with contribution fromwhite-breed fanciers past and present: Mary Day, Cindy Landry, (the late) Bobbie Linden, Daryl Martin, (the late) Marjorie Mar- tin’s Article, Judy McQuiston, Bea Naysmith, Linda Nickell, Bev Passe and Patricia Simon. Written by the late Dr. Gayl M. Godsell-Stytz | originally printed in August 2004 TEAR STAINING THE WHITE DOG DILEMMA
T hese words ring clearly with this problem...prevention, prevention, prevention and keep the facial hair clean and dry! Tears are good. They lubricate the eyes and keep the membranes of the eyes moistened. The goal is not to get rid of the tears, but to reduce excessive tear- ing and deal with the staining. Tear staining is from bacteria and yeast that infect themoist tears on the hair of the muzzle. The deep dark tear stains are caused predominately from a red yeast called “ Ptyrosporin”. When a dog is brought into a home with a large amount of dark tear staining, the first approach to the problem is to take the dog to the vet- erinarian and try to find the source of the tearing. They will check the dog for any predisposing infection. This is mandatory! If the health of the dog is good and the dog is disease free, then the search for the causes of the tear- ing needs to be sought.
city water versus distilled water. • Type of dispenser for water: Plastic bowls tend to collect more bacteria versus use of wa- ter bottles which are attached to the side of a cage/pen wall or on a platform dispenser. Stainless steel bowls are more bacterio- static than ceramic bowls. Water bottles tend not to wet the face as much when the dog drinks. • Some pedigree lines tend to tear more. It also has been noted that in the same litter, there may be some puppies that tear more than others may. • Some puppies are born with closed tear ducts, which need to be opened or irrigated to “un- clog” the ducts. • Ingrown hairs around the eyes and touching the eyes cause in- creased irritation and may need to be chronically pulled to stop the irritation. HEALTH OF THE DOG INTERNAL FACTORS CAUSING INCREASED DOG TEARING GENETIC ANY INFECTION INTHE DOG • Ear infections: Mites, fleas, otitis externa (outer ear infection), etc • Dental infections/abscesses and poor dental hygiene • Eye infections • Allergies
Also high winds may aggravate tearing. This is noted more at outside dog shows. • Allergens: Areas with more farmlands and higher pollen and molds may increase dog tearing (i.e. Missouri has more pollen than Colorado). • Irritants: Certain dogs may react to grooming sprays/sham- poos, perfumed sprays, house- hold cleaning products, carpet deodorizers, powders, incense, etc. Cigarette and cigar smoking may tend to increase dog tearing.
DIET • Type of food fed: Foods and treats with red dyes and food color. These can physically change the color of the beard as well as cause yellow/red
tearing from the dyes going into the dog’s system then going into the tears. Higher protein dry food and diets may promote increased tearing. • Water: Mineral content of Wa- ter: High iron and other minerals cause a change in the dog’s tear pH. The more alkaline (higher pH) the water, the more attrac- tion to bacteria and possible more staining. Also, iron has an oxidized rusty color that may color the white facial hair if the dog drinks from a bowl. There are more minerals in well water versus city water versus filtered
EXTERNAL FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO INCREASED TEARING ENVIRONMENTAL
• Geography: Areas of higher humidity tend to contribute to increased tearing (i.e. Flor- ida andWashington State have higher humidity than California or Arizona high desert). • Atmospheric: Cities with higher amounts of smog may create more irritation in dogs’ eyes.
48 • T op N otch T oys , O ctober 2018
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