Note: Tear stains on your dog’s face may be solely a cosmetic issue – or a sign of a serious problem. Have your veterinarian take a look to determine your next steps.
Step 1-Have Your Chihuahua Checked By a Veterinarian
Does your Chihuahua have tear stains? My Winston does and I know how frustrating it can be to see rusty brown tear stains on your Chi’s beautiful face. But before you go to the pet store or to one online to get one of the many products they have for tear stains, have your Chi examined by your veterinarian. Most of the time it is just watery eyes, but sometimes excessively watery eyes can be a sign of something that could result in pain and loss of vision if left untreated.
Even if you don’t suspect anything serious, it’s a good idea to find out what may be causing them and then you can devise a treatment plan. The more you know the easier it will be to remove or treat the cause. Possible issues are many, but common ones are:
- Allergies
- Inflammatory conditions
- Foreign bodies
- Glaucoma
- Eye lashes growing in the wrong place
- Tear duct obstruction
Grooming
If you have a long-haired Chihuahua be sure to keep the hair around the eyes trimmed back. Long hairs rubbing on the eyes can be very irritating. Have you ever gotten hair in your eye? ugg! If your Chi has long hair around the eyes they will wick tears down onto the face.
Be sure to clean around your Chihuahua’s eyes at least once a day with a clean moist cloth or cotton ball. It is safe to use eyewash products that have boric acid.
You can try to rub a tiny amount of petroleum jelly near the inside corner of his eye after cleansing. This may help to keep the tears from penetrating the hair between cleanings. This will help to minimize the staining.
Home Remedies For Tear Stains
I’ve mentioned before that I am a member of many Facebook Chihuahua groups where people ask questions about their Chihuahua and other members answer them. I’ve read many things that people do to try to reduce tear staining.
Some say they have had success with adding buttermilk flour, parsley flakes, or apple cider vinegar to the dog’s food. I have tried the apple cider vinegar and parsley flakes with no success. I don’t think buttermilk flour is anything that I want to try.
Others have mentioned using Baush + Lomb Renu contact lens solution to clean around the eyes has shown improvement in their Chihuahua’s tear stains. I have also tried this, again, I saw no improvement.
One suggestion that I think has a greater success is to change his diet. If your Chihuahua has an allergy to some ingredient in his diet, changing that diet may help. One with natural ingredients is more likely to eliminate any food allergies.
To sum up, as long as it is not harmful to your Chihuahua you may give it a try. Whatever it is that you try, however, you will need to give it at least three months before you may see any improvement. Just, do me a favor and don’t go by what people on any Facebook or any social media platform said. They are Chihuahua owners just like you and some people make some suggestions that can be harmful. Your best resource for accurate information is your veterinarian (or ChiChis And Me) 🙂
A Tear Stain Remover Product That Works
I will be honest with you and let you know that as of this writing, I have only used this product for a week. But I believe it is the very best product on the market for tear stains. It is PurEyes Tear Stain Remover from InnovetPet. Here’s why:
All Natural
It removes tear stains effectively, safely, and gently. It is the only tear stain remover that I know of that does not contain any chemicals. It will never irritate your Chihuahua’s eyes and is proven to prevent eye leakage and discharge and is so easy to use.
The ingredients are all-natural and include:
- Purified water
- Aloe vera
- Sodium bicarbonate
- Corn starch
- Chamomile oil
- Xanthum gum
- Witch hazel
- Blend of botanical oils
Testimonials
Since I just began to use PurEyes I can’t honestly give an opinion as to whether it works yet, but all the reviews are very positive. A few examples of some reviews:
It works!! I’ve been using this product on my little Yorkies and it is fantastic:)!!! It has a great clean smell and does not irritate their skin or eye area, very gently cleans tear stains away!! ~Melinda S
Did some online pet shopping for the Squeeks and am glad I gave Innovet a shot. Great pet CBD and other pet products for my pup! This dog eye cleaner does work. ~Sandra
Best tear stain remover used for my bulldogs. Tear and saliva stains have faded quite well. ~ Annmarie
That is only a few of over 100 4 and 5-star reviews. You can read them all HERE if you want.
Or Buy it today: