Ask us your Maltese health questions! Answered by registered veterinary technician

[munchkn8835]

Ollie has rusty colored eye stains that don't seem to go away. Also, his coat in some places is very thin. I've thought about distilled water, but heard it isn't good to keep them on it. His eyes don't have any odor so I'm thinking not yeast. He is on grain-free Acana.

[Lynzodolly]

Hi there , my almost 6 months (full Maltese boy ) is 9lbs I know he has been eating a lot of treats but the past three days I have stopped them all together , am I doing the right thing ? Is he really massively over weight ? He gets almost an hours worth of walks over the days and is very active .... please help x

[royalpetclub]

Originally Posted by Bren

I do have to disagree with the pee pad situation only because I live in a very rural area. Several of my neighbors have lost their pets right off of the back porch from Mountain Lions. We also have Eagles and Owls and hawks that easily could carry away a tiny Maltese. My dogs use pee pee pads for that reason. I have had very little problem with them when we travel because we put the Pee pee pads into the restroom area of where ever we are staying and they eliminate on the pads. Yes, it is stinky, but only until the pee pee pads are changed, and they are after each use. Sometimes it is a necessity to have your dog use the pads. it's for their own safety. ( also live somewhere where in the winter time it is common for the outside temperature to be well below freezing in the middle of the day, not to mention at night) which isn't very good for the dog or the owner. Occasionally we get over 4-5 feet of snow as well. hard to see a little white dog on a sea of white.

Hi Bren,

Yours is a special situation and I agree with you that pee pads in your instance, would indeed, be a safe alternative to regular training. They're also great for traveling.

However, in my experience both clinically and at home, most inside dogs need the experience of learning to go potty outside not only as a way to socialize them to other people, situations, and animals, but as a source of much needed Vitamin D that they get from sunshine and can't get from their food.

My personal opinion is that even little dogs (and I have a Boston terrier and a Puggle) need to be outside part of the day for exercise and fresh air and not kept inside like a houseplant.

Cate RVT

[royalpetclub]

Originally Posted by maltese#1fan

I have to respectfully disagree with you. For some people the wee wee pads work well. If a dog is pad trained well, they do not go all over the house -- just on their pad. Heidi was trained to go both on a pad and outside. When she was diagnosed with congestive heart failure, she was placed on lasix among other things and would have to urinate constantly. If she wasn't pad trained this would have been so hard on her.

Hi Karen,

Again, yours is a special situation and pee pads are much needed in your situation.

Please see my reply to Bren as to why I feel that most dogs (not those in situations like both of yours) do not benefit from pee pad training.

Cate RVT

[royalpetclub]

Originally Posted by Bren

Hi. My female Maltese Lexi gave birth 30 days ago today. she had two puppies. the second pup, a female, was stillborn. The Surviving puppy, also a female is healthy. both pups weighed in at 8 ozs at birth, and were quite large for their mommy. She had a difficult birth. The vet saw both her and the puppy, and determined that they both were well and removed the puppies dewclaws. everything checked out. She eats Blue Buffalo Chicken and Oatmeal with Life Source Bits mixed with Blue Buffalo Grain Free chicken. Occasionally I do give her poached chicken breast as a treat. I have been giving her cottage cheese because she is nursing.
Today, Lexi was playing with her pup and acting normally. I have noticed however that she just doesn't seem like she feels well. I would expect her to be more tired than normal, and more likely to sleep because it is draining to be a lactating mom. but you can see in her eyes, she doesn't feel well. Her temperature is 100.9 degrees. this evening, she urinated on her pee pee pad, and there was blood in her urine. it was yellow urine, but there was a significant amount in the center of the urine like at the tail end of her urine stream) that appeared quite red. I am concerned obviously. we live in a very rural area, and the closest veterinary hospital on a Friday is over an hour and a half drive away. They are predicting flash flooding right now and therefore it is possible that we wouldn't make there anyway due to road closure. please advise. would it be a good idea to give her pedialyte or just plain water? She will see the vet on Monday, but for the weekend I am wanting to make her as comfortable as possible. I want to do what is best for her. If you could advise what I should give her to eat or drink would be helpful Thank you!

Hi Bren,

I'm sorry for replying so late but this just now showed up when I refreshed the page.

Pedialyt diluted 1/2 and 1/2 with water is fine as is regular water. Anything to keep her hydrated and urinating.

I'm curious. Did you have her spayed after her puppies were born? If not, she may be suffering from pyometra, a uterine infection that typically occurs several weeks after birth or after the last heat cycle. It also could be, of course, a urinary tract infection.

In either case, if she's seeing her vet tomorrow, that is the best recourse for both of you.

Again, I apologize for the lateness of my answer and hope it helps your worries a little.

Cate RVT

[royalpetclub]

Originally Posted by Lynzodolly

Hi there , my almost 6 months (full Maltese boy ) is 9lbs I know he has been eating a lot of treats but the past three days I have stopped them all together , am I doing the right thing ? Is he really massively over weight ? He gets almost an hours worth of walks over the days and is very active .... please help x

Hi Lyndzy,

Your boy is not obese, but I suspect he's a bit chunky, right?

Instead of giving him doggy treats, try giving him some baby carrots, bits of broccoli flowers, bites of apple or pears...something with nutritional value. Most commercial treats are a lot of filler and calories, whereas real food will help in all kinds of ways, not just weight-wise.

Also, try giving him treats when he's done something good, like letting you know he needs to go outside, or bringing you his ball. That reinforces any kind of training you've been doing, as well as limiting the amount of times he gets treats during the day. You should typically only treat him 2 or 3 times a day and, with his new fresh fruit and veggie treat providing bulk and fiber, he won't get as hungry for them.

Remember, if you can feel his ribs through a very, very thin layer of fat -- he's at the right weight. If you can't feel those ribs, or it takes a 1/2 inch of fat or so to get to them, he's eating too many calories. The exercise he's doing will help and as he gets a bit older he should lose the "puppy fat."

Hope this helps.

Cate RVT

[royalpetclub]

Originally Posted by munchkn8835

Ollie has rusty colored eye stains that don't seem to go away. Also, his coat in some places is very thin. I've thought about distilled water, but heard it isn't good to keep them on it. His eyes don't have any odor so I'm thinking not yeast. He is on grain-free Acana.

Hi Donna,

I'm going to give you a multi-layered answer here, so here goes.

The eye stains are an on-going problem for Maltese dogs and here is something I wrote for an earlier poster that might help you with Ollie:

"Some of the studies I've read point to the "red yeast" being an environmental allergen that profligates in the moisture of the tear ducts or the saliva on damp hair and skin. You'll notice the same color on white dogs especially who constantly lick and chew on their paws or legs.

Some experts point to the oxidation of saliva and tears and recommend not feeding dog food heavy in grains and cereals to alleviate the issue. Others point to allergies and the pH or mineral content of your dog's drinking water that gets carried over into his system creating the red stains.

Dr. Kristy Conn of Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine and the University of Minnesota Veterinary School says that the red staining is due to accumulation of a pigment called porphyrin which is found in tears and saliva.

My tendency is to think that the color comes from within the dog like Dr. Conn states, simply because you don't see a lot of variance of color from animal to animal. It would seem to me that if the "red yeast" were an environmental issue, the color of the staining would vary from dog to dog, and region to region. But it doesn't. Its always that same rusty-red color. Hence, the thought that its carried in all dogs and really only shows in the ones with white fur.

Many natural veterinarians are now recommending products that work on tear stains from the inside out -- in other words, food supplements that work to reduce the adherence of yeasts and bacteria to your dog's hair that causes the staining. The theory is that by taking these supplements, the hair grows out gradually and remains stain-free, and all you have to do in the meantime is carefully trim the stained hair as its growing.

Because a few of these natural products contain the ingredient Tylosin -- an antibiotic that can cause your Pipper to have an upset tummy -- I would recommend looking at the ingredient list carefully and not using those that do.

I am going to link you to a website that reviews some of the natural products out there and urge you to look them over. Check their ingredients, dosages, etc.

http://pet-health-centers.com/tear-s...b%7C9533815981

Your other alternative is to purchase some OTC saline solution (the kind used for contacts) and squirt it in your pup's eyes to loosen up the staining and gently get rid of the clumpy parts that way. It won't get rid of the red, but it will make it easier for you to clean her eyes. Also, many of the pet parents on this site have found relief in using various doggy wipes to help in keeping the eyes clean.

I want to urge you to see your veterinarian if her eyes ever start showing up with an abundance of mucous, or any yellow, goopy stuff. That's usually a sign of infection or injury and will need to be taken care of by your vet."


There is something you can do nutritionally to aid in hair growth and Ollie's skin in general.

First of all, if Ollie's not already on a canine multi-vitamin, I would suggest doing that. Mine love them as treats or you can get the liquid kind that you pour over his food. Also, fish oil capsules are full of anti-oxidants that can help with hair growth. Give him one a day -- or if the capsules are too big -- cut one open and put it on his food.

The other thing you can try is adding foods full of Vitamins A, E, and C to his meals. Fruits and vegetables containing vitamin A are canned pumpkin, cantaloupe, mango, squash, sweet potato, spinach and carrots. Vegetables that have vitamin C are broccoli and potatoes.Vegetables with vitamin E are sweet potatoes, turnips and spinach.

My suggestion -- and the ones my dogs like -- is to put a bit of roasted sweet potato, spinach and carrots in his food at every meal. It doesn't have to be a lot, maybe a teaspoon of each but that will give him extra nutritional value he may not be getting right now from his regular food.

If you choose to do that, give him small amounts of the vegetables at first, gradually increasing to a teaspoon per meal over a period of 4-5 days. This will give his stomach time to adjust to the new food without upsetting it.

Hope this helps.

Cate RVT

[Bibu]

Given we are on the tear staining topic, I thought I would ask my question. Bibu does not get any staining whatsoever but his eyes are always very watery which keeps his eye area very wet all the time. Even if I wash his face everyday and try to keep the area as dry as possible, the skin around and under his eyes is very red and irritated. I tried clipping all the hairs around his eyes so I know it's not a hair issue. What could I do to slow down the tear production and keep the area dry? Is there anything I can use for the irritated skin? Thanks!

[royalpetclub]

Originally Posted by Bibu

Given we are on the tear staining topic, I thought I would ask my question. Bibu does not get any staining whatsoever but his eyes are always very watery which keeps his eye area very wet all the time. Even if I wash his face everyday and try to keep the area as dry as possible, the skin around and under his eyes is very red and irritated. I tried clipping all the hairs around his eyes so I know it's not a hair issue. What could I do to slow down the tear production and keep the area dry? Is there anything I can use for the irritated skin? Thanks!

Hi Cory,

Not much you can do naturally for the tear production. In fact, no tear production at all is a much bigger problem, as you want the natural moisture of tears to keep his eyes soft, moist, and pain free.

Have you had your veterinarian look at this problem? If not, I would suggest you do so. There is a congenital condition called entropion where the eyelashes turn inward and rub against the cornea causing redness and tearing. Even though entropion is not typical in this breed, it could possibly be causing the problem and will need to be surgically corrected.

The other thing you may want to look at is if Bibu is allergic to anything aerosol in your house. Do you smoke and maybe the smoke is irritating his eyes? Do you use gas heat that he may be more sensitive to? Is there an aromatic indoor plant that may be irritating him? Does he rub at his eyes and do they seem itchy? Or is the skin just normally red?

Have your veterinarian check those things and also look for any eye infections or injuries. Injuries and infections -- even those you can't see -- could account for the excessive tearing and red skin.

Any kind of antibiotic your vet gives you for his eyes will work on the skin around and under the eye itself because it melts around the whole eye area.

But without knowing if the there is a disease process going on, its hard to tell you what to do at home.

I hope this helps.

Cate RVT

[Lmojeda]

I have a 6 wk old puppy and she has this staining on her muzzle and front paws only.. What is it? Have u seen this before. I read it may be from nursing or mom licking excessively??


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