Fur turning dark around the mouth

[Mandy]

Hi, I'm new to this group. I have a 5.5 month old golden doodle. How do i keep her mouth area dry? The fur around her mouth are turning dark brown. :(

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I have the same problem with Murphy.  The hair around his mouth always seems wet or damp and has turned darker.  The only thing that seems to help a little is keeping that area shorter.  I have the groomer cut the hair around his mouth really short and I wipe it a few times a day (when I think of it) with a small hand towel.  Murph likes to put his whole face into the water bowl and he comes out dripping wet so keeping his face dry is a big challenge.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Since Sophie has been sick the meds she is on are making her drink a whole lot more than normal.  We were having this constantly wet problem as well.  DH was running around with a paper towel constantly drying her off.  The other day when I gave her a haircut I trimmed the part under her chin a lot shorter.  It is maybe 1/2 inch now but left the top part longer.  I can't even tell I cut it, and it has helped tremendously!

[Mandy]

Yes!! Dh is also constantly chasing her to wipe her mouth. The fur at the jaw area is about slightly longer than 1 inch. I'm bringing her for a first full grooming soon. Have to trim her down as she swims a few times a week or the whole fur is in a mess when we head to the beach. I'm going to miss her fluffy soft fur.

[Trudy Harlow]

Mandy, it may not be just dampness, but the environment that dampness is creating.  Yeast can take hold due to the dampness in the fold of the lower lip, and that will create dark streaks in the fur.  Your vet can give you some ointment for this.  Keeping the fur around the mouth tightly trimmed (you can do it underneath the mustache so it doesn't affect that look, if it's important to you) will help a lot.  I have my groomer use her clippers to do this -- we don't take it down to the skin, obviously, but trim it just short enough that there's not a lot there to hold the dampness.  Thankfully, I have a delicate drinker, so unlike his labradoodle friend, he doesn't put his whole face in the water bowl.  If yours is doing that, she may grown out of it and until then you may be stuck giving her a face toweling after she drinks.

[Bonnie and Kona]

I have two doodles. One with a constantly wet mouth and one with a dry mouth. I also shave the beard on my doods but leave the mustache. Unfortunately, Kona is not going to keep his face dry, ever. It's up to us. The discoloration is described well by others. Sometimes Kona's 'stache gets crusty and gross and I just have to shampoo his sweet face to get the dried slobber off. It's a small price to pay for sweeter doodlekisses. ;o)

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

This is a protein stain and is darker on some dogs than others. I trim the hair close to the lip when grooming. That helps some.

 

[Jen, Lachlan, and Declan]

Lachlan has a wet mouth (when I let him grow hair on it) and for a while there while I was keeping him in full coat I washed his beard/muzzle area with a 50/50 vinegar/water solution on a washcloth every day. At least it helped keep bacteria growth (and smell) to a minimum.

[Mandy]

Thank you... I'll be sending her for grooming soon. Will tell the groomer to trim the fur around her mouth. For now, i'll just keep cleaning her mouth with vinegar & water solution. :)