Tear Stains and Coat Discoloration in White Dogs: Causes and Care

By Emiel Maddens · Reviewed in consultation with licensed veterinary professionals · Updated August 2026 · 9 min read

What Are Tear Stains in White Dogs?

Tear stains are the reddish-brown or rust-coloured tracks that form below the inner corners of the eyes on light-coloured dogs, caused by porphyrins, iron-containing pigment molecules excreted in tears that oxidise and permanently stain the hair shaft on exposure to air and light. The stain is in the hair, not on the skin, which is why it cannot be washed off in the way ordinary dirt can, and why it only disappears as the stained hair grows out or is trimmed away.

Porphyrins are the breakdown products of haemoglobin. In dogs, the body clears a portion of this pigment load through tears, saliva and urine rather than exclusively through the gut. On a black or brindle coat the pigment is invisible. On a white, cream or apricot coat it produces the familiar dark mahogany streak. The intensity of the stain reflects how long tears sit on the fur, not how sick the dog is.

Breeds most affected are those combining a white coat with facial conformation that promotes tear overflow: Maltese, Bichon Frise, Shih Tzu, Pekingese, West Highland White Terrier, Poodle, Havanese, Coton de Tulear, American Eskimo and white-coated Pomeranians. Brachycephalic breeds are disproportionately affected because shallow orbits and a shortened muzzle disrupt the normal tear drainage pathway.

A second, unrelated pattern of discoloration appears on the feet, forelimbs, flanks and around the mouth. This is saliva staining, produced by the same porphyrins deposited by licking rather than by tears. It is diagnostically important because saliva staining is evidence of chronic licking, which means itch, and itch means a medical cause worth pursuing.

What Causes Excessive Tearing and Staining?

Excessive tearing, called epiphora, results either from producing too many tears or from failing to drain the normal volume. In white toy breeds the second mechanism dominates.

Anatomical drainage failure. Tears normally exit through two puncta at the inner eyelid margins into the nasolacrimal duct and out through the nose. In brachycephalic and toy breeds this system fails in several predictable ways. Medial canthal entropion, where the inner eyelid rolls inward, occludes the lower punctum. Imperforate or stenotic puncta, a congenital absence or narrowing of the drainage opening, is documented in Cocker Spaniels, Bedlington Terriers, Golden Retrievers and Poodles. Shallow orbits mean the globe sits more prominently, so the tear film spills over the lid margin before it ever reaches the puncta.

Irritation increasing tear production. Distichiasis (extra eyelashes emerging from the meibomian gland openings) and ectopic cilia (lashes emerging through the conjunctiva) rub the cornea directly. Distichiasis is reported in a substantial proportion of some breeds, and in Shih Tzus and Cocker Spaniels it is common enough to be considered near-normal for the breed. Facial hair that grows into the eye does the same thing mechanically.

Ocular surface disease. Conjunctivitis, corneal ulceration, uveitis, glaucoma and foreign bodies all increase reflex tearing. Sudden onset of tearing in a dog that never stained before is an ophthalmic problem until proven otherwise, and needs examination rather than a cosmetic product.

Teething in puppies. Transient tear staining between roughly 4 and 6 months of age is common as erupting teeth crowd and inflame the tissue adjacent to the nasolacrimal duct. It typically resolves without intervention once the adult dentition is in.

Secondary microbial overgrowth. Chronically damp facial fur supports Malassezia yeast and bacteria. This changes the character of the discoloration: porphyrin stain alone is rust coloured and odourless, whereas yeast-affected fold skin turns brown, becomes greasy, smells musty and the skin underneath is red and inflamed. That is a medical problem, not a cosmetic one.

How Do You Tell Cosmetic Staining From a Skin Problem?

You tell them apart by examining the skin under the stained hair rather than the hair itself. Pure porphyrin staining leaves normal skin. If the skin is red, moist, thickened or malodorous, there is dermatitis present and the staining is a secondary observation.

Signs and Symptoms to Watch For

Most tear staining is a cosmetic nuisance. A specific set of signs moves it into territory that needs a veterinarian, and several of them are urgent.

Ophthalmic red flags requiring prompt attention. Squinting or holding the eye partly closed. A visibly cloudy or blue-tinged cornea. Green or yellow discharge as opposed to clear tears. Pawing or rubbing at one eye specifically. Sudden onset of tearing in a dog with no prior history. Unilateral tearing is more concerning than bilateral, because a one-sided problem suggests a foreign body, an ulcer, a duct obstruction or a lash abnormality rather than a conformational tendency.

Dermatological signs. Redness or moist skin within the fold beneath the eye. Odour. Hair loss along the tear track. Thickened or darkened fold skin. Crusting or scabbing at the fold margin. In flat-faced breeds the nasal fold sits directly in the tear path, and it behaves much like any other skin fold: warm, humid and occluded. Our step-by-step guides to cleaning dog skin folds and bulldog wrinkle care apply directly to this area.

Signs pointing elsewhere. Staining on all four paws, the muzzle and the flanks with no facial tear track suggests generalised pruritus. Staining that appears alongside recurrent ear infections is a classic atopic pattern. In these dogs the discoloration is a symptom to investigate, not a stain to bleach out.

How to Manage Tear Stains and Coat Discoloration

Managing tear staining rests on a simple principle: porphyrin needs moisture and time to bind the hair shaft, so the goal is to keep the area dry and remove already-stained hair rather than to try to chemically strip pigment out of it.

Address the cause first. If a veterinary ophthalmic exam identifies distichiasis, entropion or a blocked duct, correcting it stops the overflow and the staining resolves as the hair grows out. Duct flushing under sedation resolves obstruction in many cases, and surgical correction of medial entropion is a well-established procedure. No topical routine will out-perform fixing the underlying anatomy.

Keep the fur short. Trimming the hair below the inner eye corner short, with blunt-tipped scissors and ideally by a groomer, does two things: it removes the already-stained hair and it reduces the wick that holds tears against the skin. This is the single most effective cosmetic intervention available.

Clean and dry daily. Wipe the tear track with a soft cloth dampened with warm water or a sterile saline eye wash, then dry the area thoroughly. The drying step matters more than the wiping. Twice daily is reasonable for a heavy stainer. Never allow shampoo, hydrogen peroxide, bleach or human whitening products near the eye.

Use a stainless steel or ceramic water bowl and consider filtered water. Plastic bowls develop micro-abrasions that harbour bacteria, and this same mechanism is well documented in feline chin acne. Some owners report improvement in staining on filtered water, though the evidence for mineral content driving porphyrin excretion is anecdotal rather than established.

Bathe with a formulation suited to a light coat. Regular bathing lifts surface debris, saliva residue and environmental soiling from the coat before it has time to set. Brightening Shampoo for White Coats is a non-medicated grooming shampoo formulated to lift staining and discoloration from white and light-coloured coats during a routine bath. It is a coat-appearance product for grooming use, not a treatment for any skin or eye condition, and it should be kept away from the eyes. If the skin in the fold is inflamed or infected, that is a veterinary matter and a grooming shampoo is not the answer.

What not to do. Oral tylosin-containing supplements marketed for tear stains work by suppressing porphyrin-producing bacteria, but tylosin is an antibiotic. Using systemic antibiotics for a cosmetic concern is inappropriate and contributes to antimicrobial resistance, and tylosin is not approved for this use in dogs in most jurisdictions. Hydrogen peroxide, bleach, boric acid and makeup remover have all caused corneal injury when used near dog eyes. Avoid all of them.

Prevention and Long-Term Care for White Coats

Preventing recurrence in a genetically predisposed white dog means accepting that the tendency does not go away and building a routine that keeps it from becoming a skin problem.

Make face care a daily habit, not a weekly one. Ten seconds with a damp cloth and a dry cloth, every morning, prevents more staining than an intensive monthly session. Fur that never stays wet never stains heavily.

Schedule facial trims every 4 to 6 weeks. Bundle it with the regular groom. Keeping hair off the ocular surface reduces reflex tearing and removes accumulated stained hair on a rolling basis.

Have an ophthalmic exam done once. Every chronically tearing white dog deserves one thorough eye exam including fluorescein staining and, in a young dog, an assessment for distichiasis and punctal patency. Finding a correctable cause at 1 year of age saves a decade of daily management.

Do not ignore paw and flank staining. Rust-coloured feet are a licking signal, and licking is a symptom. Investigating the itch is far more productive than cleaning the stain, and our overview of dog skin allergies outlines the usual diagnostic path.

Set realistic expectations. Hair that is already stained will not return to white. It grows out. In a toy breed with facial hair growing at roughly a centimetre a month, expect 2 to 4 months of consistent care before the visible improvement is substantial. Anything promising overnight whitening is either bleaching the coat or not working.

Keep an eye on the fold, not just the colour. The reason tear staining deserves attention at all is that the persistently damp environment it reflects is the same environment that produces fold dermatitis. Managing moisture protects the skin, and the improvement in appearance is a by-product.

Frequently Asked Questions

What causes the reddish-brown tear stains under my white dog's eyes?

Porphyrins. These are iron-containing pigments left over from haemoglobin breakdown, and dogs excrete a portion of them in tears and saliva. When tears sit on white fur, the porphyrin oxidises on exposure to air and light and permanently stains the hair shaft rust-brown. The same pigment is present in dark-coated dogs, it is simply invisible against pigmented fur.

Can tear stains be removed once the fur is already stained?

Not chemically, without damaging the coat. The pigment is bound within the hair shaft, so stained hair stays stained until it grows out or is trimmed away. Trimming the discoloured hair short is the fastest visible improvement. Consistent daily drying prevents new hair from staining, and in a toy breed you should expect 2 to 4 months before the change is substantial.

Are tear stains a sign my dog is unwell?

Usually no. In white toy and brachycephalic breeds, tear staining reflects facial conformation that lets tears overflow rather than drain, which is a structural tendency rather than a disease. It becomes medically relevant when tearing starts suddenly, affects one eye only, comes with squinting or coloured discharge, or when the skin inside the fold turns red, moist or malodorous.

Should I give my dog a tear stain supplement?

Be cautious. Many oral tear stain supplements contain tylosin, an antibiotic that suppresses porphyrin-producing bacteria. Using a systemic antibiotic for a purely cosmetic concern is inappropriate, contributes to antimicrobial resistance, and tylosin is not approved for this indication in dogs in most jurisdictions. Discuss any supplement with your veterinarian before starting it.

Why are my white dog's paws stained rust-coloured?

That is saliva staining from licking, and it carries a different meaning than tear staining. The porphyrin comes from saliva rather than tears, so the discoloration marks where the dog has been licking persistently. Rust-stained paws in a white dog are frequently the first visible evidence of atopic dermatitis or a food-responsive skin condition, and the underlying itch is what should be investigated.

Does changing to filtered water reduce tear staining?

Some owners report improvement, but the evidence is anecdotal rather than established. Switching to a stainless steel or ceramic bowl has a clearer rationale: plastic bowls develop micro-abrasions that harbour bacteria, the same mechanism documented in feline chin acne. Both changes are harmless and inexpensive, so they are reasonable to trial, but neither substitutes for daily drying and trimming.

Sources

1. Maggs DJ, Miller PE, Ofri R. Slatter's Fundamentals of Veterinary Ophthalmology. 6th ed. Elsevier; 2018.
2. Gelatt KN, Ben-Shlomo G, Gilger BC, et al. Veterinary Ophthalmology. 6th ed. Wiley-Blackwell; 2021.
3. Bourguet A, Guyonnet A, Donzel E, et al. Keratoconjunctivitis sicca and qualitative tear film disorders in dogs. Journal of Small Animal Practice. 2018;59(11):661-670.
4. Scott DW, Miller WH, Griffin CE. Skin fold dermatitis (intertrigo). Muller and Kirk's Small Animal Dermatology. 7th ed. Elsevier; 2013:695-698.
5. Bond R, Morris DO, Guillot J, et al. Biology, diagnosis and treatment of Malassezia dermatitis in dogs and cats: Clinical Consensus Guidelines. Veterinary Dermatology. 2020;31(1):27-e4.
6. Hendrix DVH, Adkins EA. Outcome of alloplastic nasolacrimal duct implantation in dogs. Veterinary Ophthalmology. 2010;13(1):55-58.

Related Reading

• Dog Eyelid and Periocular Skin Conditions
• How to Clean Dog Skin Folds: A Step-by-Step Guide
• Bulldog Wrinkle Care: How to Clean Facial Folds and Prevent Infection
• Why Does My Dog Still Smell Bad After a Bath?

Emiel Maddens

Founder of Vetified. Develops topical antifungal and antimicrobial formulations for companion animals. Vetified products are listed on DailyMed and manufactured through FDA-registered facilities in the United States.

Veterinary review: All Vetified content is developed in consultation with licensed veterinary professionals and references peer-reviewed research published in journals including Veterinary Dermatology, JAVMA, and Journal of Small Animal Practice.