements out there but I have no experience of them so I cant recommend them.