Tear staining bothers owners far more than it bothers dogs. The rust-coloured tracks under a white-faced dog are, to the dog, nothing at all — but they mark a face that is permanently a bit damp, and a permanently damp crease of skin is the part that is actually worth keeping on top of.

These are pre-soaked pads, 100 to a tub, for wiping tear stains and other discharge away from around the eye as a daily routine rather than as a rescue. Bugalugs describe the formula as natural and the wipes as 100% biodegradable, and position them for everyday use to keep the area clean. That is, quite genuinely, the whole specification supplied — there is no ingredient list behind it.

• 100 pre-soaked wipes per tub
• Described as 100% biodegradable
• For wiping away tear stains and other discharge around the eye
• Intended as a daily routine rather than an occasional treatment
• No ingredient list has been supplied by the maker

What a wipe cannot do. Tear staining is a symptom, not a condition. It happens because an eye is watering faster than it drains, and the reasons for that run from the completely harmless conformation of a flat face to a blocked tear duct, an ingrowing lash, an allergy or something physically in the eye — a wipe cleans the fur and touches none of that. A red eye, an eye held shut, a dog pawing at its face, or discharge that suddenly changes colour or volume is a same-day vet appointment. Two smaller notes: no ingredient list has been supplied for these at all, and while they are sometimes listed for cats, every line of the maker's own copy is about dogs, so if it is a cat's face you are wiping, ask your vet before you start.

Who it's for: owners of white-faced and flat-faced dogs who are already wiping under the eyes every day and would rather have a pre-soaked pad than cotton wool and a bowl of warm water — and who already know why their dog's eyes run.