Dog Tear Stains: Causes, Cleaning and When to See a Vet

What it usually means

Tears normally drain through small ducts at the inner corners of the eyelids into the nose. When too many tears are made, or they cannot drain away, they spill onto the fur. Vets call this overflow epiphora. Porphyrins in the tears, iron-containing byproducts the body excretes, stain the damp fur a rusty red-brown over time.

The most common reason is the shape of the face. Small, flat-faced, and large-eyed breeds, such as Maltese, Bichon Frises, Poodles, Shih Tzus, Pugs, and Pekingese, often have shallow eye sockets, hair near the eyes, or small or kinked tear ducts that make drainage poor. In these dogs some staining is very common and not a sign of disease.

Medical causes of tear stains

Some causes make the eye produce extra tears. These include irritation from hair or eyelashes rubbing the eye, eyelids that roll inward, allergies, conjunctivitis, a scratch or ulcer on the eye, and, less often, glaucoma. In puppies, staining can increase while the adult teeth are coming in.

Other causes block drainage, such as a tear duct that is narrow from birth, scarred after an infection, or plugged with debris. A constantly wet face can lead to a smelly skin infection in the fur under the eye, which is where some of the odor and darker staining comes from.

When to call your vet today

Book a vet visit if staining is new or suddenly worse, affects only one eye, or comes with squinting, redness, rubbing, swelling, or thick, yellow, or green discharge. These point to an eye problem rather than simple poor drainage.

Also book a visit if the skin under the stain looks red, raw, or swollen, or smells bad, which can mean a skin infection. Your vet can also tell you whether a blocked tear duct could be flushed, which helps some dogs a great deal.

When it's an emergency

Tear staining on its own is not an emergency. Seek care straight away if your dog is holding an eye shut, if the eye looks cloudy, bluish, or enlarged, if a pupil looks different from the other, or after any injury to the eye. These can threaten sight quickly.

Also go promptly if there is sudden heavy tearing from one eye after a walk, which can mean a grass seed or other object under the eyelid, or if your dog is pawing at the eye and seems in pain.

How to clean tear stains safely

Wipe under the eyes once or twice a day with a soft cloth or cotton pad dampened with lukewarm water or sterile saline, or a wipe made for pets, then dry the area. Keeping the fur dry is the most effective thing you can do, because wet fur is what stains and smells. Ask a groomer to keep hair trimmed short around the eyes.

Do not use bleach, hydrogen peroxide, or makeup remover near the eyes, and do not put any drops or cleansers into the eye without your vet's advice. Check with your vet before using tear-stain powders or supplements: some products have contained an antibiotic that was not disclosed on the label.

Keeping the hair around the eyes combed with a fine dog comb and trimmed with a dog grooming kit reduces how much moisture sits on the fur.

What the vet will likely check

Your vet will look for causes of extra tears first, including eyelash and eyelid problems, allergies, and damage to the surface of the eye, often using a harmless stain that shows scratches. They may also check eye pressure and whether the tear ducts drain by watching a dye flow through to the nose.

Treatment depends on the cause. It may include eye medicine, treatment for allergies, removal of problem eyelashes, eyelid surgery, or flushing a blocked tear duct under anesthesia. Existing staining often fades only slowly as the stained fur grows out, so expect weeks rather than days.

This page is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your pet.