# Is my dog a full maltese.



## HestolemyheartatWOOF

Hi. I am new to this site. I wanted to get information about my dog. I adopted him from a shelter on a friday afternoon (May 27th). He was estimated to be 3 months old. They found him roaming around an apartment complex with an injured leg. When I adopted him he seemed to be a little older than 3 months. I suggested maybe 4 months or so. He weighed about 5 pounds when I adopted him. I took him to the vet the following tuesday. He weighed about 5.6 pounds then. Since then he has grown a lot. He is about 17 inches long. He weighs about 17-19 pounds. He wouldn't stay put on the scale. For being only 7-8 months, he is pretty big. He is also pretty big compared to the standards of a maltese. He looks just like a maltese but he seems to weigh much more. I don't mind his weight but I am curious as to whether he is a full breed. If you see him, he is not overweight. He is very much in shape and not fat. I have added pictures of him for you to compare to other maltese. The vets at the shelter all stated he was a full breed maltese. I asked around the shelter and the vet's office. They all agree. As he has grown, he looks less like a maltese and is bigger. I question whether he is full breed due to his size and weight. If I knew where he came from, I would know more about him. Since he was adopted, I have no one to turn to. I would like to know more about his past because of his health. Overall, I want to know as much as possible about my dog for his own good. I either think he is not full breed or he is just not falling within the typical standards of a maltese but is still a maltese. I also have considered that his parents are also bigger than standard maltese but are still maltese. I would appreciate your input. If you think he is mixed, can you please let me know what breeds you think he may be. The picture of him on the steel table is when he was first brought to the shelter at 3 months. The next few are of him as hes grown throughout these last few months. Thank you.


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## Orla

He's very cute!

He's probably not a maltese, he may have some maltese in him though.


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## LinzFair

He is very very cute ! His face shape kind of reminds me of my roommates Havenese who is about that size, but I am not a dog breed expert that is for sure


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## Katkoota

hi and welcome to SM. Your baby is so cute. What's his name?

That 3rd, 4th and 5th pictures that you posted so remind me of an online's friend's coton de tulear. She has 3 cotons. One of them has similar body structure , with long legs too, as shown in the 3rd picture. His face also reminds me of her coton. Let me see if I can find some pictures of him to relate. Her coton is awesome too


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## Katkoota

LinzFair said:


> His face shape kind of reminds me of my roommates Havenese


yep. a havanese could also be possible.


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## HestolemyheartatWOOF

*Thank You*

Thank you everyone for your replies. I was always suspicious of his breed. I looked into each breed mentioned but the coton de tulear really stood out. I looked at several pictures of that breed and honestly he reminds me a lot of the breed especially his traits. I just felt like he was just way too big to be a maltese. I have previously looked into a maltese mix with other breeds but never really saw any of them stand out. Even as a puppy, he didn't look like a full breed maltese. I am still looking into the coton de tulear. I think this may be it. He is only 7 months old and is still growing therefore in the future he still wouldn't fall under the standards of a maltese. My dog's name is Bentley. I don't really care if he isn't full breed or if he isn't a maltese (even though i love love love the breed). I just really want to know for his health and what to expect. I feel as a good owner, I should be educated on what my dog is and what I need to do. Thank you everyone.


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## The A Team

Very cute pup!!! I agree with the others, but could possibly have some maltese in him. He looks like a real sweet heart :wub:


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## aprilb

Bentley is very cute but he is not a Maltese. I agree that he may be a Coton or a Havenese/Coton mix.


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## Bailey&Me

Oh my goodness, Bentley is ADORABLE!!! From his pics, I would guess he is a Coton or Coton mix. He's gorgeous. 

Just fyi, if you're really curious to find out his breed or mix, your vets office can run a dna test on him. I had one done on my dog Bailey when I first adopted him because I was curious to know so I could do as much research as possible on any health conditions that are common in his breed/mix. His rescue had posted him on Petfinder as a poodle/shih tzu mix but I seriously doubted he has any Shih Tzu in him. The dna test came back only identifying the poodle part but not the other breed he was mixed with...so it's definitely not always exactly accurate...but in Bailey's case he is mostly poodle so it came back saying any other breed he had in him would be less than 10%. So at least you can have the dominant breed identified, if you really want to.


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## MoonDog

I know what he is! He's a mixture of Cuteness, Preciousness and Adorable-ness! :wub: I can't wait to see more pictures. Welcome to Spoiled Maltese!


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## Summergirl73

What a cutie pie! I'm guessing he is a Coton or Havanese. So adorable ♥


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## Sylie

Here is a pic of Ray the coton de Tulear at about the same age. Your dog looks very much like Ray, but Ray's body is longer than the height to the withers. Full grown he weighs 12. 3 pounds.

If they have a haircut it is very hard to tell any of these similar breeds apart. The coton hair does feel like cotton and has a wave.


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## Maglily

no idea about what he is but he's adorable and looks so cuddly


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## michellerobison

MoonDog said:


> I know what he is! He's a mixture of Cuteness, Preciousness and Adorable-ness! :wub: I can't wait to see more pictures. Welcome to Spoiled Maltese!


 
Yup,I'd say the perfect mix of cuteness and fluff... with a little Maltese thrown in for desert!


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## donnad

Whatever his mix is, he is awfully cute!


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## =supermanskivvies=

Whatever he is, he's incredibly cute! Thank you for adopting him and giving him a loving home. :wub:


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## bentleybsmom

another really cute bentley, he is adorable.


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## RudyRoo

MoonDog said:


> I know what he is! He's a mixture of Cuteness, Preciousness and Adorable-ness! :wub: I can't wait to see more pictures. Welcome to Spoiled Maltese!


I agree with Robin! He is so beautiful no matter what breed. Like others have said too, I would guess Havanese or Coton. Glad you joined us at SM! We are lovers of all breeds, the only requirement of this forum is that you spoil your baby


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## Katkoota

HestolemyheartatWOOF said:


> Thank you everyone for your replies. I was always suspicious of his breed. I looked into each breed mentioned but the coton de tulear really stood out. I looked at several pictures of that breed and honestly he reminds me a lot of the breed especially his traits. I just felt like he was just way too big to be a maltese. I have previously looked into a maltese mix with other breeds but never really saw any of them stand out. Even as a puppy, he didn't look like a full breed maltese. I am still looking into the coton de tulear. I think this may be it. He is only 7 months old and is still growing therefore in the future he still wouldn't fall under the standards of a maltese. My dog's name is Bentley. I don't really care if he isn't full breed or if he isn't a maltese (even though i love love love the breed). I just really want to know for his health and what to expect. I feel as a good owner, I should be educated on what my dog is and what I need to do. Thank you everyone.


Bentley is a very cuuuute name :wub:
I also see more coton in him. Actually, he reminds me of a Kirby coton de tulear :wub: Kirby is my online friend's coton(who has 3 and one of them, Kirby, is the long legs type. I do love that Kirby, so I did learn, with interest about him. You dont find the lond legs cotons as often these days. The breed has changed through out the years, but within a litter, a long legged one can pop up, from my learning/reading about Kirby) .. as i promised , here are his pictures in order to relate to why he reminded me of one ..
Kirby is the coton in your right hand side of this bellow picture. Interesting fact, but the coton in your left hand side was bred by the same reputable breeder as Kirbys. 









Here is a closer look of the two cotons from the same coton breeder









Same breeder, but u can notice the difference in size









Looking at Bentley's 4th and 5th pictures (seeing that cuuute nose as well) does remind me of Kirby's adorable teddy bearish nose:wub:









I so want a Bentley :wub: he looks sooooo huggable. I hope to learn more about him and see more pictures :wub: happy that you joined ^_^


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## zooeysmom

I pet-sat a Coton for a couple of years. He was the sweetest boy and I miss him a lot. I just love the breed


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## Snowbody

I've seen a couple of Coton de Tulears in my neighborhood and he does look like them. Thanks so much for giving Bentley a home and he is off the charts gorgeous, no matter what breed he is. You could have a DNA test run if you really want to know, as Nida said. And as you can see by Bailey's photo, we have several honorary Maltese on the forum so hope you'll stay with us


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## HestolemyheartatWOOF

Thanks once again everyone. I thought of a havanese but in person I really don't see the characteristics of one as much as other . It is possible that he is a havanese/coton mix. I most likely will do a DNA test just to know for his health. Part of the reason I started this search is because he gets sick often from his tummy. He has gotten diarrhea 4 times since I adopted him. I feed him very very very well. I make him food at home that dogs can eat such as white rice, oatmeal, veggies... etc. For the most part I feed him blue buffalo small breed. Right now I am giving him white rice, boiled chicken and canned pumpkin. His spirits are high and he is very playful. He isn't throwing up or any signs of parvo or worms. He seems to have a very sensitive stomach. I watch his diet very well but this seems to happen too often for me not to be worried. The vet says it's just an upset stomach and that he is more sensitive than other dogs so to watch over him carefully, which I do. They've done the parvo test, worms, and stole test several times. I've gotten a second opinion and both agree it's an upset stomach. I just worry so much about him. Luckily he doesn't let anything get him down. Since he was adopted, I really have no sources to turn to but other dog owners and vets. I want to know more about his breed due to his health. I take care of him very well and he is so so so spoiled. Any extra money I have goes to him. He's the love of my life- that's why i choose my screen name to be "hestolemyheartatwoof" because he really did... I just want to know if this may be something within his breed or just him. He has very very very long legs. I'll add a few extra pics to show you his legs. That was one of the characteristics that I noticed that was not compatible with a maltese. The pictures I've added of him with a texans jersey was him just a month ago. The other ones are of him as a puppy. It was within the first week I adopted him. The one at the window was about a month ago. He is still growing so there is no telling how big he is going to get. thank you!


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## edelweiss

Does the food you are giving him contain chicken or turkey or duck? It may be an allergy?


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## HestolemyheartatWOOF

I actually have yet to consider that but thank you. Most of the food I do give him has boiled chicken. The dry dog food is blue buffalo brand. It is the chicken and oatmeal recipe. He doesn't have any other symptoms other than diarrhea. I will definitely look into it.


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## socalyte

My little Maltese Cozette also has a very, very sensitive stomach. It took a lot of trial and error to find something that works for her, but in the end it was Merrick's Puppy Plate and Chicken Pot Pie, along with Blue Buffalo. My vet did give her Pepcid, which was a great help. 

The other thing that helped was giving her more frequent meals and feeding her an hour or less before bedtime.


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## HestolemyheartatWOOF

I have tried to feed him about 2 hours before bedtime to give him time to go to the restroom. I am going to try the trial and error to see how he does. I just thought if I found out his actual breed and if he meets the standards of the breed then maybe I can learn more about the health issues of the breed. I did my research before adopting him because I wanted to make sure a maltese was the right choice for me. Now that I am more than sure he isn't a maltese, I need to find out more about his actual breed which may be a coton de tulear to find out more about his health issues. Everyone's input was very well needed and respected thank you. 

Does anyone know any specifics about the coton breed's health that may relate to his issues?


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## SuziLee

Bentley is gorgeous!! Love his long legs! :heart:

I wonder if his stomach issue could possible be caused by the Blue Buffalo. I picked Blue Buffalo when I wanted to switch Duggy to a better food and the whole time he was on it he almost never had a normal poop. Of course he also had other symptoms that Bentley doesn't, including some hair loss and excessive scratching. We have since figured out that he has a poultry allergy and are still trying to figure out his other food sensitivities. But during my research at that time I found a lot of people who said that Blue Buffalo had caused their dogs to have loose stools.

Hope you figure out the problem soon and that you continue to post on SM. Look forward to seeing more of your beautiful boy!


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## HestolemyheartatWOOF

I adopted him on a friday afternoon. The following saturday he began to have diarrhea and blood in his stools. He only threw up once. The vets office was closed monday so I had to wait until tuesday to bring him in. The 911 vets office said that since he was still eating, alert and not throwing up often that I could wait until tuesday. Well I took him in on tuesday and they said he had a worm. When I adopted him, I got a coupon for IAMS dog food. I thought this was the cause of it. I switched him to a white rice and chicken diet. It helped. I also added canned pumpkin, which also helped. Since then, I have taken care of the worms and he doesn't have them. He has had diarrhea 3 times other than the first weekend. This is his only symptom. I don't know if it's just his stomach or something more. I am just doing all the research I can to find what would help him.


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## HestolemyheartatWOOF

Suzilee- i love the costume on your dog duggy. I was actually going to get the same one for bentley for halloween lol...


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## Canada

Congrats on adopting Bentley!
I love the shots of him playing in his little jersey!


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## HestolemyheartatWOOF

thank you. i think the fact that i adopted him brought us closer together, especially with his background story and someone passing up on him because he was injured. of course that meant he went to me but it still made me hurt for him. injured or not, all animals need love. i guess you can say it hurt me because other dogs are in the same situation and are passed up on because people do not want to pay the medical bill or deal with an animal that isn't 100%. i love my dog either way just as he is.


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## Rocky's Mom

Bentley is gorgeous...no matter what he is! Is beyond cute!!! Hope he's feeling better now. :Welcome 3:


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## HestolemyheartatWOOF

UPDATE: he is way better. he has been doing better since tuesday night. I still need to figure out what is causing this but for now he is back to normal. I am glad that I came to this forum because I was able to figure out his breed. The standards of a Maltese are completely not what he fits. I am glad I have an answer. I may never know if he is a full coton de tulear but at least I know what breed to research as the dominant breed in him for his health. I love him no matter what he is, I always will. Every dog needs love, full breed, mixed or mutt. He is the little prince of my heart.


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## Charisma

HestolemyheartatWOOF said:


> Hi. I am new to this site. I wanted to get information about my dog. I adopted him from a shelter on a friday afternoon (May 27th). He was estimated to be 3 months old. They found him roaming around an apartment complex with an injured leg. When I adopted him he seemed to be a little older than 3 months. I suggested maybe 4 months or so. He weighed about 5 pounds when I adopted him. I took him to the vet the following tuesday. He weighed about 5.6 pounds then. Since then he has grown a lot. He is about 17 inches long. He weighs about 17-19 pounds. He wouldn't stay put on the scale. For being only 7-8 months, he is pretty big. He is also pretty big compared to the standards of a maltese. He looks just like a maltese but he seems to weigh much more. I don't mind his weight but I am curious as to whether he is a full breed. If you see him, he is not overweight. He is very much in shape and not fat. I have added pictures of him for you to compare to other maltese. The vets at the shelter all stated he was a full breed maltese. I asked around the shelter and the vet's office. They all agree. As he has grown, he looks less like a maltese and is bigger. I question whether he is full breed due to his size and weight. If I knew where he came from, I would know more about him. Since he was adopted, I have no one to turn to. I would like to know more about his past because of his health. Overall, I want to know as much as possible about my dog for his own good. I either think he is not full breed or he is just not falling within the typical standards of a maltese but is still a maltese. I also have considered that his parents are also bigger than standard maltese but are still maltese. I would appreciate your input. If you think he is mixed, can you please let me know what breeds you think he may be. The picture of him on the steel table is when he was first brought to the shelter at 3 months. The next few are of him as hes grown throughout these last few months. Thank you.
> [/My Maltese, Rhapsody. Charisma. Both are shelter dogs. I wonder as well if she is pure.....I do know her heart is.QUOTE]


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## maggieh

Welcome and thank you for giving this baby a home. The smaller dog in the photo isn't a Maltese - looks like some sort of mix - and the larger white dog looks like the legs are too long for a pure bred Maltese, IMO. 

Regardless, you did a great thing in giving two shelter pups a loving home and it doesn't matter their genetic make-up, they are your babies now! My Tessa (tan ears in my photo) was also a stray and is a mix of something but it doesn't matter. She says "Rescue dogs rock!" and "thank you for giving them both a home."


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