If you have a dog with longer, silky, curly or woolly hair the chances are that they have excess hair on the face around the chin, nose or eyes – often we call this the beard area but there are other names too. If your dog is prone to tear stains then it is highly likely that this excess face hair/doggy beard also picks up that reddish /brown staining.

Don’t despair though because there is something you can do about it – even if you have a dog that tears excessively or is a bit of a dribbler!

First of all, lets look at why it happens because this is how we know how to solve the problem.

Why does my dog get beard stains?

Every dog tears and dribbles – it is perfectly natural although some do so more than others. The trouble is not with the fluid itself but with the elements in contains. Fluid such as tears contain porphyrins which are a waste product of their old red blood cells breaking down. Porphyrins contain iron and in the same way that metal will rust when these iron-laden fluids come in contact with air they oxidise, and the result is the reddish/ brown colour left on the fur.

So what can I do?

Well, the first step and the secret behind dealing with staining of any kind caused by these porphyrins is simple… keep the area dry.  Using a bamboo cloth to dry the area thoroughly will remove the moisture and will allow you to treat the area properly.

However, this isn’t a one-off job and will need to be done every time you see moisture on the fur – we recommend having a bamboo cloth or finger wipe with you at all times to dry the fur as soon as you see tears/dribble occurring. You should also keep the area clean of food and debris- dry kibble especially has a habit of leaving staining behind.

You could use a small comb for this such as the Tedster Mini Comb

How do I remove the beard stains?

Here’s where our Happy Tears tear stain treatment kit comes in. Once the area is dry you can allow the powder to do it’s work. As the area is generally clean you won’t need the solution to clear it before applying the powder. Watch our short video on how to apply the treatment to this area in the most effective way.

As ever, if you have any questions about how to apply Happy Tears or other staining problems that your dog has, please don’t hesitate to get it touch, we’d be happy to help.

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