Tear Staining Symptoms Dogs | Tear Staining Symptoms Canines

Aside from obvious crust and discoloration of the fur surrounding the eyes, observing your dog’s behavior like constant pawing to his face can be a first sign of problems. If your dog’s tear staining is accompanied by redness or ooze a yellowish and/or greenish discharge from the tear ducts, these are indicators of infection.

A tear staining canine with yeast infections of the eyes are indicated by red and swollen skin around the area and can be accompanied by itching and a yellowish discharge that will have an unpleasant odor. When the tear ducts become blocked or clogged, bacteria can build up and create an opportunity for infection.

Too much hair that hangs into the eyes can cause scratches and lead to tear staining infections. Many breeds like Sheep dogs, Maltese, Lhasa Apso and Shih Tzu tend to develop tear stains more than their short haired buddies.

Other causes for a tear staining are when puppies begin to teeth. The pressure exerting by the working of the jaw and the gnashing of the teeth while new ones are forming, puts pressure and strain on the tear ducts. This makes them over produce tears and which can accumulate dust and debris and become infected as well as the unsightly tear staining.

Fleas can also cause tears and the resulting tear staining. Fleas are attracted to the eyes because of the moisture that they need. As the fleas surround your dog’s eyes to extract the tear, they leave dust and fecal matter making it an opportunistic site for bacteria to form. Fleas also carry mites which can cause severe ear infections which will cause more tear staining.