First, moisten the cotton ball with saline, and then hold it on your dog's eyelids for a few moments to soften the crusts. Once they're soft, use the cotton ball to gently wipe the crust away.
Tear stains are problematic for many reasons: They can signal an underlying health condition, they can lead to infection if they aren't cleaned, and they can be unsightly for pet parents.
To remove eye crust, soak a clean washcloth in warm water (hot water can injure the delicate skin on the eyelids and around the eyes). Lay the washcloth on your eyelids and eyelashes and very gently rub your eyes to clean them.
If you get more than you're used to, it could be a sign of an infection. I recommend not picking your eye boogers, but using a wet, warm washcloth to get rid of them. Simply hold the warm washcloth to your eye to soften the mucus and gently wipe it away.
Crusty eyes occur when discharge from the eye dries on the lids, lashes, or corners of the eye, creating a crusty effect or sticky effect. Discharge happens during sleep but can also indicate dry eye, an allergic reaction, or an infection.
Dog eye discharge happens and often for a common reason: your dog's tears are flushing out dust after a long night of sleep. This eye gunk can differ in texture, fluidity, and color. For example, you may notice your dog's eye boogers ranges from a little crusty to mucus-y and appear green, yellow, or clear.
If your dog has a sticky eye that constantly produces a thick mucus-like substance, it might be suffering from a condition called canine dry eye. A dry eye occurs when the dog's tear glands are unable to produce enough tears for keeping the eye cleansed and hydrated.
Common Causes and Treatments of Eye Discharge in Dogs
A watery discharge or mucus from one eye is often a sign of a foreign body, like an eyelash, while yellow-green or pus-like eye discharge could indicate a serious infection.
Unfortunately, baby wipes can contain chemicals and fragrances that may be too harsh for your pup's sensitive skin. Additionally, baby wipes are designed to be used on human skin, not canine fur and skin. The pH levels in the wipes are simply not formulated for dogs.
Depending on your dog's breed and fur, groomers may clip the stained fur from around their eyes before grooming. They'll also use eye solution and gentle cleanser on the fur to remove the stain. If the stains have set in, it can be difficult for your groomer to completely remove them in one session.
Baking Soda & Water Mixture
Make a baking soda paste with warm water to clean dog tear stains. Brush the paste into the stain. Once dry, wipe it off with a damp cloth. Repeat the process for a few days until all remaining stains are gone.
Mixing equal parts water and equal parts apple cider vinegar is a soothing way to clean around your dog's eye area. It has plenty of other benefits, like calming itchiness and preventing bacterial infections. You can also drop a bit in their water bowl for drinking and to balance out pH levels. Milk of magnesia.
The natural anti-biotic, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory agents in coconut oil not only help eliminate tear stains, coconut oil is completely safe to use around or in your pet's eyes.
It's important to keep your dog's eye area clean.
Kimmitt advises. You can also use a veterinary eye cleaning product to combat dog eye discharge — just make sure it doesn't contain any alcohol.
Gunk in your dog's eyes can signal a serious medical condition and warrant treatment from your veterinarian. Once you've figured out what's causing the eye drainage, you can clean gunk from your dog's eyes using a damp cloth or an eye wash formulated especially for dogs.
Healthy rheum is clear or light yellow. It may be hard, sludgy, or thin after sleeping, but should not be noticeable during the day. If the mucus is very thick, green, dark yellow or occurs with pain or redness in the eyes, it could be a sign of an eye infection.
Blepharitis is a common eye condition that makes your eyelids red, swollen, irritated, and itchy. It can cause crusty dandruff-like flakes on your eyelashes. Blepharitis can be uncomfortable. But it isn't contagious, and it usually doesn't cause any lasting damage to your eyes.
Some people may have so little material they may not even notice it's there. But during allergy season, or when your eyes are dry, you may get a little more. It should be white or light cream color—which is normal."
The most common symptom of conjunctivitis is a red eye. Other symptoms include: Discharge or crusting on eyelids. Watery eyes or excessive tearing.
Viral conjunctivitis is highly contagious. Most viruses that cause conjunctivitis spread through hand-to-eye contact by hands or objects that are contaminated with the infectious virus. Having contact with infectious tears, eye discharge, fecal matter, or respiratory discharges can contaminate hands.
Angel Eyes for dogs and cats has been used in Australia for many years now by dog & cat breeders and within the dog show community. It is by far the most effective tear stain treatment available.