What Can Cause a Dog to Have Teary Eyes?

Some dog breeds are prone to teary eyes. Some tearing is completely normal and healthy, but excessive tearing, or epiphora, may be uncomfortable for your dog. Excessive tearing may be caused by allergies, illness and eye irritation. Dog tears have porphyrins in them that can cause staining on lighter colored fur. The staining is dark brown or black in color and can cause discomfort in your pup. Another sign of tears is build-up in the corners of the eyes or constant wetness directly below the eyes and watery eyes, rimmed with tears.

  1. Allergies

    • Dogs, like humans, also suffer from allergies. While teary eyes are one symptom, the dog may also have an itchy face that it scratches regularly, reddish coloring, rashes or bumps, ear infections, sneezing, vomiting or coughing and wheezing. If your dog has more than one of these symptoms, take it to the veterinarian to be tested for allergies.

    Illness

    • Teary eyes may signify illness in your dog. Nasolacrimal Occlusion, or closed-off tear ducts, can cause the other tear ducts to over-produce tears or stop the eyes from draining. If you see green or yellow coloring to the tears, your dog most likely has an infection. Diseases such as entropion, conjunctivitis, corneal ulcers, anterior uveitis, and acute glaucoma are accompanied by excessive tearing.

    Irritation

    • Foreign objects occasionally land in a dog's eyes, and even dust can cause irritation. Examining the dog's eyes regularly will help avoid this irritating occurrence. Long-haired dogs with longer fur on their faces can get irritated eyes when fur gets lodged in their eyes. Check your dog's face and trim any long hairs that are near the eyes to prevent them from entering and irritating your dog's eyes.

    Treatment

    • If your dog is healthy and a breed that tears more than others, you can purchase wipes to remove any tears or staining from the fur around their eyes. Be careful not to get the wipes in their eyes, as the formula on them can be painful. Another treatment option is eyedrops or saline solution to prevent staining and over-tearing.