# concerned about tear stains?



## lmsherm (Nov 18, 2011)

Hi everyone!

I did some reading on here about tear stains but it seems like most who have experienced them with their pups have seen improvement with time. 

My puppy had tear stains when I got her at 8 weeks, and now at 12 weeks they are getting worse. I haven't seen any improvement at all. I know she is still young and there is a chance she will outgrow it, but when should I be concerned? The vet said she noticed extra little eyelashes, but is it too soon to have her checked out by an opthalmologist? 

Attached is the latest picture of my little monster


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

> The vet said she noticed extra little eyelashes, but is it too soon to have her checked out by an opthalmologist?


Considering the tearstreaks are getting worse and they obviously are related to eyelashes scratching her eyes, I would get her in to see an op before there is any damage to her eyes.


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## Rainheart (Nov 28, 2010)

It could be she has blocked tear ducts. Beamer was fine when I picked him up. A few weeks later he developed a draining tear duct in his left eye. It stayed that way for weeks which turned into months. We tried unblocking it physically with saline and eye medication. Nothing worked except time. When he was about 4 1/2 months he outgrew it and we haven't had any problems since. We were going to unblock it at his neuter but thankfully he outgrew it much before that.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

Distichias (the misplaced eyelashes) can cause the eye to weep too much, which can lead to tears leaking into the fur instead of just going down the tear ducts to the nose, the way they're supposed to.

Given that the weeping is getting worse, I'd check with an ophthalmologist at this point. Distichias can be lasered off if they cause problems. Our Jax has them, and they never caused a problem until this summer, when one appears to have caused an ulcer on his cornea. We caught it and the ulcer healed just fine, but we will probably get them lasered off soon.


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

I know how I feel with a stray eyelash in my eye - it makes me bonkers! 
Definitely get him checked out at an ophthalmologist....


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## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

It could be distichia or a narrow tear duct. You could find out when the next CERF exam date is at the opthamologist office. My guy had minimal staining and we switched from a fish based formula and all magically disappeared. This also happened to a friend's dog and once the switch was made, all was good. That is something simple and easy to change and see what happens. This took about 1 30 lb bag to see a difference.


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

If your vet has seen extra eyelashes, I would not bother to go to a CERF clinic...

CERF clinics often are not at the ophthalmologists office so they don't have all of their diagnostic equipment with them....they also assume they will be looking at healthy eyes (versus clinical cases) so they only bring 'so many' meds etc...

I would make an appointment to go to the specialists office...then you might get the problem solved in one visit....


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## lmsherm (Nov 18, 2011)

Well, even though the vet definitely noticed the stains and did a look last time, she didn't make any notes about it because she just said Mitzi might grow out of it. So, I have to go back to her so she can refer me to the opthalmologist. I have an appointment with the vet tomorrow. Hopefully this time she can just refer me.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

lmsherm said:


> Well, even though the vet definitely noticed the stains and did a look last time, she didn't make any notes about it because she just said Mitzi might grow out of it. So, I have to go back to her so she can refer me to the opthalmologist. I have an appointment with the vet tomorrow. Hopefully this time she can just refer me.


You don't need a referral to see an opthalmologist.


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## hvgoldens4 (Nov 25, 2009)

There are lots of things that can cause a puppy to have tear stains. They can have a blocked or narrow tear duct, they can have a sensitivity to a food or type of bedding material, they can have entropian, an ectopic cilia and the list goes on.

I know a few people have mentioned distichia but unless they are "not the norm" for a golden, those usually do not cause tearing problems. In goldens, distichia are usually soft extra eye lashes and look almost like lint on the edge of the eye lid, if you look closely. They also tend to shed just like the rest of the coat does. This is why they are a breeders option in golden retrievers and will pass CERF but will not pass in many other breeds.

Often times, male puppies especially will go thru a period of tearing when their heads are growing and they have a lot of "wrinkles". This usually goes a way when they get older.

However, since you puppy is getting worse and not better, I would take him to an opthomologist to have them check the eyes.

A dog can be seen at an optho at any time and can also be CERFed at any age.

Best of luck!!


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