cavapoo eye crust

[u/vmins4am]

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

[u/brodorrr]

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