Unsightly tear stains show up on white fur particularly and can be rather offputting to look at.

There are many reasons why a dog's eyes will water excessively.

It may be as a reaction to a minor bacterial infection in the tearduct or eye area. When these set in it's very common for Red Yeast infections to follow which give your dog those brown stains round his eyes.

Fleas could also cause over production of tears along with hereditary aspects, allergic reaction to food, blocked tear ducts, ear infections, too great a mineral concentration in the water and more.

Some recommend dry all-natural kibble without added food color, preservatives and additives, which they claim keeps the face cleaner. Others swear by making their Maltese or Westie drink only mineral water.

Sometimes your dog might just have teary eyes, and you need to sort it out just at that moment.

If you are the owner of a white dog you will find this familiar territory.

Although it might be tempting just to reach for the soap, it's probably not wise. Human soap and dog soap are not interchangeable, plus you have to factor in a need to rinse off the soap.

Sometimes water is not readily available so you need a better solution.

That solution could come in the form of Eyewipes from ClearQuest, for cat and dog usage. Made for use around the eye area but of course not in the eye itself.

Safe, effective and convenient, they can be used to gently remove dried mucus, discharge and tear stains from the eye area.

Cleaner eyes mean less of a risk of eye infections which of course is a bonus, the eyes will appear more attractive and of course there are whitening cosmetic benefits as well as practical ones.

You don't even need water to rinse it off.

They come in packs of 100 and contain Deionized Water UV Sterilized, Cocamido Propyl Betaine, Propyl Paraben, Methyl Paraben and Boric Acid.

Be very careful to not touch your pets eyeball with the wipe as this may irritate.

Another option especially for show dogs is the Vitacoat Diamond Eye Tear Stain Remover.

For more than forty years it has been a mainstay of dog showmen all across North America for its gentle but effective cleaning power.

All you need to do is soak a swab and use it to gently rub the fur. A quick solution for you dog to look his best.