Gunk in inner corner of eyes ROCK HARD

[Carol and Truffle]

Truffle gets these rock hard globs of eye gunk that are stuck to her hair & I just cannot get them loose or removed. The vet thinks her tear ducts may just be too narrow for tears to drain properly (forgot to ask whether this will resolve as she gets bigger).

Has anyone experienced this & have any suggestions about how to remove these?

She's 13 weeks old, incredibly wiggly & really doesn't want to be still for my attempts to soak with a wet rag or massage with coconut oil (she REALLY liked the taste of the coconut oil & now just wants to chew my hand to death to lick off all that yummy oil).

Pic for cuteness!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I would not use coconut oil or any other type of oil, it may clog the ducts and cause further problems.

I'd continue to use a damp washcloth on a daily basis, maybe in the evening when she is a bit more relaxed, and try using treats or a spoon with peanut butter on it to keep her still and copperative while you gently wipe the corners of her eyes. You may need a helper for this, lol.

[Rick Edwardson]

Our trainer taught us the "bucket game" for when doing tasks like this (brushing, brushing teeth, cleaning ears, trimming nails). Here's how it works: one person continually feeds the puppy bits of chicken (saying an enthusiastic "yes" with each bite), while the other person brushes, or in your case, works on the gunk. If puppy looks at the person cleaning the gunk or indicates she doesn't like it, you stop cleaning, but the chicken stops coming too. She keeps getting chicken as long as she doesn't act like she minds the gunk removal. It's working pretty well for us. You might give it a try. Our pup will tolerate quite a bit of unpleasentness if the chicken keeps coming. 

[Carol and Truffle]

Thanks Karen & Rick ... 2-person job it will be, no coconut oil.

Will try both peanut butter & chicken treats.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

If you think her eyes are dry, you can use human saline solution to lubricate.

[Julie and Charlie]

Charlie gets gunk all the time- I have just gotten into the habit (and so has he) of picking it off every day. That keeps it from getting too hard and stuck on. Keep working at it with the treats, and touch near the eyes to condition her to the action. When Charlie was young, he wriggled and it was really stuck on, but now he tolerates his daily grooming ritual. 

[Carol and Truffle]

The thing is, she is at a stage where any touching her gets her very wiggly. I do touch her face but then am usually having to struggle with her mouthing & sharp teeth. But I do keep at touching all over

[Julie and Charlie]

It will get better! I remember trying to clean out eye gunk, trim nails, and inspect ears on a wiggly, shark-toothed puppy. Ouch! Anyway, keep at it! You're doing fine! 

[Carol and Truffle]

:)