Ask the Expert: My Dog’s Eyes Won’t Stop Running

Your Pet Question:

My dog’s eyes are always running, creating big brown circles under them. What should I do?

Jolie Duguay, Pabos, Quebec

The Expert Says:

Let’s see if we can clear up your dog’s unfortunate eye issues. Excessive tear production or inadequate drainage of tears could be a medical problem associated with allergies, infection, glaucoma and other diseases of the eye, blockage of the tear ducts, and eyelid or eyelash abnormalities. It can also be genetic with some dogs, due to their eye structure or their deformities of their face or tear ducts.

One thing you can do is to keep the dog’s face clean using a moistened cotton ball on a daily basis. And though there are products to remove the reddish-brown tear stains, you will be only addressing the appearance, not the cause. Only an exam by a veterinarian will solve the “owl eye” problem, so I highly recommend you make an appointment for your dog right away. After all, that’s not the kind of “bird dog” you want!”

Miki Shibata, DVM of the Greenbank Animal Hospital in Ottawa, Ontario