Red tear stains that smell!

[JER59]

Not sure why my Pekingese has this problem although his eyes do protrude. He also wipes his face on the carpeting alot and the staining is reddish and smells bad! He sneezes a lot and shakes his head. Sounds like allergies but the Vet gave him Cortisone pills for some hot spots and said to use them for this but they don't seem to be working. He has deep wrinkles under his eyes that I have to clean out all the time. I heard that Red yeast may be the problem. Anyone know about this?

[Ghilly]

There is a substance secreted by animals in times of stress called porphyrins that cause red stains and can look like they are crying blood or having a bloody discharge from their noses, however if there is an unpleasant odor to it, then my guess would be that the organism known as red yeast is the cause of this.  

Staining tears, while not really normal, are extremely common in brachycephalic breeds like pekes.  There are little tiny hairs along the eyelids that act as wicks for the teacs and because of the facial structure of these dogs, the hairs can also point inward and irritate the eye, causing more tearing than usual, leading to even more discharge.

I would suggest a visit to a vet to have the condition assessed, and also to see what he or she would recommend for treating it.  It's difficult to cuddle your pet when they're emitting an unpleasant odor from a yeast infection, so you probably should look into this as soon as possible, not to mention it is probably quite itchy, which makes it uncomfortable for the dog as well as unpleasant for you to smell.

Ghilly

[JER59]

Thank you! And yes he has red feet - I always though that he was biting them until they bled but that should not stain his fur like that and there was no puncture wound or anything. So that makes sense!  He eats mainly canned food and no beef - chicken and lamb and once in awhile salmon. I wonder how much Benadryl to use? Do you know the dosage per pound? He has an appointment next week but until then, I would like to figure this out! I hope Diamond Eye is something that I can get at Petco!

[chasha33]

I have had this with my Peke before.You can try using Diamond eye to remove some of the staining .Also what type of food are you using?Sometimes there can be a link there.Also does your Peke lick its feet alot.Sometimes they will have red feet as well from licking them.You could try Benadryl and see if it will help.I will look and see what my vet gave me for mine and get back with you.Good luck and God Bless.Chan