Light fur with tear stains – what is a pet parent to do?

White or light furred animals, while beautiful, do bring their own additional grooming challenges for pet parents, the most common and unsightly of which is reddish/brown tear stains on the face. This problem affects both dogs and cats and is particularly prevalent in bulldogs, Bishon Frise, Cocker Spaniels, King Charles Cavaliers, Poodles, Himalayans, Persions and Scottish Folds – to name but a few! Not only are these stains difficult to get rid of but, if the root cause is not identified and eliminated, they will quickly reappear.

All healthy cats and dogs produce tears on an ongoing basis to help to keep their eyes healthy, clean and well lubricated. The tears of cats and dogs contain pigments called porphyrins which are the main cause of the common reddish brown stain. Problem staining appears to occur primarilly in animals which are producing too many tears and as a result, in the event that your pet has tear stains on its fur, the most important thing to do is to take your pet to the veterinarian to see whether the reason for the excess tear production can be pinpointed. There are many potential causes including:-

Genetics
Cutting Teeth
Blocked Tear Ducts
Eye irritation
Ear Infections
Allergies

Other possible causes of the reddish/brown staining include:-

Fleas and ear mites
Mineralized water
Food

Having ascertained what the root cause of the problem is your veterinarian will make a recommendation to treat the cause of the excessive tearing and may give some suggestions with regard to how to clean the fur around the face. Regular cleaning with fresh water is the first step, but if that is not effective, there are numerous cleansing solutions that are recommended and sold through pet specialty stores, on-line and even some that may be made by the pet owner at home. Given the close proximity to the eyes pet owners are advised to follow the instructions carefully. If the clipping of the hair around the eyes is recommended it would be wise to seek the assistance of a professional groomer.

Dependent upon the root cause of the tear staining there are some ongoing maintenance recommendations that may prevent the re-occurrence of the problem as follows:-