First time bulldog owner battling tear stains.

[WhitneyBlanche]

Hi all,
I adopted an 11 month old english bulldog named Ollie a few weeks ago.
When I first met her her tear stains seemed to be under control. They have gotten progressively worse over the past few weeks.
Here is what I am doing currently and any tips would be greatly appreciated!
She is currently on Canidae Grain Free Pure formula. We are halfway through the bag and plan to switch to Fromm's as soon as we are finished with this bag. I don't think it's the Canidae as her stains were good when we adopted her, but from everything I've read on EBN it sounds like Fromm's is the way to go so we're going to give it a try! My vet suggested Purina Pro as a good dog food that is cost effective but I haven't heard any mention of it on this site whereas Fromm's seems to be mentioned all the time.
When we first got her I bought a package of Milkbone dog treats- just your average run of the mill treat. I gave her one a day at lunch time. Could this be a factor in her tear stains? I have purchased Fromm's dog treats instead and have completely stopped with the other treats so I'm hoping that will help.
I use MalAcetic wipes I got from my vet once a day and hydrogen peroxide followed by corn starch powder once a day. I also dry her stains regularly as her eyes seems to leak off and on all day. In the evening they're usually looking pretty good, the redness is reduced and they're dry... but by the time I get her out of bed in the morning they're red and wet again! They don't look raw or enflamed, just stained and wet.
She is getting tap water now but I'm going to pick up a Brita filter and start giving her filtered water. I'm also thinking of starting her on ACV once a day as well as plain greek yogurt.

What about Angels' Eyes? Is it safe? Does it work? Is it recommended?

Am I doing this right? Is there anything else anyone can recommend? Or any tips? I want her to be happy and comfortable and beautiful but these tear stains are a tough battle it seems!

 

[Snerdley]

I found this in an article quite some time ago.... it worked for us.

TUMS
If you need to change the pH of your dogs system to aid in preventing yeast or infection then Tums is primarily a source of Calcium, known as an antacid formulated as 500 mg Calcium Carbonate. Giving your Bulldog 1/2 of the Fruit flavored variety twice a day will help change the pH of the tears. This will change the tears' environment and can help make it hostile for the continued growth of yeast and bacteria.

White Vinegar
A teaspoon of white cider vinegar can be added to your dogs drinking water to control new tear stains. It may take a while for your dog to "decide" to drink this water so start with a little less and gradually increase the amount of vinegar. Vinegar works much like TUMS in that it can changes the pH of the drinking water. Changing the pH of your dog slightly will do wonders in the tear stain war and help eliminate bacteria and deep stain color and prevent yeast build up and is best used as a prevention once you have the tear stains removed or nearly removed. This will help for the future of the tear stains and make them a minimum occurrence.


Milk of Magnesia, corn starch and peroxide

Use equal volume of MOM (plain white) and peroxide, and then use the corn starch to make a good paste of this; put on and work well into the stained area and let dry 4 hours. Wash out, CONDITION WELL. Keep doing this for several days until tear staining is gone, although I would recommend skipping a day or two between applications if possible. Apply a thin coat of desitan diaper rash ointment after the area is washed out and dry. Try this every other day if possible and the choice way of doing it. If your dog has heavy stains then do this for 3 days in a row, then skip every other day.

 

[TyTysmom]

Hi all,
I adopted an 11 month old english bulldog named Ollie a few weeks ago.
When I first met her her tear stains seemed to be under control. They have gotten progressively worse over the past few weeks.
Here is what I am doing currently and any tips would be greatly appreciated!
She is currently on Canidae Grain Free Pure formula. We are halfway through the bag and plan to switch to Fromm's as soon as we are finished with this bag. I don't think it's the Canidae as her stains were good when we adopted her, but from everything I've read on EBN it sounds like Fromm's is the way to go so we're going to give it a try! My vet suggested Purina Pro as a good dog food that is cost effective but I haven't heard any mention of it on this site whereas Fromm's seems to be mentioned all the time.
When we first got her I bought a package of Milkbone dog treats- just your average run of the mill treat. I gave her one a day at lunch time. Could this be a factor in her tear stains? I have purchased Fromm's dog treats instead and have completely stopped with the other treats so I'm hoping that will help.
I use MalAcetic wipes I got from my vet once a day and hydrogen peroxide followed by corn starch powder once a day. I also dry her stains regularly as her eyes seems to leak off and on all day. In the evening they're usually looking pretty good, the redness is reduced and they're dry... but by the time I get her out of bed in the morning they're red and wet again! They don't look raw or enflamed, just stained and wet.
She is getting tap water now but I'm going to pick up a Brita filter and start giving her filtered water. I'm also thinking of starting her on ACV once a day as well as plain greek yogurt.

What about Angels' Eyes? Is it safe? Does it work? Is it recommended?

Am I doing this right? Is there anything else anyone can recommend? Or any tips? I want her to be happy and comfortable and beautiful but these tear stains are a tough battle it seems!

Hi Whitney - Based on your description - it could be either the food or environmental. It's a constant battle in our home as well. If its environmental, I would try some Benedryl to see if you notice improvement. We also use "local" honey... we give Tyson one tablespoon a day, but it has to be local for it to combat the local allergens. I would stay away from the Milkbone treats, and select something of better quality. Like the Fromms, or something grain gree. Fruitables are great!

If its food related, check the ingredients in each flavor. Alot of times, even if the name is "beef" - when you read the ingredients, it contains other proteins like chicken, etc. The best way to trial the food - is pick one with just one single protein... also keep the same in mind for treats. To see if that helps, or if you notice any change. We also give Tyson filtered water... it helped tremendously - the ACV is great, along with the yogurt. BUT - introduce things one at time. Do not give all at once.... just to make sure he does okay. Start low on the yogurt as well to make sure his belly accepts it well. I'd stay away from the Angel Eyes personally & try other options first. If its environmental, all you can do is manage it at best, bc you will never fully get rid of it unless that specific allergin(s) change.

 

[dolphin]

Hi all,
I adopted an 11 month old english bulldog named Ollie a few weeks ago.
When I first met her her tear stains seemed to be under control. They have gotten progressively worse over the past few weeks.
Here is what I am doing currently and any tips would be greatly appreciated!
She is currently on Canidae Grain Free Pure formula. We are halfway through the bag and plan to switch to Fromm's as soon as we are finished with this bag. I don't think it's the Canidae as her stains were good when we adopted her, but from everything I've read on EBN it sounds like Fromm's is the way to go so we're going to give it a try! My vet suggested Purina Pro as a good dog food that is cost effective but I haven't heard any mention of it on this site whereas Fromm's seems to be mentioned all the time.
When we first got her I bought a package of Milkbone dog treats- just your average run of the mill treat. I gave her one a day at lunch time. Could this be a factor in her tear stains? I have purchased Fromm's dog treats instead and have completely stopped with the other treats so I'm hoping that will help.
I use MalAcetic wipes I got from my vet once a day and hydrogen peroxide followed by corn starch powder once a day. I also dry her stains regularly as her eyes seems to leak off and on all day. In the evening they're usually looking pretty good, the redness is reduced and they're dry... but by the time I get her out of bed in the morning they're red and wet again! They don't look raw or enflamed, just stained and wet.
She is getting tap water now but I'm going to pick up a Brita filter and start giving her filtered water. I'm also thinking of starting her on ACV once a day as well as plain greek yogurt.

What about Angels' Eyes? Is it safe? Does it work? Is it recommended?

Am I doing this right? Is there anything else anyone can recommend? Or any tips? I want her to be happy and comfortable and beautiful but these tear stains are a tough battle it seems!

Angel Eyes is a scam. It all comes down to food, finding the right protein is key. I've tried 5 different Fromms and think I have found the right one but am awaiting spring time because that's when the allergies really hit their high gear.. It takes at least 3 to 4 weeks to see if there is improvement on the different foods. To help out we use Duoxo pads and follow it up with Witch Hazel every single day.

 

[ddnene]

I've been dealing w/this as well… Walter has eyelash issues we are working on, but right now I use the duoxo pads followed by diaper rash creme.

 

[Davidh]

Some times it is the water, try filtered water, that helps most of the time. Sounds too simple, but sometimes the simplest things work.

 

[AceTheBathound]

I use hydrogen peroxide, clean the tear stains, wipe dry, and follow it with Desitin (diaper rash cream). It really does help. Although, you need to get to the source of the tearing problem. Mine was food. I switched him about 6 times in a 10 month span. I currently have him on Fromm's Lamb and Lentil. It is a limited ingredient food and has made wonders on Ace's tear stains and shedding! OMG, he would shed like crazy, to the point you couldn't hug him in your work clothes cause you would be picking at your clothes for a good 30 min. I tried other fromm's foods with no luck. It's all trial and error.

Oh, make sure he is getting filtered water . The cleaning of the tear area/wrinkles should be done daily. I used to wipe them twice per day. I currently only do it at night.