Tear stains are quite common in Labradoodles. And they are not only not too pretty, but if untreated, they can start to irritate your Labradoodle as well, which it’s important to keep it under control. So while it is quite common for Labradoodles to have tear stains, it isn’t something that you just have to accept.
How to treat tear stains in Labradoodles? There are a couple of treatment options available to treat your Labradoodles’ tear stains. It’s also important that you determine what is causing the tear stains in your Labradoodle and ultimately treat the underlying cause.
Let’s take a closer look at Labradoodle tear stains, and how you can treat them.
What are Tear Stains
Tear Stains in dogs are due to an overproduction of tears. This condition is known as epiphora.
The cause of tear stains is due to trace minerals found in the water and food your Labradoodle drinks and eats. Iron and copper are the minerals that give the dark chestnut color. In humans, these minerals will exit the body through the urine, but in a dog, it could come out through their eyes instead.
While Labradoodles might produce a bit more tears than whats necessary, it could also be due to some underlying health condition.
Let’s take a look at some of the common health conditions that could cause tear stains or epiphora in Labradoodles.
- Allergens
- Ear infection
- Entropion (Inverted eyelids)
- Eye infections
- Glaucoma
- High stress
- Ingrown eyelashes
- Poor diet
- Reactions to medications
- Second-hand smoking
- Small tear duct openings
As you can see, this is quite a diverse list of causes. Perhaps you might be able to pinpoint one or two of the causes of excess tear production in your Labradoodle by just reading the list. But thankfully, most of these listed conditions are easily treatable either by doing some simple changes around your home or by a vet.
If you are worried that the excess tear production might be caused by your Labradoodle having small tear duct openings, there is a possibility of surgery to correct that condition. Your vet is also able to surgically remove ingrown eyelashes, treat infections, fix inverted eyelids, or help you change your Labradoodles’ diet.
Spotting Tear Stains
When you know just exactly what tear stains look like, you won’t have any problems spotting them.
Tear stains show themselves on the face of your dog, normally in the fold that runs from the inner corner of their eye and down to the other corner of their face. They are typically an auburn color and are often a bit wet.
Some other signs of tear stains:
- A smell around your dogs’ face. This is usually a sign that there’s also a yeast infection in the tear stains.
- Inflammation all around and particularly under the eyes.
- A pink to dark red color around the eyes, and in the skin fold underneath the eyes.
How to Treat Tear Stains in Labradoodles
While you are looking into treating the underlying causes of tear stains, you’re probably also interested in how to get those auburn lines cleared up. Below are a few of my recommendations to clean Labradoodle tear stains that a lot of owners have found of value.
You might have to try a few of the different options to see what works best for your Labradoodle. I would suggest that you start by trimming the hair around the area of the tear stains and then find a treatment plan afterward.
- Start by gently trimming back the hair around the tear stains on your Labradoodles’ face.
- Smoothly clean the tear stains using regular dog wipes.
- Apply a homemade tear stain remover (find the recipe down below) or a corticosteroid ointment.
- Clean the area and apply the tear stain cleaner every day until they are clear.
I would also suggest that you start by reading the ingredients listed on your Labradoodles food. If the food includes beets, you might want to consider changing your Doodles’ diet to a brand that doesn’t contain beets. Beets are loaded with copper, and copper is the mineral responsible for the tears being red.
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Now, if you’ve continually been wiping and washing your dogs’ face and it doesn’t seem to go anywhere, there is a home remedy you could give a shot.
Homemade Tear Removal Paste Recipe
A popular and alternative treatment for Labradoodle tear stains is a homemade stain removal paste.
Ingredients: Milk of Magnesia (MOM), peroxide and corn starch:
Instructions: Mix equal parts MOM and peroxide, then add corn starch until it turns into a thick paste. Work this paste into the tear-stained area and allow it to dry for three to four hours. Rinse it off completely, let it dry well, and add a small layer of Desitin diaper rash cream to the area.
Frequency: For dogs with heavy staining, continue this treatment every day for three days, then skipping a day. And for dogs with lighter stains, apply every other day. Continue the treatment until all the tear stains are removed.
Supplements and Medication
Some people have successfully tried putting plain Rolaids in their dogs’ food every day. This has helped to clear the tear stains on many dogs, but this shouldn’t be considered as a care routine for the rest of your dogs’ life. Your Labradoodle will only need this if and when the tear stains are showing.
One last thing you could also do it to try is giving your Labradoodle Benedryl. Give your Labradoodle Benedryl once every three to four days until the tear stains are gone.
If you don’t see improvements within a week, you shouldn’t continue using any of the above treatments any longer.
Dermalone Ointment
Dermalone Ointment is a corticosteroid that also works as an antimicrobial and antifungal. It’s a great topical gel for dogs, especially those with tear stains since they are also quite prone to yeast and bacteria growth. Dermalone Ointment is used to treat skin disorders induced by allergies and is also used to treat cysts some dogs’ get between their paws.
You should apply the gel once a day until the tear stains are gone. We can highly recommend Zymox Antimicrobial Cream that you can find on Amazon.
Preventing Labradoodle Tear Stains
If you have already had a visit with your vet and any health-related causes have been ruled out, here are a handful of other changes you can make.
- Change your dogs’ food to be free of allergens, and without copper (from beets).
- Ensure that your Labradoodle isn’t exposed to second-hand smoke or other air pollutants like that.
- Regularly change your air filters.
- Stay inside more frequently when pollen levels are getting higher.
- You could also give your dog filtered and distilled water. There can be certain minerals in the water that goes directly into your house, and these trace minerals are also a likely cause of their fur turning red.
When to Visit the Vet for Tear Stains
If simple lifestyle changes aren’t enough to help to keep your dogs’ eyes clear the first thing you should do is visit the vet, as there could be something else that’s bothering your Labradoodle.
If you notice that the tear stains have become infected, or the area has open sores, it’s very important that you make an appointment with your vet immediately, as such a situation is extremely painful for your Labradoodle and will most likely require a prescription cream to cure.
Conclusion
Clearing and treating tear stains in Labradoodles is a two-step process.
The first thing you must do is find what’s causing the excess tearing in your dog, as it can be any number of different things. And while you are doing what you can to figure out the cause, you should also start cleaning the tear stains straight away. If tear stains aren’t treated properly, it could end up causing bacteria growth, yeast infections, and open sores.
There are many different home remedies, so you could give one a try before spending too much on other products. Your Labradoodle should be tear stain-free in no time.
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