Clean Dog Faces
The Secret To Clean Dog Faces
Cleaning Our Dog's Faces - Naturally
Do you wear white jeans or pants? Honestly, I cannot remember the last time I owned a pair of light colored pants or jeans. It was "pre-dog" for sure! White is just harder to keep clean, whether it is your jeans, your carpet or your dog!
One of the questions we get asked quite frequently is how to keep white/light dog's faces clean, especially their facial folds and tear stains.
The Scoop On Eye Goop and Tear Staining
Dogs with bigger, rounded eyes create more tears than dogs with more standard almond shaped eyes. They just do. My flat-faced, round eyed cream French Bulldogs would have a tendency toward tear staining, while my snow white Great Pyrenees had absolutely none.
The more tears your dog creates, the wetter their face will be and the more prone to tear staining they will then be. Their tears oxidize with air and create rusty looking stains. IMHO, what the dogs is fed also contributes to the tear staining (more on that in a bit). The red dyes and fillers are secreted from the body in many ways...not just the obvious.
White and lighter colored dogs often have visible reddish, rusty looking tear stained areas. This is a multi-pronged issue and cannot be remedied by wiping their face off. Tear-stains that are already visible on lighter colored dogs cannot be gotten rid of completely, unless you use bleach, which you obviously don't want to use near their eyes. The hair has to grow out. I repeat...the hair has to grow out!
Of course, thoroughly cleaning the face will help the appearance. Some of the lighter staining will be removed and your dog's face will look brighter. Cleaning also loosens some of the stained, weaker hair and removes it, which also lighten up the face.
Yes, there are gentle bleaches and many recommend hydrogen peroxide mixtures, but I get nervous about anything like that around eyes. So, we'll steer clear of that for our purposes.
Smoosh, flat faces can become raw, irritated and red down in the facial folds (some call them wrinkles) and the area from their eyes down to their mouth where tears can irritate the skin. Before you moisturize these areas with any product, you must clean and dry the area.
Proper Care for Facial Folds, Nose Wrinkles and Tear Stained Faces
Multi-Pronged Plan of Dirty Dog Face Attack
- Wipe your dog's face clean with warm washcloth and a bit of Razzle Dazzle White Shampoo to remove built-up debris and dirt
- Rinse, rinse and rinse again
- Pat dry
- For facial wrinkles, pull them open and dry thoroughly
- Next, if possible, wipe folds with natural eye-makeup remover pads to clean and dry folds
- Allow face to dry completely
- Gently apply Boo Boo Butter to the irritated area, avoiding eyes**
Steps to Keep Tear Staining To A Minimum From Within
Of course, nobody wants to wait for the changes that come about via diet changes. It can take 2-4 weeks to see changes and they may be subtle. But once you get a handle on this it will make it easier to maintain.
Your dog may not respond to food changes, but we invite you to give it a try. It has worked for so many dogs it is worth a shot!
- Change diet to a grain-free one and no dyes or color enhancers
- Treats should also have no dyes or color enhancers
- Consider a fish-based food. Eliminate chicken, which can be problematic for many dogs. There are many excellent and reasonably priced grain-free dog foods now.
- Note: In over 30 years of having Frenchies, mine have done best on fish-based kibble. Chicken was always problematic. We've also done well with beef based food rather than chicken.
** Boo Boo Butter won't harm eyes, but it may sting (as anything does when it gets in our eyes).
These are just a few of the more natural, easier to do ways of getting and keeping your dog's face clean. Just like that white pair of jeans are tougher to keep clean, but worth it when you step out looking fresh, keeping your white dog WHITE takes a bit more work, but is well worth the effort.
