Dog tear stains are secreted from the eyes of pet dogs. The lacrimal gland is an accessory organ of the eye. Under normal circumstances, the lacrimal gland secretes tears to moisten the eyeball and then enters the nasal cavity through the tear duct. It will not flow out from the corner of the eye. For example, when an animal cries, the lacrimal gland secretes too much tear fluid and cannot be discharged from the tear duct. Tears will flow from the corners of the eyes. Over time, tear stains form. So what are the causes of tear stains in dogs?

Old English Sheepdog

​1. Diet

Diet is the most common cause of tear stains in dogs, and it is also the most well-understood cause. Dogs that eat salty food are prone to tear stains. Anyone who has had a dog for more than 3 months will know this. So when encountering this situation, first stop feeding dog food or food that contains heavy salt content, and give your dog more water. Just try to eat as lightly as possible

​2. Disease

Everyone knows that if there is something wrong with the dog’s eyes, tear stains will occur. For example, dacryoadenitis: the lacrimal glands that secrete tears are infected, resulting in abnormal and large amounts of tear secretion. The nasolacrimal ducts have no time to clear so many tears, which causes tears to flow out and ugly tear stains over time. There is also a simpler eye problem, which is trichiasis. Trichiasis keeps irritating the cornea. This situation will make the dog's eyes feel very uncomfortable, causing the dog to frequently scratch its eyes with its forelimbs. Therefore, it is often seen that they appear tearful. It will also cause very serious tear stains.

Apart from these, I’m afraid you don’t know that blocked nasolacrimal ducts in dogs can also cause tear stains in dogs. When the nasolacrimal duct becomes infected and becomes inflamed and swollen, the entire duct becomes completely blocked or incompletely blocked. As a result, tears cannot be discharged from the nasolacrimal duct normally and will naturally overflow, thus forming unsightly tear stains. . In addition, when the ear canal is infected by bacteria, viruses, molds, parasites, or the ears are swollen, painful, or itchy, it will cause the dog to frequently scratch the ears with its hind feet. The face is a very sensitive area as the auditory nerve and facial nerve are interlaced. The pain in the deep part of the ear canal will extend to around the eyes and stimulate the secretion of lacrimal glands. When too many tears cannot be discharged from the nasolacrimal duct, It will overflow from the corner of the eye near the nose. After a long period of accumulation, the brown tear stains on the hair will become very obvious