Educational Overview

Tear stains are common in Shih Tzus, especially on light-colored facial hair. They usually appear as reddish-brown marks below the eyes. Many owners view them as a grooming issue, but excessive tearing can also be a sign of irritation, infection, eye injury, eyelid problems, blocked drainage, allergies, or other medical concerns.

This article is for education only. It does not provide cleaning instructions, product recommendations, home remedies, supplement advice, or treatment guidance. Eye problems can worsen quickly, and only a licensed veterinarian can assess an individual dog.

Quick Takeaway

What this guide covers:

  • Why Shih Tzus commonly develop tear stains
  • How facial anatomy affects tear drainage
  • Medical causes that can look like ordinary staining
  • Eye-related red flags that require veterinary attention
  • Why appearance alone cannot determine the cause

Bottom line: Tear stains can be cosmetic, but sudden tearing, one-sided staining, odor, redness, squinting, thick discharge, or face rubbing may indicate an eye or skin problem that needs veterinary evaluation.

Quick Navigation

  1. What Tear Stains Are
  2. Why Shih Tzus Are Prone to Tear Stains
  3. Medical Causes Behind Excessive Tearing
  4. Vet Warning Signs
  5. Why One-Sided Tearing Matters
  6. Skin Changes Under the Eyes
  7. Related Shih Tzu Health Guides

1. What Tear Stains Are

Quick Answer: Tear stains are reddish-brown discoloration on the fur below the eyes. They often appear when tears repeatedly contact facial hair. The visible stain may be cosmetic, but the reason for excess tearing can be anatomical, irritating, infectious, allergic, or injury-related.

The Visible Stain

Tear stains are usually easiest to see on white, cream, gold, or other light-colored Shih Tzus. The staining may look rust-colored, orange, red-brown, or dark brown.

The stain itself is not the same as a diagnosis. It is a visible sign that tears are contacting the fur repeatedly. The underlying reason may be simple anatomy, but it may also be a medical issue.

Tear Stain vs Eye Discharge

Flat discoloration of the fur is different from active discharge. Discharge can be watery, thick, yellow, green, sticky, crusty, or foul-smelling. Discharge is more concerning when paired with redness, swelling, pain, or behavior changes.

Because Shih Tzus have prominent eyes, eye-related symptoms deserve caution. Their eyes are more exposed than the eyes of dogs with longer muzzles and deeper-set eye sockets.

Why Owners Notice It

Tear staining is visually obvious. It can make the face look dirty even when the dog is otherwise groomed. That cosmetic visibility is why people often search for removal methods.

From a health perspective, the more important question is not how the stain looks, but whether the eyes and surrounding skin are healthy.

2. Why Shih Tzus Are Prone to Tear Stains

Quick Answer: Shih Tzus are prone to tear stains because their flat faces, shallow eye sockets, prominent eyes, and long facial hair can interfere with normal tear drainage or irritate the eye surface. Light coats make the staining more visible.

Flat-Faced Structure

Shih Tzus are brachycephalic dogs. Their facial structure can affect the way tears drain from the eye area. Instead of moving efficiently through the tear drainage system, tears may spill onto facial hair.

VCA Animal Hospitals explains that if facial anatomy prevents adequate drainage of the tear film, some degree of epiphora, or tear overflow, may persist.

Prominent Eyes

Prominent eyes are part of the breed’s look, but they can be more exposed to irritation. Dust, hair, debris, dryness, and minor trauma can affect the eye surface.

The American Kennel Club Shih Tzu breed profile notes that responsible breeders screen for eye anomalies and that hair around the head should be kept from irritating the eyes.

Facial Hair

Long facial hair can touch or rub the eyes. That irritation can trigger more tear production. More tears mean more moisture on the face, and more moisture can mean more visible staining.

This is one reason tear stains overlap with grooming topics, even when the root issue is medical or anatomical.

Coat Color

Light-colored fur shows staining more clearly. A darker Shih Tzu may have the same amount of tearing with less visible discoloration. Visibility does not always equal severity.

3. Medical Causes Behind Excessive Tearing

Quick Answer: Excessive tearing can be linked to conjunctivitis, allergies, eye injury, abnormal eyelashes, corneal ulcers, eyelid abnormalities, blocked tear drainage, or glaucoma. These conditions cannot be ruled out by looking at the stain alone.

Conditions Mentioned by Veterinary Sources

VCA Animal Hospitals lists several causes of increased tear production in dogs, including conjunctivitis, allergies, eye injuries, abnormal eyelashes, corneal ulcers, eye infections, eyelid abnormalities, and glaucoma.

These causes vary widely in severity. Some are uncomfortable. Some can threaten vision if ignored.

Eye Surface Problems

Corneal ulcers are scratches or wounds on the clear surface of the eye. They can be painful and may worsen quickly. A dog may squint, blink, paw at the face, or keep the eye partly closed.

Because Shih Tzus have prominent eyes, eye surface problems are an important category to rule out when tearing changes suddenly.

Eyelid and Eyelash Problems

Abnormal eyelashes or eyelids can rub the eye. This can cause irritation and tearing. The owner may only see stains, while the dog experiences ongoing discomfort.

Only a veterinary eye exam can confirm these causes.

Allergies and Inflammation

Allergies can cause watery eyes, itching, skin redness, paw licking, ear issues, or face rubbing. Tear stains with broader itch or skin symptoms may not be just a face-staining issue.

Drainage Problems

Tears normally drain through ducts. If drainage is blocked or anatomically inefficient, overflow may occur. Veterinary testing may be needed to evaluate tear drainage.

4. Vet Warning Signs

Quick Answer: Veterinary warning signs include sudden tearing, one-sided staining, squinting, pawing at the eye, cloudy eye surface, redness, swelling, thick discharge, bad odor, inflamed skin under the eye, or behavior changes such as withdrawal or irritability.

Eye Symptoms

Eye-related warning signs include:

  • squinting
  • frequent blinking
  • pawing at the eye
  • rubbing the face
  • cloudy eye surface
  • red or bloodshot eye
  • swelling around the eye
  • thick yellow or green discharge
  • sudden light sensitivity
  • keeping one eye partly closed

These signs can indicate pain, irritation, infection, ulceration, or other eye disease.

Skin Symptoms

Tears can keep the skin below the eye damp. Skin warning signs include redness, swelling, odor, crusting, hair loss, raw patches, or repeated scratching and rubbing.

Skin symptoms may indicate inflammation or secondary infection. They are not just a cosmetic staining issue.

Behavior Changes

Dogs may not show eye pain clearly. Possible behavior changes include avoiding touch near the face, reduced appetite, hiding, irritability, reluctance to play, or sleeping more.

Behavior changes are not specific to eye disease, but they add weight to the concern when paired with tearing or discharge.

5. Why One-Sided Tearing Matters

Quick Answer: One-sided tearing is more concerning than symmetrical long-term staining because it may suggest injury, foreign material, eyelash irritation, infection, blocked drainage, or another problem affecting one eye specifically.

Symmetrical vs One-Sided Staining

Both eyes staining gradually over time may fit with breed anatomy or chronic tear overflow. One eye suddenly tearing more than the other is different.

One-sided signs can indicate a local issue, such as hair or debris irritating one eye, a corneal scratch, a blocked tear duct, an eyelash abnormality, infection, or trauma.

The visible symptom may be tear overflow, but the underlying cause may involve the eye surface or drainage system.

Sudden Change Is Important

A long-term cosmetic pattern is different from a sudden change. New tearing, darker staining, new odor, or behavior changes should be interpreted as a change in health status rather than normal appearance.

6. Skin Changes Under the Eyes

Quick Answer: Damp skin under the eyes can become irritated. Redness, odor, crusting, swelling, hair loss, or discomfort below tear stains can suggest skin inflammation or secondary infection that requires veterinary evaluation.

Moisture and Irritation

Constant moisture can irritate the skin below the eyes. In long-coated breeds, damp hair can hold moisture close to the skin.

The stain may be the most visible part, but the skin underneath may be the real concern.

Odor Is a Red Flag

Tear stains should not produce a strong foul smell. Odor may suggest microbial overgrowth, skin fold irritation, or infection. This is especially relevant in dogs with facial folds or thick facial hair.

Connection With Broader Health Signs

Tear stains plus paw licking, ear redness, itchy skin, or repeated face rubbing may suggest a broader irritation or allergy pattern. A veterinarian can evaluate whether the eye signs are isolated or part of a wider condition.

For broader symptom context, see 30+ Signs Your Shih Tzu Is Sick or in Pain.

Sources and Further Reading

This article is for educational purposes only. It does not provide diagnosis, cleaning instructions, product recommendations, home remedies, supplement guidance, or treatment advice. Eye symptoms should be evaluated by a licensed veterinarian.