That funky smell around your dog’s eyes is almost always caused by bacteria or yeast growing in moisture trapped against the skin. When tears spill over onto the fur and facial folds, they create a warm, damp environment where microorganisms thrive, and those organisms produce the odor you’re noticing. The smell itself isn’t coming from the eyes directly but from the skin and fur surrounding them.
How Tear Overflow Creates the Smell
Dogs naturally produce tears to keep their eyes lubricated, and small amounts of dried discharge in the morning are completely normal. But when tears are produced in excess or can’t drain properly, they run down the face and soak into the fur below the eyes. This condition, called epiphora, leads to chronic moisture on the skin. Over time, that moisture causes skin irritation, bacterial growth, and a noticeable odor.
The tears themselves contain iron-based molecules called porphyrins, which are a byproduct of red blood cell breakdown. Dogs excrete a significant amount of porphyrins through their tears, saliva, and urine. When porphyrin-rich tears sit on fur, they leave behind reddish-brown stains that darken in sunlight. Those stains aren’t just cosmetic. The damp, protein-rich residue is a feeding ground for bacteria, and that’s where the smell originates.
Bacteria and Yeast Behind the Odor
The two main culprits are staphylococcal bacteria and a yeast called Malassezia pachydermatis. Both normally live on your dog’s skin in small numbers without causing problems. But when moisture, warmth, and debris accumulate around the eyes, these organisms multiply rapidly. The yeast in particular produces a distinctive musty, sour smell that many owners describe as “funky” or “cheesy.” Malassezia and staph bacteria actually have a symbiotic relationship, producing growth factors that benefit each other, so when one population booms, the other often follows.
A significant number of dogs with yeast overgrowth also develop a concurrent staph skin infection. The combination of yeast and bacteria together tends to produce more intense odor and irritation than either would alone.
Why Some Breeds Smell Worse
Flat-faced breeds like Bulldogs, Pugs, French Bulldogs, Pekingese, Boston Terriers, and Shar Peis are especially prone to smelly eyes. Their shortened skulls create excess skin that folds around the muzzle, eyes, and ears. Inside those folds, air circulation drops while temperature and humidity rise. Debris and moisture accumulate, and the constant friction between skin surfaces damages the outer barrier, making infection even more likely.
The result is a condition called skin fold dermatitis. Affected areas develop redness, hair loss, crusting, and a clear malodor. If you own a brachycephalic breed and notice a persistent smell near the eyes or facial folds, this is likely the cause. These folds need regular cleaning because the anatomy itself prevents the area from staying dry.
Dogs with very prominent eyes or rolled-in eyelids also experience more tear overflow regardless of breed, which sets the same cycle of moisture, bacterial growth, and odor in motion.
Blocked Tear Ducts
Tears normally drain from the eye through a small duct (the nasolacrimal duct) that empties into the nose. When this duct is partially or fully blocked, tears have nowhere to go and spill down the face instead. In chronic cases, bacteria begin to colonize the moist hair around the eyes, and a skin infection can develop below the eye with redness, itching, swelling, and hair loss. This is one of the more common structural causes of persistent eye odor, and it won’t resolve on its own since the drainage problem needs to be addressed.
What the Discharge Color Tells You
The type of discharge around your dog’s eyes can help you gauge what’s going on. Clear, watery discharge usually points to irritation, allergies, or a foreign body rather than infection. Allergic reactions typically cause thin, watery tears along with mild redness and frequent itching. This kind of discharge can still cause odor over time if it keeps the fur wet, but it’s generally less concerning on its own.
Yellow or green discharge is a different story. Thick, colored discharge usually signals a bacterial infection, especially when accompanied by redness, swelling, or your dog pawing at the eye. Eye infections can develop on their own or as a secondary problem after a corneal scratch, dry eye, or allergic irritation weakens the eye’s natural defenses. Infections involving colored discharge tend to produce a stronger, more unpleasant smell than simple tear overflow.
Keeping the Area Clean
Regular cleaning is the most effective way to reduce odor between the eyes. Warm water and a soft washcloth or gauze pad will handle most buildup. Gently moisten any dried discharge and wipe it away, moving outward from the corner of the eye. For stubborn residue, a single drop of no-tears baby shampoo mixed into a cup of warm water creates a safe cleaning solution that also helps remove the bacteria responsible for brown tear staining.
If something has gotten into your dog’s eye, sterile saline solution (the kind sold for contact lenses) is safe to flush with. For breeds with deep facial folds, make cleaning those folds part of your daily routine. Keeping them dry after cleaning is just as important as cleaning itself, since the moisture is what drives bacterial and yeast growth in the first place. A dry gauze pad pressed gently into the fold after wiping can help absorb residual dampness.
Signs That Need Veterinary Attention
Some eye odor responds well to improved hygiene at home, but certain symptoms point to problems that need professional care. Watch for yellow or green discharge, excessive blinking or squinting, swollen eyelids, redness in the whites of the eyes, sensitivity to light, or your dog keeping one eye closed. A membrane popping out from the inner corner of the eye (the third eyelid becoming visible) is another red flag.
Eye infections can escalate quickly. If symptoms don’t improve within 24 hours, or if your dog is actively pawing at the eye and seems to be in pain, that timeline matters. Corneal scratches and untreated infections can cause serious damage in a short window, so earlier evaluation is better than waiting to see if things improve.