Over the course of almost a year of having this site, we have talked about the awful tear stains and how to get rid of them. I think it is time to put all the gathered information in one place, so you can help make your bully look beautiful and tear stain free! These are all suggestions that have been brought up on our forums, some of them I have tried, some of them I have not.
Remember, you should always discuss treatment with your veterinarian for anything with your bulldog. The internet is a wonderful resource for finding out what would be good for your dog, but you should always seek advice also from a licensed professional. The following are suggestions brought by members of our forum and all have not been tested by myself to work.
First and foremost, the diet your English Bulldog is on is probably the #1 cause of the tear stains to begin with. Allergies make your dog's eyes water, thus producing tear stains. Many foods also have dyes in them or contain things that have dyes, such as beet pulp. To reduce allergies in your bulldog, get them on a high quality food that boost the immune system. Better immune system= less allergies.
Click Here to view our top 5 recommended dog foods.
But if your dog already has horrible stains, changing the diet will only help prevent future staining. So how do you get rid of the ones that are already there?
Here is what I personally do to make my bulldogs' faces tear stain free:
- Keep that face clean!!! Wipe and dry your bulldogs face once a day. Keeping those areas clean and dry is crucial to ridding the stains.
- Get a small glass container with a lid, and put about 5 Tablespoons of cornstarch in it. Pour in about 1-2 Tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide. Stir it well. It will look like a liquid, but when you try to scoop some out you will find it is a gooey paste. Carefully apply this to the stained area. Do not get it near the eyes!!! Stay about 1/2-1 inch away from the eyes. Do this for about 1 week or longer depending on the severity of the stains, and they should be gone. Once your bulldog is stain free, you should only need to do this about once a week, or even only once a month. This is the way I have gotten rid of tear stains myself over the past 16 years.
- Runny eye dogs. For those who have bulldogs with excess eye watering, after you apply the peroxide/cornstarch formula above, let it sit for about 30 minutes. Once the area is dried out, put a layer of Desitin on the area. Make sure the area is good and dry before applying the Desitin. Do this once a week or only as needed, depending on the watering of your bullies' eyes. IMPORTANT to do this carefully. You do not want to get Desitin in your bulldogs eyes or up their nose!
- If the area is raw or sore, there could be a bacterial or fungal infection in the wrinkle. Ask your vet to prescribe you some Panalog ointment. Put this on once a day everyday until you see an improvement. One week is the most it should take. This ointment is also a dream come true for vaginal yeast, tail pockets and nose rope wrinkles!
- Stridex pads or Mal-A-Ket type wipes. Use these for the daily cleaning of the area. If the effected area is raw or sore these will probably be very irritating to your dog. It will burn. If the area is raw or inflamed you really should take your dog to the vet to treat this area with antibiotics.
After you get the tear stains under control, you should only need to do a daily face wipe. Use the other suggestions only when needed.
Other suggestions that you can try:
- 1/2 a tums 2 times a day. I have not tried this myself
- Angel eyes. Some have had success, others have not.
- Give your dog only filtered water.
- Use Milk of Magnesia on the stained area.
- Apply constarch or powder to the stained area to keep it dry. DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT apply these so that the powder will 'poof' into their eyes and nose!!
- Use medicated powder such as gold bond or athletes foot powder. DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT apply these so that the powder will 'poof' into their eyes and nose!!
Your comments and other suggestions (if I missed any) are welcome. Please comment below. Also let us know if any of the above worked for you, and which ones!
Many of these treatments will also work with a yucky nose rope, including vaginal yeast creme that can be purchased for humans.
