Tear Staining
With white-coated breeds such as Bichon Frise, many at some point in their life will develop those very distracting, ugly, red-brownish tear stains underneath their eyes, around their muzzles, and in between their toes.
The cause can be related to health issues, shape of the eye, blocked tear-ducts, puppy teething, ear infection, allergies (either food or environmental), and so on. Therefore if your normally white-faced puffball develops aggressive staining seemingly out of the blue, first consult your veterinarian, and/or a veterinary ophthalmologist, to rule out any underlying health concern.
After confirming your dog is indeed healthy, the following tips and suggestions from my own experience and feedback from other breeders will hopefully restore and maintain that beautiful, white furry face.
Examine the quality of your food
It is generally agreed among Bichon Frise breeders that although there are numerous and passionate opinions about brands (and further passion about kibble versus raw), a high-quality diet works best for our breed. The corn, wheat, and meats that are used as fillers in inferior-quality foods just don’t ensure long-term good health and can cause allergic reactions, resulting in excess tearing and other problems. Chicken products can often be the source of this problem.
Examine the quality of your water
We have noticed that they will develop staining pretty quickly in response to excess minerals. Use purified, spring, distilled, or reverse-osmosis water sources. Clean in, means clean out when it comes to water. This is normally not the cause, but can pose a problem, especially due to high iron content ! It is very important to clean water bowls once a day, provide fresh water daily.
Keep those moist or “rusty” areas dry!
Try using licker bottles (such as for rabbits or hamsters) instead of water bowls, especially for sloppy drinkers. Use paper towels to absorb the excess water around your dog’s mouth after he/she drinks from a bowl. Cornstarch can also be dusted underneath the eye, around the muzzle, and in between toes to help keep these areas dry.
Daily eye- and mouth-hair hygiene.
A quick daily “face grooming” will go a long way in keeping those stains at bay. Some tips:
• Flush eyes with an appropriate canine eye-wash, such as saline eye-wash solutions or Terra Septic eye drops.
• Moisten a cotton ball with the same eye wash or a contact lens solution, and rub underneath and around the eye area.
• Wash the muzzle hair with dry shampoo or waterless shampoo and a wet washcloth. You may also try 3% hydrogen peroxide on a paper towel. Comb and blow-dry afterwards.
• One of the biggest helpers, keep the hair around the eyes trimmed to avoid it irritating the eye and causing tearing. Use a pair of blunt/rounded end scissors to keep the hair trimmed away from the eyes. Especially the inside corners. If you don't feel comfortable doing this, make sure your groomer does it.
These conditions can last from puppyhood to 7 months due to teething, but generally you'll see improvments as they mature by 3-4 months. The short of the story is that unfortunately there isn’t just one foolproof preventative, and each dog responds a little differently, so it often takes a little experimenting and patience—but it is worth the effort to have that precious little white face smiling at you !
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