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 daily 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) 🙂
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