Just like their owners, dogs often wake up with scruffy hair and boogers between their eyes. The eyes are always producing tears which consists of oily, watery and mucous components. However, some of this can spill over and form eye boogers. By the time some dogs come in for grooming, the eye boogers have hardened to a crust between the eyes. As a result, I always get asked how to clean dog eye boogers.
PRO TIP: As a professional groomer, I always recommend for owners to keep up with daily wiping between the eyes with a cloth and warm water. This helps avoid excessive build up over time. It’s important to get involved with this morning routine to keep track of what is normal and abnormal.
Any eye boogers of concern could be a symptom of an underlying health concern such as allergies, infection or corneal uclers. Therefore, any change in the color, consistency or production of the eye boogers, should be assessed by a vet.
To help avoid excessive build up of eye boogers, here are the do’s and don’ts for cleaning dog eye boogers:
How to clean dog eye boogers: the do’s
1. Use a flea comb
After soaking eye boogers with warm water, it may seem tempting to pull out the debris. This isn’t the most gentle or thorough way of removing eye boogers in such a sensitive area.
PRO TIP: Instead, use a flea comb – it is a small comb with very fine teeth packed together. This comb is normally used to assess a dog’s coat for fleas because of its ability to pull through the finest of hairs. However, when used on eye boogers, it can often reach deep through the tiniest of hairs and catch any excess debris.
Here are some photos of how the flea comb can brush out eye boogers:
Before using the comb, make sure to secure a gentle but firm hold of your dog’s face. To do this, you may use your left hand to gently hold onto the hair under the chin.
Once your dog holds still, reward your dog with a treat for his good behavior. When your dog’s face is securely held, place the flea comb at the corner of each eye and slowly comb out excess debris.
2. A stripping knife – for groomers ONLY
A stripping knife is a tool used by groomers to remove dead hair. However, this tool works very well to help break up hard crust between a dog’s eyes.
CAUTION: Please be advised that a stripping knife should only be used by professional groomers. It is fairly sharp if used harshly – therefore, it is best handled by a groomer.
A stripping knife has a row of rigid teeth that work very well to loosen and gently scrape out eye boogers. However, I always suggest bathing the dog first and allowing the warm water to soften the crust before using this tool.
Here are some photos of how the stripping knife can be used to remove dog eye boogers.
3. Book a face trim for your dog
Many groomers offer touch ups or stand-alone services such as a nail trim, feet trim , sanitary shave, and even a face trim. When your dog’s hair overgrows, it can often be difficult to clean thoroughly between the eyes. Therefore, it is advisable to call your local groomer for a quick face trim – they can often also help shave out some hard crusting between the eyes. However, if the eye crusting is excessive – groomers will not attempt to shave it out. In such cases, a vet visit is recommended instead.
How to clean dog eye boogers: the don’ts:
1. Never use scissors to try and trim out eye boogers:
Eye boogers contain mucus components that can sink into the hair and stick to the skin. It becomes very difficult to see where the eye booger separates from the skin and scissors can accidentally grab onto skin. This is already a very sensitive region and scissors can easily cause injury.
As a professional groomer, I never use scissors to remove eye boogers. I will either shave out the eye crust or soak the area while bathing the dog before gently combing it out.
2. Never force the booger out of the eye
Using excessive force such as vigorous rubbing, scratching or brushing between the eyes can cause skin irritation and even infection. Therefore, if the eye booger becomes too hard to remove, you can always try and soak it daily and comb out what you can each time. However, if it becomes too difficult or your dog is feeling anxious – rather allow a groomer to shave it out.
3. Do not use topical treatments without consulting your vet:
There are many over the counter remedies that are claiming to remove tear staining between the eyes. However, as far as the research goes, none have been proven to be 100% effective.
Remember abnormal eye boogers or excessive tears may be symptoms of an underlying health issue. There is no point masking the staining if there is an underlying health issue.
CAUTION: For example, an allergy to something in the house could be the result of excessive tears and eye boogers. Therefore, always consult your vet before purchasing a topical solution that could potentially harm or further irritate your dog’s eyes.
Any product that contains alcohol or hydrogen peroxide can cause damage to the eyes and should never be used to wash between the eyes.
– By Nikita King , Certified Professional Groomer