Tear Stains - At Wit's End

[mysugarbears]

here's a link to a post when (Moxie'sMom) talked to Tonia (Rhapsody Maltese) at Westminster about tearstains and other things. http://spoiledmaltese.com/forum/index.php?...p;hl=buttermilk

[kikiiniowa]

Thank you!

[Ms Gracie]

QUOTE (Hunter's Mom @ May 6 2009, 06:43 AM)

I think I might be of some help to you. It has taken us an entire year to get Hunter's tear staining to a minimum. This is what we have done.

First, get rid of all poultry in his diet. This will require you to be very careful about the treats you give him as many treats contain chicken flavoring in some capacity so read the ingrediants carefully. (we use natural balance venison and sweet potato)

Second, eliminate as many grains as possible - rice, wheat, etc from food and treats. Again, this requires you to be a lable reader for treats but it's well worth it. (we feed natural balance sweet potato and venison treats, dehydrated sweet potato by Simply, and buddy biscuits in sweet potato - these have a little bit of grain but Hunter seems to be ok with them, we also feed carrots, peas, and pieces of fruit as treats).

Third, clean the eye area once a day or every other day with Spa Lavash (this is the only product that I have found to work well).

Fourth, give your baby only bottled water (we don't do distilled, just regular bottled).

Fifth, clean your babies feet when he comes back in from outside - sometimes irritations from allergies can increase the tears.

Sixth, have your vet check the shape of your babies inner eye to nose slope. Hunter's is not a ledge (45 degree slope) but almost a right angle (90 degree cliff) so he is more prone to tear staining as the tears don't naturally weep from his eye but pool inside this cliff so we have learned to be more diligant.

Seven, keep the hair out of your dog's eyes and away from their mouth - for Hunter this means puppy cut and shorter beard.

Please know that you will not get results immediatly. This is a natural process and as I said before it has taken us an entire year to get to where we are today. Hunter's face is still wet in the eye area a lot but there is much less staining. This is what works for him. You need to attempt anything like this for 3 months or so before you decide what is and is not working (said my vet) because you need to allow your dog's body to process out all the bad stuff and be filled with only the good stuff.

I hope this helps.[/B]

[JustUs2]

I bought the natural yogurt and the powdered buttermilk today. My question is, can I give her both every day? I gave her about a teaspoon of the yogurt this evening and she loved it! But I didn't know if it's ok to give her the powdered buttermilk too?

[mysugarbears]

QUOTE (JustUs2 @ Jun 5 2009, 10:12 PM)

I bought the natural yogurt and the powdered buttermilk today. My question is, can I give her both every day? I gave her about a teaspoon of the yogurt this evening and she loved it! But I didn't know if it's ok to give her the powdered buttermilk too?[/B]

I give mine both at the same time. I haven't had any problems with it. I mix it up in their food at night.

[msmissy28]

i was recommended by my groomer to feed "four paws" yeast tablets. 1-2 tablets a day. it worked initially with my 1st bottle. my HAPPY was rid of tear stains as well as the red stains of his four paws. so i went to get a 2nd bottle. but somehow, it didnt work anymore. so recently, i was recommended by another dog owner to try colloidal silver eye drop. anyone of u tried? where is a safe online website to get it? i've been hunting for it but just dun seem to be able to find it in pet shops in sg.

[Kutsmail1]

I too am still battling with tear stains. I recently watched a grooming video where the owner took a section of one of the perm. wave papers and cut it, folded it, and wrapped it around the section of the hair right at the inside corner of the eye. It is the part that wicks the moisture from the tear ducts down to the hair causing that stain. It is a tiny section and easy to identify. Then take a tiny band to hold it in place.

(Cutting and folding: Take one wave paper, cut in half. Fold each half in half, then fold in thirds. This also gives extra layers for the drainage to be wicked into. Wrap in thirds around the tiny section of hair, then band)

I worried that Zippy would rub her face and get them out, but she doesn't seem to be bothered by them at all. It does look like it might be working. The brown discoloration seems to be fading some. Change daily with grooming. Awkward at first, but gets easier.

Also, I make sure water dishes are washed daily. I changed to bottled water. Also, changed food to eliminate wheat and corn products. I am giving her a teaspoon of yogurt daily too as someone else on SM had suggested.

[lovesophie]

I'm fighting the tear stain battle, too, and I can't tell you how frustrated I am. My vet checked their tear ducts twice, and he assured me that tear flow was good. Could it be their food? My vet doesn't seem to think so. Right now, they're on Primal raw (lamb) and Stella & Chewy's freeze-dried (lamb). They also eat organic, free-range eggs with organic, extra virgin coconut oil, veggies, and a little bit of organic goat cheese. I also feed them organic, grass-fed beef or wild-caught salmon (no oil or salt added) at times. They eat fruit every day. I bought Tylan a while ago, but I have not used it yet, though my vet thinks I should start them on it.

I'm thinking about switching the Primal for Orijen's Fresh Fish formula and keeping them on this for at least six weeks. Yesterday, when I picked up some dog food, the owner of the store told me about a new, all-natural product that helps get rid of tear stains. He said it's not an antibiotic. When he gets this product in, he said he would give me a call. I want to make sure I exhaust all options before resorting to Tylan.

Good luck to everyone battling the tear stains!!! It sure is frustrating.

[Deborah]

I would never use colloidal silver eye drops. I was once searching for an over the counter type of medicine for bronchitis colloidal silver is supposed to work. Now comes the major problem. It can and will turn your skin BLUE. Google and read all about it.

[rojenn]

QUOTE (EmmasMommy @ May 13 2009, 09:14 AM)

QUOTE (Inchiapas @ May 12 2009, 10:57 AM)
QUOTE (Nissa Fiona @ May 11 2009, 06:11 PM)
After trying everything you can think of myself (including Angel Eyes), I followed the advice of a post on here and started putting a bit of dried buttermilk in Nissa's food EVERY day and can't tell you how happy I am with the results! NO STAINING! You can find it in the baking section of the grocery store. I keep it in the refridge even though you don't have to but feel it keeps it fresher. I've also heard that yogurt mixed in the food helps. I gave these ideas to Nissa's groomer and she also tried it and was truly amazed at the results, now it's what she recommends to all her clients and she said they come back very grateful for the great idea. Good luck!

Thanks so much. Believe it or not, no buttermilk exisits where I live! I'll try natural yogurt. The "secret" ingredient could be active bacillus, since it is in both products.
__________________________________________________ ______________________________
__________________________________________________ __________________

Have tried many suggestions with varieties of results NONE thorough enough for me. We use Angel Eyes, bottled water, no foods with red dye, etc. I am willing to try the ButterMilk and can the Angel Eye's completely ( as it tastes Horrible & is expensive). I found a place on-line that sells the Buttermilk powder and the price is sure good for the quanity. I don't think we will use the whole 16 oz bag before the expiration date ( 9 months) I am wondering if refrigeration or sealing in a glass or plastic container is needed? I will try to find this in the supermarket. I know Publix will order it for me if I ask. I am sure it has to taste pleasant too. Thanks! I will let you know how we make out and I will take before and after photos.

Maybe we ( members of SM) should do a real test........... an organized test with groups ? It seems to me it would be worthwhile instead of paying money for all these theoretical cures we should find out what really works the best. Then once and for all we would give sound tested advice. We would just have a sheet where data is collected and submitted.


http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/...mpaign=shopping[/B]

Good Morning,

We purchased organic powdered buttermilk at Whole Foods and it is also listed online. The brand names we use are 1) Organic Valley, Family Farms and 2) Bob's Red Mill. Both Olive Flower and Ezra enjoy this mixed in their food. (Pssst! Ezra suggests to me he would also enjoy the buttermil mixed in to Olive Flower's food and I could confirm this by allowing him to sample her meal bowl to the metal.) In addition to the Lotus kibble and Oranix or raw food mix in the evening, I lightly dust the ingredients with buttermilk and gingerly stir. In the morning I just mix Stoneyfield organic plain yogurt in the kibble.

Olive is in mid process of T & T and the buttermilk or yogurt along with excellent food and the Spa Facial Scrub 2x a day have provided a good management recipe for staining.