# Smelly Shih Tzu Face Tears



## Lori612

Hi,

I have a 9 month old shih tzu name Maddi. She's brown and her face is brown and black. We give her a bath every 3 weeks. We clean her face everyday with unscented baby wet wipe. For the first 2 weeks after her bath her face/tears does not smell. After the 2 weeks her face/tears start to smell really bad. My hubby and I joke that she smells like vomit. I will wash her face with Perfect Coat tearless shampoo then after a day her face/tears gets smelly again. The smell won't go away until her next bath. Her eyes aren't red or look infected. We feed her Royal Canin shih tzu dog food. Not sure if that is making her face smelly. When she sleeps at night her face fur will dry up then when she wakes up in the morning her face doesn't smell or the smell is very faint but once she starts tearing the smell comes back. What products should I use to clean her smelly face and to prevent the smell? Should I be bathing her every 2 weeks instead of 3 weeks?

xoxo,
Lori


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## skelaki

I would have your vet check your dog's eyes. Even if the dog's an excessive "tearer" due to its genetics it should not have a bad odor. It really sounds as if she might have some kind of infection.


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## Graco22

And I would get her on a higher quality food. Royal Canin (though marketed well) is not one I consider even close to ideal. You may see the tearing clear up on a better food. Many of my shihtzu clients have had great luck with Canine Caviar for tear staining, but other choices of kibble would be Taste of the Wild, Nature's Variety, Merrick BG, Orijen, etc. You can google them and find a place near you that carries them. The smell is because her face/eye area is wet from the constant tearing. That wet face is a breeding grounds for bacteria and yeast, hence the smell. Make sure you are keeping in front of her eyes trimmed nicely, and that no hairs are getting in her eyes to exacerbate the tearing. By keeping that area short, any tearing she does do will dry faster.


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## OwnedByColby

I'd Take Her To The Vet Just To Be Sure. There Could Be An Infection Even If You Can't See It.


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## Lori612

Graco22 said:


> And I would get her on a higher quality food. Royal Canin (though marketed well) is not one I consider even close to ideal. You may see the tearing clear up on a better food. Many of my shihtzu clients have had great luck with Canine Caviar for tear staining, but other choices of kibble would be Taste of the Wild, Nature's Variety, Merrick BG, Orijen, etc. You can google them and find a place near you that carries them. The smell is because her face/eye area is wet from the constant tearing. That wet face is a breeding grounds for bacteria and yeast, hence the smell. Make sure you are keeping in front of her eyes trimmed nicely, and that no hairs are getting in her eyes to exacerbate the tearing. By keeping that area short, any tearing she does do will dry faster.


Thx for the info. I was todl Royal Canin was a good brand of dog food so that was why we fed her that. I will check out the other brands you suggested and see if there sell them at the canadian pet stores near my home. Maddi tears ALOT. Within the first 2 weeks of her bath she does not tear as much and that's prob why her face does not smell but when the 3rd week starts boy does she tear alot and her face is sooo smelly. We wipe her face several times a day but it still gets all wet. I will take her to the vet this weekend and check that she does not have an infection and she what foods and tips they can provide.

xoxo,
Lori

Thx everyone for your feedback. I will take Maddi to the vet this weekend to get her checked out.

xoxo,
Lori


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## poodleholic

Luc, my little Tzu, was a smelly mess when I first got him as a foster. I changed his food and put him on distilled water with apple cider vinegar (the stuff from the health food store with the mother in it) added to it. 

I also flushed his eyes daily with sterile saline solution for sensitive eyes, which helped a LOT, and, even lightened up the staining somewhat. Once on a good food (EVO), his body odor, ear infection, and tearing cleared up.


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## Lori612

poodleholic said:


> Luc, my little Tzu, was a smelly mess when I first got him as a foster. I changed his food and put him on distilled water with apple cider vinegar (the stuff from the health food store with the mother in it) added to it.
> 
> I also flushed his eyes daily with sterile saline solution for sensitive eyes, which helped a LOT, and, even lightened up the staining somewhat. Once on a good food (EVO), his body odor, ear infection, and tearing cleared up.



Thx for all the info. I will see if the pet stores in Canada carry EVO. I will check the health food store for apple cider vinegar also.

xoxo,
Lori



Graco22 said:


> And I would get her on a higher quality food. Royal Canin (though marketed well) is not one I consider even close to ideal. You may see the tearing clear up on a better food. Many of my shihtzu clients have had great luck with Canine Caviar for tear staining, but other choices of kibble would be Taste of the Wild, Nature's Variety, Merrick BG, Orijen, etc. You can google them and find a place near you that carries them. The smell is because her face/eye area is wet from the constant tearing. That wet face is a breeding grounds for bacteria and yeast, hence the smell. Make sure you are keeping in front of her eyes trimmed nicely, and that no hairs are getting in her eyes to exacerbate the tearing. By keeping that area short, any tearing she does do will dry faster.


I trimmed Maddi's face and the smell went away sooo much. She hardly smells at all now and tears way less. When she does tear it dries up way faster now. I will trim her more frequently now. Thank you!

xoxo,
Lori

We don't have any of the dog foods you named at the pets stores near our home. I am in Canada.

xoxo,
Lori


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