Dog Eye Discharge

Morkies-dogs2 It’s that time of year again… in summer, some dogs’ eyes water more than ever, creating an ugly brownish-red discharge that stains the eyes.

Couple of reasons – allergies; being outside more with dust and dirt; bright sun outside. Or there could be more serious causes, that mean you Vet should be involved.

Why it’s super important to clean around your dog’s eyes

The cause of those ugly reddish-brown “gucks” under your dog’s eyes is excessive tears. The wet fur then attracts dust and dirt, and because the hair is wet, it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria, which starts to rot the wet hair, generating a bad smell and reddish-brown colour.

As you can imagine, it’s very uncomfortable for your dog, and not especially safe to have his eyes surrounded by bacteria.

What causes excessive tears?

Watery eyes can be caused by: eye cleaning

hair that’s growing too close to the eyes – carefully cut your Morkie’s face hair around the eyes with blunt-nosed scissors, or leave the hair long and comb in down, out of the way
simple irritation like dust or wind blowing in his face
small rogue eyelashes could be growing into the eye causing great pain and tearing; check with your Vet
allergies – your Morkie’s eyes might be tearing because of allergies to dust, ragweed or any other airborne allergens – or possibly to food
blocked tear ducts – which can be caused by a medical condition. If the ducts are blocked, then tears overflow onto the face. Talk to your Vet.
conjunctivitis or Pink Eye. Yes, dogs can get it too. It can cause clear watery discharge, as well as greenish or yellow discharge. This is a serious condition and should be treated immediately by your Vet
an irritated or scratched cornea, very painful, an also cause excess tearing. See your Vet

As you can see there are a number of possible causes of excessive tears in your Morkie; if you have seen your Vet and ruled out any serious causes, then now it’s time to get the area cleaned up and dried up.

First, remove the gucky stuff that’s under the eyes now

Use a little bit of warm water on a makeup pad remover or even facial
tissues, and very gently rub from the inner eye to the outer eye to remove the mess…. you might have to use more water to soften the brown stuff. (If you do this every day, you’ll find it’s a whole lot easier.)

Now we want to DRY the hair that’s there

There are several things you can do to get the area dried off including:

a touch of cornstarch on the wet hair will help it dry up
Vaseline or petroleum jelly – apply a small amount on the wet area; it will help keep the fur dry because the stain-causing tears will roll off.
a paste made out of equal parts lemon juice and baking soda works well too. Rub this into the stained fur – being very careful to avoid the eye itself – and leave it on for 10 minutes. Wash out and rinse very thoroughly.

What about commercial products like Angel Eyes?

how to give a dog a a bath

Angel Eyes is a popular commercial product for treating under-eye stains in light-haired dogs. It’s a diet supplement which contains the antibiotic tylosin and is available in a flavoured, chewable tablet. The use of Angel Eyes is controversial because although it works well, you’re essentially giving your Morkie a permanent, daily dose of mild antibiotic every day. Plus, tylosin is NOT approved by the FDA for dogs or cats to treat tear stains! (reference here: http://tear-stain-center.com/tylosin/)

Why not try the homemade remedies first.

Natural products available to remove eye stains

In a previous post I listed some of the natural products available to help remove the staining around your Morkie’s eyes – check that blog out.

And keep your Morkie’s eyes clear this summer!