A really interesting and informative discussion on tear stains.

[mysugarbears]

Boy do i feel your pain Sylvia, that is why i mainly post pics of Kelly at the moment. Everyone but Kelly stained so bad this spring, i know they have allergies and try and stay a step ahead, but this spring was so bad and like i said everyone stained so bad that i cut the hair on their faces off and they are in the process of growing out. It's just so frustrating that's for sure!

[Grace'sMom]

If the tear staining is from yeast the antibiotic won't help it. In fact, it may make it worse. It may make it clear up and then come back worse than ever.

Maybe trying to treat the yeast would be best.

Grapefruit Seed Extract is safe for dogs. I use it for my own yeast (antibiotics - lyme disease).... It works great. You can put a drop or two in her water each day.

Probiotics are great

Apple Cider Vinegar is great. But dogs tend not to like it. I mix it in Gus and Grace's food - about 1/2 tsp per day.



Pats for Mimi

[AshleyAndSophiePup]

I give Sophie a spoon of plain yogurt daily and it really helps, she hardly has any staining and she's teething (I hear Malts get year stains pretty bad during the teething process) when her face is wet the little staining she has looks worse, just like during bath time her ears look so dark, but when they're dry the have just the smallest hint of lemon coloring to them. When her face is dry you can't hardly tell she even had stains. I really think the yogurt and purified water helps. You just have to be careful with the type you buy since some use xylitol as a sweetener like sugar free gum. (I think that's how it's spelled)

[Maidto2Maltese]

I've had nothing but white dogs since 1978 . First was Puffy who was part poodle and ??? ( 50 pounder) She never had tear stains...
Missy didn't for the most part but then did go thru a phase where she got some staining...I attributed it to her condition/meds at the time which I believed to change her PH in her system. I did urnine testing with multi-strips like the vets use and found if her Ph was too off... the stains would start to appear.
Quincy only got some staining when having to have medicinal drops for his eyes.
Naddie only gets a small bit where she has daily 'goobers' in the corners. I try to keep up with cleaning and drying but she still gets some... but not the kind that runs all down her face etc. it's limited pretty much to just her 'corners'.
Why mine overall haven't had the problem I don't know..all have had different diets. All have tap water to drink ( we're on a well and have water tested from time to time for 'safety").
I really tend to think in many cases the Ph of their system makes a difference.

[LuvMyBoys]

I love these discussions. I am open to anything and everything. Jasper has a racoon face, bless his little heart. Dusty is sparkling white. I've done the water,the daily cleaning, the Angel Eyes (after Laurel's amazing results), the grain free food, (sweet) potato free food, vitamins...and it's year round for Jap. I asked the vet about working on his tear ducts and he is open to it, but doesn't want to put him out for just that, wants to do it with a teeth cleaning, but his teeth are good now!

I am interested in Marj's suggestion about Animal Essentials. I've had great success with their Ginger Mint and Tranquility Blend. I'm off to email Crystal...

[michellerobison]

I have to keep on mine constantly to keep their faces clean Emily and Sasha are easy since I never used anything but a clean damp cloth and a little shampoo....but Bitsy and Rylee are a loosing battle. Their former owner used Angel Eyes for years and once the next owners quit,they have wet faces all the time. I really think it made them worse.
I just try to keep up with it,but the older they get the worse it is...

I keep the faces clean and if they're stained,I just live with it now...as long as their clean the staining, though unattractive isn't harmful....

[ladodd]

I had a Jenday Conure (just one). I couldn't believe the dust that one bird caused (let's not discuss the noise..OMG). I ended up rehoming her to a woman that had an inhome aviary. I agree that maybe it is allergies for Mimi. We don't care that she has tear stains, we love her anyway.

[Ladysmom]

Originally Posted by Sylie

Yes, I do give them all Animal Essential probiotics. I give them purified water, I have a bayou bowl for water. The more we talk about it, the more I fear that they are suffering allergens from the birds. I am crazy to avoid any perfumes or chemicals, because I am hyper sensitive. I guess I need to get an air purifier, because the birds do produce a lot of dust. So, I will choose the Filtrete filters. Can you advise me on an air purifier? Sigh. I would really like to rehome my birds, but I don't see it as possible for each one of them. I guess I had better find a way to cope. Fast.

There are some good suggestions in this article for dealing with bird allergies.

Got A Bird Allergy? - 3 Ways To Deal With Your Bird Allergy Effectively | Free Human-Moderated Do-Follow Article Directory

As far as air purifiers, look for one with a HEPA filter. I have Holmes air purifiers, but there are other really good brands, too. It depends on whether you want a whole house unit or one in each room. I always read the consumer reviews.

I noticed a dramatic reduction in household dust when I switched to Filtrete filters and started using air purifiers. They really do work!

[Sylie]

I posted this link to share information with my SM buddies, but it turned out that our discussion really helped me.
I read the articles Marj posted and am really beginning to think that the bird dander is the culprit. I have suspected for long time that the bird dander was the culprit behind Ray's sneezing and runny nose, but had not thought about it causing MiMi's tear stains.
In the article it stresses the importance of cleaning the cage every day. Well, these are big cages and I am sick to death of cleaning them. Guess what? I have become quite lax...and MiMi's tear stains got worse. The dogs are always noodling around looking for bits of food the bird dropped. They have started tearing up the paper in the cages too. I guess I am going to have to get the barrier out again to keep the dogs out...it just looks so bad. Oh well.
I have thought about getting an air purifier before, but just didn't want to have to spend so much money. The replacement filters cost around $250///I wonder how often you need to change then.
Tori mentioned that antbiotics don't kill yeast and, in fact, make it worse. This is something that has always puzzled me about Angel Eyes. But the article that Marj posted said that Tylosin is sometimes used for small animals for it's anti-inflammatory properties.
One question remains. One article said that tylosin is not a broad-spectrum antibiotic and therefore not likely to contribute to drug resistant organisms, but the other article said that it is.
Well, thank you all for your input. This internet is a wonderful source of information.

[shellbeme]

Originally Posted by Sylie

I posted this link to share information with my SM buddies, but it turned out that our discussion really helped me.
I read the articles Marj posted and am really beginning to think that the bird dander is the culprit. I have suspected for long time that the bird dander was the culprit behind Ray's sneezing and runny nose, but had not thought about it causing MiMi's tear stains.
In the article it stresses the importance of cleaning the cage every day. Well, these are big cages and I am sick to death of cleaning them. Guess what? I have become quite lax...and MiMi's tear stains got worse. The dogs are always noodling around looking for bits of food the bird dropped. They have started tearing up the paper in the cages too. I guess I am going to have to get the barrier out again to keep the dogs out...it just looks so bad. Oh well.
I have thought about getting an air purifier before, but just didn't want to have to spend so much money. The replacement filters cost around $250///I wonder how often you need to change then.
Tori mentioned that antbiotics don't kill yeast and, in fact, make it worse. This is something that has always puzzled me about Angel Eyes. But the article that Marj posted said that Tylosin is sometimes used for small animals for it's anti-inflammatory properties.
One question remains. One article said that tylosin is not a broad-spectrum antibiotic and therefore not likely to contribute to drug resistant organisms, but the other article said that it is.
Well, thank you all for your input. This internet is a wonderful source of information.

Birds. Sigh. My African grey's main cage is in the spare bedroom, that room is horribly layered in dust. It doesn't matter how often I dust, it just gets bad. If I knew then what I know now.... I do have an air cleaner but the filter has to be changed/cleaned so often it's ridiculous-but the air cleaner does help-not with the dust it's still thick on everything, but if you don't use the cleaner you can actually smell the dust in that room . If you have African greys or cockatoos you're fighting a loosing battle though.