Epiphora is the medical name for tears spilling out of the eye and onto the face. It's a symptom, not a disease: either the eye is making more tears than usual, or the tears it makes can't drain away.
The question that matters most is whether the eye looks comfortable. A happy dog with a damp face, reddish-brown stains and open, clear eyes often has a drainage or face-shape problem that a vet should check once and that may stay mostly cosmetic. A dog that squints, paws at an eye, or has a red or cloudy eye or yellow-green discharge has a sore eye and should see a vet today.
Why do dog eyes tear?
Tears keep the eye moist and wash away small particles with every blink. They're a mix of water, oil and mucus. Much of the watery part comes from a tear gland at the top outer edge of each eye, and a second gland in the third eyelid makes a large share too (Merck Veterinary Manual).
Used tears drain through two tiny openings in the upper and lower eyelids at the inner corner, near the nose. From there a narrow channel, the nasolacrimal (tear) duct, carries them into the nose and down the throat.
So tears end up on the face for one of two reasons:
- Too many tears. Something irritates the eye, and it floods itself to wash the problem away.
- Too little drainage. The tears never reach the openings, or the duct is narrowed or blocked, so they overflow.
Sometimes both happen at once, which is one reason epiphora can be stubborn.
Signs of epiphora in dogs: tear stain or eye problem?
The everyday signs are easy to spot:
- A face that always looks damp, with tears running down from the inner corner of the eye
- Reddish-brown staining under the eyes, most obvious on white or light coats
- A smell from the wet fur
- Red, irritated skin under the eyes from constant moisture
The rusty color comes from tear pigments called porphyrins (Mar Vista Animal Medical Center). The stain itself doesn't hurt. The constant dampness can, because it irritates the skin and lets infection and odor set in (VCA Animal Hospitals).
Signs that mean a vet visit today
Tears plus any of these point to a painful or infected eye, not a cosmetic stain:
- Squinting, extra blinking or holding the eye shut
- Pawing at the eye or rubbing the face on the floor
- A red eye or swollen eyelids
- A cloudy or bluish look to the clear front of the eye
- Thick yellow or green discharge
- Tearing that starts suddenly, especially in one eye
- A swelling at the inner corner of the eye
Squinting, pawing and sudden tearing are signs of eye pain (Mar Vista Animal Medical Center). Corneal ulcers (scratches on the clear surface of the eye) hurt enough that dogs keep the lids clamped shut (VCA Animal Hospitals), and a slightly red, squinting eye can be early glaucoma, which can cost a dog its sight (Cornell Riney Canine Health Center).
Call your vet now if your dog seems to have lost vision or has just hurt an eye. Any loss of vision is an emergency, and an eye injury shouldn't wait.
Book a check soon if your dog has had clear tears and staining for a while, seems comfortable, and has never had the eyes examined for it. Only an exam can rule out a lash or eyelid problem that's slowly rubbing the eye.
Watery eye or dry eye?
Thick, sticky discharge with red eyes can mean the opposite problem: dry eye (keratoconjunctivitis sicca, or KCS), where the eye makes too few tears (Merck Veterinary Manual). A quick tear test at the vet tells the two apart, and the treatment is very different.
What causes watery eyes in dogs?
Too many tears: something is irritating the eye
- Eyelashes in the wrong place. Extra lashes on the eyelid edge (distichiasis) or lashes poking through the inside of the lid (ectopic cilia) can rub the eye. Stiff ones cause tearing, squinting and sometimes ulcers (VCA Animal Hospitals).
- Eyelids that roll in or out. In entropion the lid rolls inward so lashes and fur rub the eye; it's the most common inherited eyelid problem in many breeds (Merck Veterinary Manual). Ectropion, a lid that droops outward, is another cause (VCA Animal Hospitals).
- Conjunctivitis and allergies. Inflamed pink tissue around the eye (conjunctivitis) makes the eyes water, often with redness and discharge. Allergic conjunctivitis is common in dogs with seasonal or airborne allergies (VCA Animal Hospitals). If your dog also itches, see our guide to allergic dermatitis in dogs.
- Injuries, ulcers and irritants. A scratch, debris under the lid, smoke or a chemical splash all trigger tears, and most corneal ulcers start with an injury like these (Merck Veterinary Manual). Glaucoma and eye infections are on VCA's list too, which is why a new, red, teary eye needs an exam rather than a wipe.
Lumps on the eyelid edge can also rub the eye; see our guide to dog eye styes and other eyelid bumps.
Too little drainage: the tears can't get away
- Face shape. In flat-faced (brachycephalic) dogs, tears often roll off the face instead of reaching the duct (VCA Animal Hospitals). Poodles, bichons frises and flat-faced breeds can also have shallow eye sockets, so tears spill over the inner corner first. That's anatomy, and it can't be repaired (Mar Vista Animal Medical Center).
- Hair. Hair around the eyes can cover the duct openings, or act like a wick that draws tears out onto the face.
- A blocked or inflamed duct. Debris, a foreign body, a mass, or scarring from old infections and injuries can narrow or block it. An inflamed tear sac (dacryocystitis) causes watering, conjunctivitis that won't clear up, and sometimes a small draining opening below the inner corner of the eye (Merck Veterinary Manual).
- A duct opening that never opened. Some puppies are born with a closed opening (imperforate punctum). Merck calls it an infrequent cause in young dogs; Mar Vista notes it in poodles and cocker spaniels.
Breeds that tend to have runny eyes
Group | Why the eyes run | Examples named by vet sources |
|---|---|---|
Flat-faced (brachycephalic) dogs | Tears roll off instead of draining | Pugs, bulldogs |
Shallow eye sockets | Tears overflow at the inner corner | Poodles, bichons frises |
Extra eyelashes (distichiasis) | Lashes rub the eye | American cocker spaniel, Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Shih Tzu, Lhasa apso |
Entropion (inward-rolling lids) | Lid hair and lashes rub the eye | Shar-pei, chow chow, English bulldog, Neapolitan mastiff |
Sources: VCA Animal Hospitals (distichiasis, entropion, epiphora), Mar Vista Animal Medical Center.
Breed doesn't settle the cause. The groups overlap, so one dog can have more than one reason for wet eyes, and some flat-faced dogs have entropion at the inner corner without showing discomfort (VCA Animal Hospitals).
What about cherry eye?
Cherry eye is a red, swollen lump in the inner corner of the eye: the tear gland of the third eyelid has slipped out of place. Because that gland makes a large share of the eye's tears, vets put it back in place rather than remove it, and dogs that have had cherry eye are more likely to develop dry eye later (Merck Veterinary Manual). Read more in our guide to cherry eye in dogs.
How is epiphora in dogs diagnosed?
The vet first rules out a painful or serious cause, then checks whether the tears drain properly (VCA Animal Hospitals). Tell your vet when the tearing started, whether it's one eye or both, and about any injury or eye drops so far.
Test | What it checks |
|---|---|
Eye exam with light and magnification | Lids, lashes, the clear front of the eye, the third eyelid, the duct openings |
Fluorescein stain | An orange dye that sticks to scratches and ulcers and turns them green |
Dye drainage test | The dye should reach the nostril within a few minutes. If it doesn't, the duct needs a closer look, though that alone doesn't prove a blockage |
Schirmer tear test | A paper strip under the lower lid measures tear production, separating watery eye from dry eye |
Eye pressure check | Rules out glaucoma |
Duct flush and dye X-rays | Show whether the duct is open and where a long-standing blockage sits; a flush can also clear it |
Sources: Merck Veterinary Manual, VCA Animal Hospitals.
Most of the exam happens with the dog awake, but some parts may need sedation or anesthesia, and a very sore eye may need numbing drops first (Merck Veterinary Manual). A duct flush is usually done under anesthesia.
How vets treat runny eyes in dogs
Epiphora is a symptom, so there's no single treatment. The vet treats the cause.
Cause | What the vet may do |
|---|---|
Extra or misplaced lashes | Remove the problem lash follicles surgically or by freezing |
Entropion | Surgery to correct the eyelid; young puppies sometimes get temporary stitches first |
Corneal ulcer | Prescription eye medication, pain relief and a cone to stop rubbing, with rechecks |
Conjunctivitis or allergy | Treat the infection or inflammation; look for the allergy behind it |
Blocked tear duct | Flushing under anesthesia, sometimes a small tube left in while it heals, plus medicated drops |
Duct opening that never opened | A small surgery to open it |
Duct damaged beyond repair | Surgery to build a new drainage route into the nose, sinus or mouth |
Hair wicking tears | Keeping the hair trimmed; in flat-faced breeds, sometimes surgery on the nasal fold |
Sources: Merck Veterinary Manual, VCA Animal Hospitals, Mar Vista Animal Medical Center.
Your veterinarian chooses any medicine, the dose and how long to use it. Surgery on the tiny drainage structures needs special equipment, so your vet may refer you to a veterinary ophthalmologist (Mar Vista Animal Medical Center).
Will my dog always have runny eyes?
It depends on the cause. When a vet finds and fixes a stray lash, an inward-rolling lid or a blocked duct, the tearing often settles.
When the cause is face shape, some tearing usually stays, with flare-ups on and off for life. That's often purely cosmetic, and the goal shifts to keeping the skin under the eyes healthy (VCA Animal Hospitals). One vet handout calls epiphora one of the hardest eye conditions to resolve (Mar Vista Animal Medical Center), so for these dogs, steady face care beats chasing a cure.
Caring for a teary dog at home
Once your vet has ruled out a painful cause, simple care keeps the face comfortable:
- Keep the area clean and dry. Gently wipe wet fur and crusts under the eyes with a clean, damp cloth, working away from the eye. A gentle daily wipe is usually enough (Persimmon Creek Animal Hospital).
- Keep the hair short. Short hair around the eyes stays drier and stains less (VCA Animal Hospitals). Let your groomer or vet trim close to the eyes; scissors near a wriggling dog's eye are a bad mix.
- Watch for change. New squinting, redness, cloudiness, colored discharge or swelling turns a grooming job into a vet visit.
And what to skip:
- Hydrogen peroxide anywhere near the face. A splash in the eye can cause severe damage (VCA Animal Hospitals).
- Anything in or around the eye your vet hasn't approved, including human eye products and tear stain wipes or powders.
Do tear stain removers work?
Not reliably. VCA says no remedy has proven fully effective, some over-the-counter products haven't held up in research, and some may harm the eyes, so talk to your vet before using any of them (VCA Animal Hospitals).
Be most careful with products that contain an antibiotic. Some have contained tylosin, and the FDA has sent warning letters to companies selling tylosin tear stain removers, calling them unapproved animal drugs that are unsafe under federal law (FDA warning letter, 2017). Vets also advise against antibiotics for stains because they help breed resistant bacteria (VCA Animal Hospitals). If a stain product lists an antibiotic, leave it on the shelf.
Originally written by Alianna Munakata. Updated by the I Love Veterinary editorial team.
Sources
- VCA Animal Hospitals: Eye Discharge (Epiphora) in Dogs
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Disorders of the Nasal Cavity and Tear Ducts in Dogs
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Nasolacrimal and Lacrimal Apparatus in Animals
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Eye Structure and Function in Dogs
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Disorders of the Eyelids in Dogs
- Merck Veterinary Manual: Disorders of the Cornea in Dogs
- Mar Vista Animal Medical Center: Runny Eyes (Excessive Tear Production in Dogs and Cats)
- VCA Animal Hospitals: Corneal Ulcers in Dogs
- VCA Animal Hospitals: Conjunctivitis in Dogs
- VCA Animal Hospitals: Distichiasis in Dogs
- VCA Animal Hospitals: Eyelid Entropion in Dogs
- Cornell Richard P. Riney Canine Health Center: Glaucoma
- US Food and Drug Administration: Warning letter to a tylosin tear stain remover company (2017)
- Persimmon Creek Animal Hospital: Dog Eye Tearing
This article is for general information and is not a substitute for advice from your veterinarian.
