# Ugly brown/beige streaks fur on face.



## Alaska's Mummy (Aug 30, 2007)

Ok, so I need a little advice on my little pup; Alaska. When we bought him he had a completely white face and looked perfect. We have had him a little over a week now and on a couple of his hairs ugly brown/beige streaks have occurred on these certain strands of hair. It's only a few but I'm a bit worried about him, I know that Maltese puppies/dogs can have tear stains but I have NO idea what this is. 
He has also had a bit of sticky build up of (all I can describe it as) gunk by his eye ducks (a little lower down). I've tried to remove it by water on a cotton wall ball but it hasn't come off. I tried to move it with my finger but I worried I might hurt him!

Please help me asap!
Best wishes,
Amber.


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## Cosy (Feb 9, 2006)

You need to clean his face with warm water everyday. That gunk
needs to be removed. If you can't wipe it off, pick it off. It's 
the same as sleep in the corner of ours eyes in the morning.
Your pup is probably getting eye stain from teething. He's very
young to be away from his mom. The moms usually keep them
clean at this stage. I wish you luck. Lots of info here on SM
that can help you.


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## Matilda's mommy (Jun 1, 2005)

Amber, Brit gave you great advise. I use a cotton ball with warm water and a little tearless puppy shampoo around Matilda's eyes and face. Make sure you rinse off the remaining shampoo with another cottonball. You will get lots of advise to help you. How old is Alaska?


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## jacksonsmomma (Aug 23, 2007)

I went to Target Boutique last week on a mission to find some baby washcloths. My experience of these are that they are very small - very soft - and handy enough for face washing - bottom washing (with a different wash cloth OF COURSE  ) and just the occasional sponge bath if Jackson happens to step in some of his poo or somethin like that. I bought a few packages (about 8 in each package) and what I do is fill up the sink in the bathroom with lukewarm water (I find that the warmth as long as it is warm and not hot - helps loosen some gunk if it should happen to be a bit dry - and that helps loosen it enough for me to either wipe it clear - or pick it off... ) and put a little bit of baby shampoo right in the water as the tap is running. Holding Jackson firmly I make a game out of looking at him in the mirror to divert his attention and keep him entertained - and slowly wipe his face with the washcloth dipping the washcloth as needed into the "bubble bath" as I go along. Then I empty the sink and fill it up again but this time with just luke warm water minus the puppy shampoo. I rinse out the washcloth and then wipe his face one more time - wiping the residue of the shampoo from his little face. I don't fill up the sink all the way - just enough to allow for a few washcloth rinsing. This is my morning ritual - and again - if he should step into anything during the day I also use this method being careful again not to use the washcloth I've wiped his butt with earlier for his face (yucky and not at all safe for his little eyes!). At night I use the same method of "sponge bathing" so that his bottom stays clean. 

There are also some products for eye staining though many people suggest you wait until they are done teething. There are other things that my breeder thought helped eliminate staining - ceramic dishes for food and water or stainless steel she felt helped eliminate staining...also avoiding foods with dyes in them - the more natural the better to name just a few simple things you can do to slow down the staining if not eliminate it completely. Just search "tear stains" here on the forum and you'll find a lot of information. If you feel that the eyestaining and discharge from your baby's eyes is anything more than the very normal tear staining - I'd suggest taking him to the vet maybe and making sure he doesn't have an infection or something. Just my opinion though... I'm still learning alot about my baby, too - but I just search a lot, ask alot of questions, read a lot of books - and torture my breeder with loads of questions (which I did before I brought Jackson home as well...) Good luck - I'm sure Alaska will be just fine and his face will be back to white in no time...  

Kari (JacksonsMomma)


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## carrie (Aug 24, 2004)

well, i don't recall reading how old your fluff is, but massimo's sister wasn't on any flea preventative and had really bad tear staining. as soon as she put her on it, she saw a decrease in staining. 

is alaska on a flea preventative?

also, you might want to look into the food you are feeding him. if it’s low grade and full of fillers and dyes, that also may be the culprit. 

this is the time of year i struggle with massio's staining the most. airborne allergies have a large effect on him. i try to keep the area clean and use a collyrium eye wash called fresh eyes. it really seems to do the trick.

but the number one reason for tear staining is teething. after all the baby teeth are out and adult teeth are in (around 8 months or so), you may be surprised. the staining may just go away.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

> well, i don't recall reading how old your fluff is, but massimo's sister wasn't on any flea preventative and had really bad tear staining. as soon as she put her on it, she saw a decrease in staining.
> 
> is alaska on a flea preventative?
> 
> ...


According to her other post, Alaska is only eight weeks old. I think Brit was right when she told her the main reason for the tearing is that little Alaska should still be with his mother for another month. She'd be keeping his face clean.


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## jacksonsmomma (Aug 23, 2007)

not meaning any disrespect - but since Alaska is no longer with his mama - then that's really a mute point, isn't it? I've read this forum for much longer than I've had Jackson (who is now in his 9th week) and have seen tearing problems among Maltese who are much older than 8 or 9 weeks - even in their 2nd year with extreme tear problems. I think the point about food is a very good one (as is the fact that a momma will keep the baby's face clean - but since the momma is not available all mentioning that does is make the current owner feel bad for not being able to "lick" her baby's face the way the fur momma would...At least that's how I take it being in a similar situation). So check the food and make sure there is no dye in it. Make sure the water you provide is filtered because your water source may have stuff in it that leads to staining - make sure there is no other reason (other than teething, etc.) that could be going on in your baby's eyes - and I would add - since you can not LICK your baby's face (at least with out digesting some unqppealing stuff) - get a cotton ball (or 200) or a few soft washcloths (baby ones work like a dream) and some tearless baby shampoo (I prefer the puppy shampoo to the baby shampoo myself - but I've heard good things about both...) and keep your baby's face clean that way. I've personally washed Jackson's face for the week and a day that I've had him and his face is clean and bright and he's big time in the middle of teething. 

Good luck - and again - just my opinion/feelings. No harm meant by expressing both. 

Kari & Jackson


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## Harley & Dakotas Mum (Jun 11, 2005)

> According to her other post, Alaska is only eight weeks old. I think Brit was right when she told her the main reason for the tearing is that little Alaska should still be with his mother for another month. She'd be keeping his face clean.[/B]



Actually, I believe Brit said she thought the main reason for the tears was teething.

I agree with Kari, the pup is no longer with the mum, so its a mute point, lets move on.

I don't have any other suggestions for Alaska, there is some good advice here on washing the face, keeping it clean & dry, hopefully with age, and when all the adult teeth are in, the problem will take care of itself.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

I had no intention of trying to make Amber "feel bad". She said she was very worried about the brown streaks and asked for advice. 

Several people, Paula and Carrie, asked her how old Alaska was. That is important information to have to get the whole picture so you can offer the advice she asked for. Brit was sharp enough to remember from another thread that Alaska was only eight weeks old and said at that age his mom would be keeping his face clean.

Amber was obviously worried because she said she needed help asap. Getting a little more understanding of a situation is usually reassuring to most people.


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## Cary (Jun 11, 2006)

Hi Amber & Alaska :biggrin: :welcometosm: 

Even with some high quality foods you can run into some staining
issues due to food allergies. Nothing wrong with the food, nothing
wrong with the dog just not a good match. I'm terrible with keeping
the faces clean and agree that it's an important step in the process.
You'll learn a lot here. Stay the course.
Cary & Luke & Leia


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## camfan (Oct 30, 2006)

We use baby wash clothes, too. You can buy them very inexpensively at a dollar store or Burlington Coat Factory Baby Depot.

Ollie never tear stained at ALL until these past few weeks. He's turning 1 year on Tuesday. All through teething his face was white as can be. I didn't change anything in his routine, but this is his first late summer/early fall living on the planet and he may very well have seasonal allergies that are causing his stains for the first time. I think this is what it is because I've also seen him chewing his feet on occasion and scratching a little more than normal. I'm giving him Angel's eyes now anyway, he's old enough, and we'll see if that helps. The offending weeds won't die off for a few more months--if I see that after a few weeks the angel eye's isn't helping then I'll chalk it up to seasonal allergies and wait for the frost to come  Anyway, what I'm saying is that it may not be anything you're doing or not doing. Make sure he's on a good food and keep his face clean--that's all you can do for now. I wouldn't give Angel's eyes or anything like that until teething is over--it's not worth the $ at this point and, even though they claim it's "safe for puppies 8 weeks and up" I wouldn't do it. Just enjoy him while he's a babe--it will only be for a short time!!


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## Scoobydoo (May 26, 2005)

Hi Amber, I think you have already had some very good input regarding the care of your puppy's face and how to keep it clean. It's really not something to stress over though, but just by cleaning the area each day you may find the discoloration will go. Often too puppies do have staining around the eyes and goopy discharge which is normal, Koko had it really bad and his face was a mess when he came home, I tried to clean it as much as possible but the staining is something that will remain till teething is done. It could also be food related, as said, check the food for coloring or beet pulp or red fruit like cranberry, some pups do stain with these foods. If you do decide to change the food make sure you do it over a week or so, not in one feed as this will upset his tummy. Just add a little of the new food gradually, at a teaspoon at a time till he is coping ok and the old is completely replaced.
Once he is done teething at around 6 to 8 months you can perhaps try some Angel's Eyes or Tylan 40 to help clear up any remaining staining on his face. I still wash Koko's face daily with cool filtered boiled water, I don't put any soap near his eyes, but only because he has had problems with them, but also if he goes outside to play on the lawn I need to wash his eyes and use an eye wash solution because he tends to have allergies to the grass and his eyes become red inside. Once I do this though it all settles and he is a happy chappy again


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## mss (Mar 1, 2006)

My Maltese is 11 years old. He gets gunk around the corner of his eyes. I find it's hard to keep the fur out of his eyes, and that is part of the problem. A different haircut has helped, but with a tiny puppy there's probably not much haircutting needed.  

I have found it is better to use eyewash from the drugstore rather than tap water. It seems to irritate his eyes less than tap water. He has had so much trouble with the eye gunk that now he actually appreciates my cleaning his eye area.  

One human eye wash product is Collyrium (not too sure of the spelling) but Rite-Aid Drugs has a similar house brand product which is a little cheaper. Bausch and Lomb has one, too. I have two different bottles beside me at the computer now, the Rite-Aid one and the Bausch & Lomb "Advanced Eye Relief Eye Wash."  The basic ingredients are the same: purified water, boric acid and sodium chloride, with a couple others which are preservatives (edetate disodium and sorbic acid).

(Don't confuse this with contact lens solutions, though.)


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## Scoobydoo (May 26, 2005)

> One human eye wash product is Collyrium (not too sure of the spelling) but Rite-Aid Drugs has a similar house brand product which is a little cheaper. Bausch and Lomb has one, too. I have two different bottles beside me at the computer now, the Rite-Aid one and the Bausch & Lomb "Advanced Eye Relief Eye Wash."  The basic ingredients are the same: purified water, boric acid and sodium chloride, with a couple others which are preservatives (edetate disodium and sorbic acid).[/B]


Yep that's what I use on Koko, the Bausch & Lomb one, he doesn't mind that at all. He is fine with me washing with filtered boiled water, but I always follow with the Collyrium to clean out his eyes. For some reason he gets accumulation of hairs trapped in his eyes, the vet told me to use the eye wash for that as well.


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## phmystic (Aug 24, 2007)

Hi, I found this site http://www.malteseonly.com/cart/products.p...bccf3b18a6f11ec 
And they have all kinds of whitening shampoos and tear whitening items and they are reasonable. I havent tried it yet we just got our maltese and I will purchase it. He has dark stains there now so I want to make sure hes all white and gorgeous. Also we use a flea comb to help brush out all the gunk from his tears. I hope this helps




> Ok, so I need a little advice on my little pup; Alaska. When we bought him he had a completely white face and looked perfect. We have had him a little over a week now and on a couple of his hairs ugly brown/beige streaks have occurred on these certain strands of hair. It's only a few but I'm a bit worried about him, I know that Maltese puppies/dogs can have tear stains but I have NO idea what this is.
> He has also had a bit of sticky build up of (all I can describe it as) gunk by his eye ducks (a little lower down). I've tried to remove it by water on a cotton wall ball but it hasn't come off. I tried to move it with my finger but I worried I might hurt him!
> 
> Please help me asap!
> ...


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## phmystic (Aug 24, 2007)

Lets all remember a new baby is hard for everyone. I found this site and they have great products for maltese pups. They have whitening shampoo and tear items not expensive either. I have tried it since my baby is new as of today but I will purchase it. I will also try the baush and lomb product as well.


http://www.malteseonly.com/cart/products.p...bccf3b18a6f11ec

My pup is 13 wks old and he has that brown/reddish stuff and I am attempting to bring it back to white. Also for cleaning the sleep out of their eyes use a flea comb it helps.

One last thing I bought organic puppy food its made by Nutro, its called Nutro Ultra and its 10 a small bag, and 21.00 a large bag. It has no dyes or animal by products and helps with thier coats. :thumbsup: 
Good Luck


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## Tina (Aug 6, 2006)

Hi, I found this site http://www.malteseonly.com/cart/products.p...bccf3b18a6f11ec 
And they have all kinds of whitening shampoos and tear whitening items and they are reasonable. I havent tried it yet we just got our maltese and I will purchase it. He has dark stains there now so I want to make sure hes all white and gorgeous. Also we use a flea comb to help brush out all the gunk from his tears. I hope this helps


> I have tried these products and they *did not work* or improve the tear staining. The key is to keep the face clean and DRY to prevent tear staining. A Vet Tech explained to me that the staining is caused by an enzyme in the tears and saliva of the dog. When it sits on the coat it stains it. Most likely this puppy started staining because of the stress from going from the only home he knew to a new one.
> Tina


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## kustomkanine (Sep 21, 2006)

The reason why some products work on Maltese dogs eye stain and some don't is because there are many different causes of eye stain. Anything from ear infections to allergies can be the cause.

Luckily there are also many different effective solutions too. I actually have a website dedicated to Maltese dogs where I wrote an 8 part series about Maltese eye stain causes and solutions. Check it out and find the remedy that's right for your Maltese: Maltese Eye Stain Remedies


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