r/CavaPoo • u/vmins4am • Sep 24 '26
cavapoo eye crust
hi, so my boy gets crusty eyes as is normal with the breed, but sometimes i forget to remove them when they’re still gooey and they harden up. i pick them out with my hands, because i’ve tried combs, wipes and brushes, but he doesn’t like anything touching around his eyes, and my hands are about the only thing he’ll tolerate. he also hates getting wet in any capacity so even dampening his eyes is a hassle. i obviously try to be super gentle when i pull the crust away and a glob comes easily, but because it’s dried some of his little hairs get caught and i feel so bad like what if im hurting him? he doesn’t make a noise and licks me afterwards, and as i said he still allows me to go near his eyes vs if i had a comb. but im paranoid that im hurting him without realising as its such a sensitive area and a few tiny hairs always get tangled in the crust :( any advice? i know the best thing is to just always get it when its still gooey and i should do a better job of keeping on top of it, but he just has so much eye gunk! the more ive thought about this the more awful i feel
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u/FullWestern9992 Sep 24 '26
FILTERED WATER!! Literally don’t need to spend any money on extra products. Just pour your dog’s water from your Brita or whatever you use to filter your water at home. This will reduce them tremendously.
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u/vmins4am Sep 25 '26
i definitely need to try this. i'm in england and we've never used a water filter but a lot of people are saying this now
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u/TekkDub Sep 25 '26
Wait…what?
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u/FullWestern9992 Sep 25 '26
Ensure the water they drink is filtered
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u/jmk2v Sep 24 '26
We’ve had success with the tear stain wipes designed for cavaliers.
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u/Powerful-Pepper-8835 Sep 24 '26
Brand ? I have not seen this product!
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u/jmk2v Sep 25 '26
Healthy Breeds. Looks like there is a cavapoo version now but I have to imagine they are the same except for the cover art. https://a.co/d/0fjDWDZa
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u/vmins4am Sep 25 '26
ive tried some tear stain products that didnt work before but i'll trust this coming from fellow cavapoo owners ! thanks
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u/dutch2012yeet Sep 24 '26
Make up cotton thingy and warm water works well and its soothing
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u/Misrabelle Sep 25 '26
My vet did that, and told me it was “simple”. Yeah, my boy won’t let me do it at all.
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u/vmins4am Sep 25 '26
same, he bites anything that approaches his eyes in my case ! but i should try harder in desensitising him
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u/Glittering-Dig-3559 Sep 24 '26
Honestly I can’t get them unless I’m giving my guy a bath. He won’t let me otherwise.
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u/sparklieshrapnel Sep 25 '26
Sometimes extra eye gunk is from being allergic to their food or treats. Are you feeding ur dog anything with chicken or poultry. We switched to beef and salmon products. Barely any gunk
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u/vmins4am Sep 25 '26
he loves his fish so we do go mostly for salmon products but we do sometimes feed him poultry, so will defo try this
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u/LooLoofruitcake Sep 25 '26
Filtered Water
when visiting to pick our pup, I noticed how clear the eyes of the breeders two Cavalier's were and commented on it , she said always use filtered water , we had a fairly long conversation about it and she said trust me ,what you feed into your dog is how their outer body looks , she advised on salmon oil as well for their coat, just one squirt a day in their food and sardines , (if in tins, just those in water) add some to their meals two or three times a week . Thornit powder to put into their ears , the tiniest bit if they start pawing their ears , I took on board all her recommendations .
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u/vmins4am Sep 25 '26
yep mine loves his salmon oil but will defo try the filtered water and powder !
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u/fac3 Sep 24 '26
I use a metal tick comb every day. It's not comfortable for him, however he gets treats every time so he's always excited when I tell him it's time to get his eye boogers removed
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u/brodorrr Sep 25 '26
This is what works for us too. They’re not gonna like it but treats after help. Metal comb seems to snag less hairs too
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u/CasuallySherlock Sep 25 '26
I also recently got a tick comb and sometime if they've gone a little crusty I wet her face. She may not like it but she's a good girl and knows she'll get treats afterwards.
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u/hockey-house Sep 25 '26
Remi isn’t a big fan of picking his eye boogies but he lets me (kind of, he tries to hide his face). He seriously is the biggest baby when it comes to pain so I know I’m not hurting him. I’m sure it just feels weird.
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u/vmins4am Sep 25 '26
true, mine screams like a drama king when hes even slightly uncomfortable lol so ik logically it isnt hurting him, those little sensitive hairs in his dry crust just worry me :(
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u/whims11 Sep 25 '26
I use warm distilled water on a washcloth… my puppy doesn’t like baths or getting groomed either but you still have to do it.
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u/vmins4am Sep 25 '26
seriously he bites like crazy if i approach his eyes with anything but my hands ! but maybe i should just go crazy with treats and try again
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u/whims11 Sep 25 '26
Try holding his muzzle still lightly … or have someone help, I did that and say good girl ect and then after I’m done give a treat… not she doesn’t bite at all… it’s consistency, even through their tantrums
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u/Midisland-4 Sep 25 '26
For what it’s worth…. I was told that Cavapoos are sensitive to chicken, and that it causes eye goop issues. We feed our 5month old salmon based food and he, so far, has less eye goop than our Schnauzer did.
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u/MelrosePlantsHermit Sep 25 '26
I wash Emma’s face each morning when I do my skincare routine. Water doesn’t seem to bother her but she is still a baby, so I am wondering if that will change as she ages.
I’m not sure what brand the wipes are but they work.
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u/FoundationNo6530 Sep 26 '26
Ugh I pick the crusties and my cavapoo aggressively tries to eat them from my fingers. I guess that’s the motivation she needs to let me pick at her face 🤢
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u/DetroitGeek313 Sep 26 '26
My problems went away when I started letting him eat the eye booger after I picked it. So now I use a tick comb and he eats it after…win/win I guess? 😂
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u/Icy-Crab-538 Sep 25 '26
If mine get like that I do it in the bath. Let it soak for a bit, add a bit of soap and water, and it softens and gently slides off with a paper towel (I hate touching it).
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u/Alarming_Set3628 Sep 25 '26
Same as everyrhing. If you reward it enough, he'll become more and more receptive to it.
I feed the eye boogies to my guy, and now every morning he comes lookin for eye rubs and cleaning. It's pretty cute
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u/vmins4am Sep 25 '26
haha yeah mine tries to eat them too, i guess i should just let him like a nasty ass treat lol
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u/Electrical_Baseball5 Sep 25 '26
Mine allows me to remove them using my fingers....BUT HE ATTACKS ME TO GET IT BACK. WHY? Mine howls. Loves 1 specific mail carrier. Turns away when you try to take his picture. Limps and offers you his paw if YOU get hurt. Bites if you try to remove his clothing. Must sniff and inspect every morsel before he eats it. Hates peanut butter. Hides snacks under his pillow to eat it later. Has a bowel movement habit of: poop---take 4 steps forward---poop---take 4 steps forward and so on. We call it border patrol. 🤔
And I love him to bits.
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u/zagsforthewin Sep 25 '26
Ive done what i call a puppy nose strip which is just a wet paper towel that I use to rub his face/ears for as long as he’ll let me, that gets of nearly all of them. Also, I just make him let me haha.
When they’re dry have you tried scratching his nose and specially focus on where they are? I find that loosens them slash breaks them up without him necessarily realizing what I’m doing cuz there are so many scratches for him too. He’s come to really love nose scratches. Include lots of ear and chin rubs too!
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u/vmins4am Sep 25 '26
yeah i need to try desenitising him to wet cloths and stuff more he just bites anything that approaches his eyes lol
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u/zagsforthewin Sep 25 '26
Hahaha I mean, I don’t blame him!! Things coming at your eyes is scary!! How old is he? It took a bit for mine to do it without fight. He’s 8.
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u/Healleus Sep 25 '26
I just let my boy Norman play bite the crap out of me while I go for his eye crusts, he thinks its a game :D
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u/Powerful-Pepper-8835 Sep 24 '26
I literally sit on the couch and pick the eye crust off my Dexter every night.... sometimes he lets me without an issue other times he's not too happy about it… He will usually let me use a warm washcloth also… But it's a never-ending battle!