Tear Stains

[lonewolf07]

I have two questions:

How can I get tear stains off my shih tzu and lhasa apso's faces, preferably using something "natural"?  Even after giving them a bath, the tear stains remain.  Does anyone have any suggestions - I'd sure appreciate it.

Also, our Akita's hair is somewhat dry, despite her taking Ubavet and a supplement to keep her coat in good condition.  Any suggestions on how to prevent her from having dry hair?

[1nana]

Have you tried tums or apple cider vinegar?

You might want to ask your vet about it.

I give my dog 1/2 a tums tablet daily. It causes the tears to alkaline and it really makes a big difference.

[1nana]

Sorry, I forgot to add that I don't know what to tell you about your Akita.

[lonewolf07]

Thank you for your comments.  I'll try them.  I never heard of using tums for that but it sounds like a reasonable idea.

The vet said the eye stains are common in shih tzus and lhasa apsos and not a cause for concern.  One of them is almost finished his training as a therapy dog - visiting nursing homes and people who can't get out - would prefer his face looked clean for that  = )

The Akita - I think it's because she is supposed to blow her coat twice/yr but the weather has been so unpredictable that she's blown it about four times now.

I think our dogs might be just a little bit spoiled.

[heartfluttersflyawayplz]

does the tums stop the tears? if so it good for tummy to. i have a shihs shes 12 pds so half be good for her . i see all kinds of things you can get to clean face . and i was told to use distilled water only it helps a lot i see a differece in mines tears not as much as before .

[lonewolf07]

I heard that if dogs drink bottled water they have different tears.  Haven't tried the tums yet but I will.  Our shih tzu eats anything so I hope I don't have to chase him around to get him to eat it.  Same with the lhasa apso.  The big dogs are a lot easier.

Thank you for the suggestions.

[Misfits4Me]

My Dogs have always drank bottled water and they all have tear stains.... So, don't go with that one....Plus, they're all white dogs.  :(    I have heard about the Tums before, but have never tried it....Good luck...Karla

[April2]

I tried the purified water too. It didn't make any difference. I haven't tried the Tums either. Maybe I'll give that a try.