# The war against tear stains! HELP!



## Twinkle (Apr 24, 2010)

Okay guys, so I have a 4 year old maltese with lots of red stains. She had it when she was a puppy, and she has it now. I know this is a common problem but I am desperate for a recipe to stop this madness! I have been patient for 4 years! I have changed her diet to natural balance (sweet potato and venison) to reduce dietary allergies, but she still tears. I cannot figure out what it is and it is driving me nuts! I am in the process of growing out her hair so that i can tie it up in a top knot and prevent the hairs from irritating her..but there must be something else i can do! If anybody has any secrets about preventing tears, or tear removal wipes (that actually work!) or other ideas...PLEASE HELP!!!

-Rachel and Twinkle


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## iheartbisou (Feb 13, 2007)

What kind of water are you giving her?
Have you tried using probiotics?

Also I've heard that some dogs stain no matter what, based on genetics or maybe the structure of the head? (Not sure about the structure..just heard that).


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## pinkpixie1588 (Oct 12, 2009)

I'd ask your vet about getting a prescription for Tylan. I think it's normally a 10 day course and for a lot of Malts it can clear it up. Otherwise, it might be environmental. Are you giving her filtered or spring water? Have you tried giving her a limited-ingredient diet so you can eliminate food allergies? 

Has the tearing come and gone or has it been consistent her whole life?


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## Twinkle (Apr 24, 2010)

I give her water from the sink (not filtered. Is filtered better?) and no i have not tried probiotics. However, she has been getting fleas, but she was tearing before she had fleas too. Her tearing has been constant for 4 years straight. =(


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## pinkpixie1588 (Oct 12, 2009)

Filtered/spring is better because high concentrations of minerals can contribute to staining. 

Not sure about the flea problem and how that might affect things.

ETA: Check out this site. I found it to be one of the most comprehensive explanations of potential causes and ways to tackle stains. http://www.bhejei.com/tearsta.htm


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## CloudClan (Jan 31, 2007)

Fleas absolutely can make tear stains worse as they induce allergies and allergies just like in humans can make your eyes water.


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## mysugarbears (Aug 13, 2007)

When Riley got his teeth cleaned i had the vet check his eyes because he was tearing and staining like crazy and his tearducts where clogged. Since his tearducts where flushed no more wet face and his staining is clearing up. I find with Noelle and Chloe if i don't wash their faces daily they start to tear.


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## jeannief (Aug 6, 2009)

Mason had tear staining too. This is what worked for him -- Filtered water, changed to NB potato and duck, and I give just a bit of powerdered buttermilk after he eats food twice a day. I use Spa facial scrub on his face when it is needed or I just use a damp washcloth to wipe his face daily and also a little comb to comb out the eye stuff. That has worked for him. I hope this helps you.


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## Maltsnme (Feb 7, 2009)

*Nb d/p*



jeannief said:


> Mason had tear staining too. This is what worked for him -- Filtered water, changed to NB potato and duck, and I give just a bit of powerdered buttermilk after he eats food twice a day. I use Spa facial scrub on his face when it is needed or I just use a damp washcloth to wipe his face daily and also a little comb to comb out the eye stuff. That has worked for him. I hope this helps you.


 
Have you noticed the horrible "smoke" smell now?? I'm so irritated with them. Here they have this GREAT food and then they add in "natural smoke flavoring". um, scuze me but what is so "natural" about smoke flavoring!!! 

AS far as probiotics, Iams has a new one out (well, fairly new) called Prostora. It is freezedried live cultures, taken from the intestinal track of a healthy Labrador (bit sceptical about a healthy Labrador LOL) and the rep asked me yesterday when he came into the clinic, if I knew any "white dogs with tear staining" I said "um, a few" ) he said this product they found as a side effect, helps tears stains. 

So, just passing along. I got a pack and will try it, but I don't have too much of an issue with tear stains, maybe a tad on Indi and Feather, just from hair getting in their eyes, so, not sure I'm a great candidate, but I'll see... It is actually made to help with diarrhea and he claimed it was resistant to metranidazole and albon... not sure I believe that either (listened to alot of reps over the last 25years )) but we'll see how it works. 

karla


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## uniquelovdolce (Mar 10, 2010)

question about the tear stains ? if u wet her hair does it come off slightly like when they hv the eye boogies or is it that the hair is just stained that way ... 

she is adorable tear stains and all .


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## sheila's malt (Apr 17, 2010)

I would like to suggest you have a groomer cut around her eyes for awhile. My little one had that and i had her hair cute around her eyes for about 3 groomings, and i used crystal eye that you can buy at petsmart. Now she don't have any tearng. i can asure you that cutting does help and it looks much much better. They are alot of nice cuts the groomer can do. Hope this helps.


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## pinkpixie1588 (Oct 12, 2009)

I'd be careful about cutting around the eyes unless you want to do it consistently/long-term. Letting it grow out past a certain point will cause it to poke into the eyes until it gets long enough to fall flat, which can be a long wait.


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## bailey02 (May 1, 2009)

I used angel eyes for a short period of time and that helped Bailey alot with her tear stains. Now I just wipe her eye area once a day with a q-tip and the tear stains seem to be under control. Also I get her groomed every two weeks and that has also helped me keep that area nice and clean.


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## yeagerbum (Apr 20, 2010)

sheila's malt said:


> I would like to suggest you have a groomer cut around her eyes for awhile. My little one had that and i had her hair cute around her eyes for about 3 groomings, and i used crystal eye that you can buy at petsmart. Now she don't have any tearng. i can asure you that cutting does help and it looks much much better. They are alot of nice cuts the groomer can do. Hope this helps.


I use a small scissor from Daiso's pet section to trim the stained hair on yeager's face by myself. After the trimming his face looks much cleaner  he's pretty cooperative too. 



pinkpixie1588 said:


> I'd be careful about cutting around the eyes unless you want to do it consistently/long-term. Letting it grow out past a certain point will cause it to poke into the eyes until it gets long enough to fall flat, which can be a long wait.


I agree.


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## Twinkle (Apr 24, 2010)

She has both the gunky eye boogies and the stains in the fur. Sometime i can't just use a cloth to wipe off the boogies..i have to cut them out =( So i just cut out the stained fur as well.. 3 days later..more gunky stuff and stained fur. This is an endless cycle.


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## Twinkle (Apr 24, 2010)

I will try giving her filtered water and see if that helps a little..but i feel she needs a little more help than that. I guess she might need to make a vet stop (you know how expensive that is going to be =/ ). Thank you all (from me and Twinkle) for your advice and let me know if you have more ideas.


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## iheartbisou (Feb 13, 2007)

Twinkle said:


> She has both the gunky eye boogies and the stains in the fur. Sometime i can't just use a cloth to wipe off the boogies..i have to cut them out =( So i just cut out the stained fur as well.. 3 days later..more gunky stuff and stained fur. This is an endless cycle.


Are you using a cloth with warm water? That's what I use to wipe the gunky stuff away, usually just a (dry) cloth doesn't do it (in my experience). Also I use a very fine, soft material cloth...you can use a baby washcloth too, that helps as well.


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## uniquelovdolce (Mar 10, 2010)

for dolces eye boogies , cause he tears alot , i noticed first of all i have to clean his face every day , i usually take a wet warm washcloth or a babywipe n wet n wipe but usually i have to use a flea comb to take boogies out , i notice when i miss even one day his hair looks like if it is stained when it really isnt its just dried eye boogies , so i have begun to do this every day !


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## puppymom (Jun 13, 2005)

pinkpixie1588 said:


> I'd ask your vet about getting a prescription for Tylan. I think it's normally a 10 day course and for a lot of Malts it can clear it up. Otherwise, it might be environmental. Are you giving her filtered or spring water? Have you tried giving her a limited-ingredient diet so you can eliminate food allergies?
> 
> Has the tearing come and gone or has it been consistent her whole life?



Just a note of caution, filtered and spring water are two very different things. Water sold as "spring" water is not filtered and often comes right out of a tap. It may contain more minerals than some well water. 

If you think it is from the water you need to use a high quality water filter system. 

We had very good luck years ago with Tylan.


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## yeagerbum (Apr 20, 2010)

puppymom said:


> Just a note of caution, filtered and spring water are two very different things. Water sold as "spring" water is not filtered and often comes right out of a tap. It may contain more minerals than some well water.
> 
> If you think it is from the water you need to use a high quality water filter system.
> 
> We had very good luck years ago with Tylan.


So would you say Arrowhead Spring Water(the bottled ones) have too much mineral content? Here's their mineral content analysis: Arrowhead - Sources Of Water, Mineral Contents & The Water Cycle - Know H2O | Nestlé

thanks! I'm just confused about what exactly is too much.


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## Twinkle (Apr 24, 2010)

I am currently using my brita to filter out the water for Twinkle. Also, Tylan is an antibiotic. Isn't it bad to give your dog antibiotics when he/she doesnt need it? This is often the cause of antibiotic resistance no? I am thinking about adding some dried buttermilk in her food to see if this works. Has anybody tried that?


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## ilovemymaltese (Oct 9, 2008)

pinkpixie1588 said:


> I'd be careful about cutting around the eyes unless you want to do it consistently/long-term. Letting it grow out past a certain point will cause it to poke into the eyes until it gets long enough to fall flat, which can be a long wait.


This is soo true and I agree. Most of us here vote on not cutting the hair because it causes more problems than it fixes. Although if your baby has a yeast infection from the tearing than I would cut around the eyes but thats rare.


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## janettandamber (Jan 19, 2009)

Twinkle said:


> Okay guys, so I have a 4 year old maltese with lots of red stains. She had it when she was a puppy, and she has it now. I know this is a common problem but I am desperate for a recipe to stop this madness! I have been patient for 4 years! I have changed her diet to natural balance (sweet potato and venison) to reduce dietary allergies, but she still tears. I cannot figure out what it is and it is driving me nuts! I am in the process of growing out her hair so that i can tie it up in a top knot and prevent the hairs from irritating her..but there must be something else i can do! If anybody has any secrets about preventing tears, or tear removal wipes (that actually work!) or other ideas...PLEASE HELP!!!
> 
> -Rachel and Twinkle


You need to clean her eyes and get all the gunk out every day and then dry the hair.


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## cindy6755 (Mar 20, 2005)

I would get your dog on flea preventative first to get rid of the fleas, you might need to treat your house and yard also then clean face every day with warm wash cloth and comb eye boogies out. You can use a boric acid eye wash like Collyrium. Put corn starch under eyes to help keep hair dry. Try yogurt or dried buttermilk added to food and filtered water or water with low iron content. You could also try tylan a pinch (1/8th of a tsp?) for 2 weeks, you can get it on amazon.com and you could take her to an ophthalmologist to have her tear ducts checked out. Good luck


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## daryl (Mar 14, 2009)

Tylan (aka tylosin) should work for the majority of dogs.

As suggested there are wider concerns about the use of antibiotics, I have seen advertising blurb by the sellers of over the counter based tylosin tear stain removers claim that resistance is unlikely because dogs rarely use tylosin.

These kind of statements are very misleading as they omit to mention that tylosin is not FDA approved for dogs, hence it is rarely prescribed!!!

I would suggest diet change as a starting point- moving to RAW or a grain free kibble such as Taste of the Wild.

If there are still some stains then try a natural food additive such as Angels Delight by Bichon Hotel or the NaturVet Tear Stain Supplement.

I use Angels Delight and can confirm it works wonders, not cheap when you start but you use less in time.


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

puppymom said:


> Just a note of caution, filtered and spring water are two very different things. Water sold as "spring" water is not filtered and often comes right out of a tap. It may contain more minerals than some well water.
> 
> If you think it is from the water you need to use a high quality water filter system.
> 
> We had very good luck years ago with Tylan.



Crystal Geyser and 365 (Whole Foods) brand spring water are highly rated and come from a very good spring. Only trace amounts of naturally-ocurring fluoride.

I encourage everyone to use either the above mentioned spring water, or filtered (reverse osmosis) water. Dogs do not need to ingest fluoride or other chemicals. It may seem like a small thing, but it can make a difference in the well-being of the dog. Regular Brita or Pur filters DO NOT remove fluoride. Reverse Osmosis and Berkey filters do.


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## Maltsnme (Feb 7, 2009)

daryl said:


> Tylan (aka tylosin) should work for the majority of dogs.
> 
> As suggested there are wider concerns about the use of antibiotics, I have seen advertising blurb by the sellers of over the counter based tylosin tear stain removers claim that resistance is unlikely because dogs rarely use tylosin.
> 
> ...


??? Anytime you use an antibiotic on a regular basis, you have the chance of resistance... and that isn't the only reason you shouldn't use it. Using abx can cause havoc on other parts of the body. Liver has to work harder, the natural flora of the intestines gets killed off. 

Just some cautionary thoughts.


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## Maltsnme (Feb 7, 2009)

maltsnme said:


> AS far as probiotics, Iams has a new one out (well, fairly new) called Prostora. It is freezedried live cultures, taken from the intestinal track of a healthy Labrador (bit sceptical about a healthy Labrador LOL) and the rep asked me yesterday when he came into the clinic, if I knew any "white dogs with tear staining" I said "um, a few" ) he said this product they found as a side effect, helps tears stains.
> 
> So, just passing along. I got a pack and will try it, but I don't have too much of an issue with tear stains, maybe a tad on Indi and Feather, just from hair getting in their eyes, so, not sure I'm a great candidate, but I'll see... It is actually made to help with diarrhea and he claimed it was resistant to metranidazole and albon... not sure I believe that either (listened to alot of reps over the last 25years )) but we'll see how it works.
> 
> karla


UPDATE: all 3 of my girls are still tear stain free, have two more friends that are trying it that also say, tear stains are slowly improving. So, it is working on all 8 dogs!


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## Nikki's Mom (Feb 13, 2008)

maltsnme said:


> ??? Anytime you use an antibiotic on a regular basis, you have the chance of resistance... and that isn't the only reason you shouldn't use it. Using abx can cause havoc on other parts of the body. Liver has to work harder, the natural flora of the intestines gets killed off.
> 
> Just some cautionary thoughts.



Yes you are quite correct. When you kill off good bacteria in the intestines, you are leaving the dog wide open for major issues, like IBS, etc. Antibiotics are good for serious bacterial infections, but probiotics should be given immediately after. Antibiotics shouldn't be used indiscriminately. Nikki gets probiotics every day and she doesn't usually have tummy issues, unless hubby overfeeds her.


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## Maltsnme (Feb 7, 2009)

Nikki's Mom said:


> Yes you are quite correct. When you kill off good bacteria in the intestines, you are leaving the dog wide open for major issues, like IBS, etc. Antibiotics are good for serious bacterial infections, but probiotics should be given immediately after. Antibiotics shouldn't be used indiscriminately. Nikki gets probiotics every day and she doesn't usually have tummy issues, unless hubby overfeeds her.


Correct and what is so different about protostora is, the probiotics are directly from the gut of a dog, no others out there are from a canine gut. The rest are from different species that are actually foreign TO canines.


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## Lisa123 (Dec 16, 2008)

I have probiotic soy yogurt for myself. would that be bad to add a little to their food?

Mia's eyes are horrendous. I was going to try the buttermilk thing...Ferris' eyes aren't as bad but he was completely tear stain free when we adopted him. within 2 weeks he began developing very slight stains. 

we use NB dog food, only filtered water....


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## littledog (Dec 7, 2006)

*Prostora*

My vet recommended Prostora about a month ago but I haven't tried it yet as Sunny is on a low protien diet right now. His stains aren't too bad and I didn't want to go making a lot of changes all at once. Now that he is settled on his new dog food I will give the Prostora a try.


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## sarnoak (Apr 7, 2010)

Thanks for posting this thread. Ramsey (adult male) struggles with tear stains everyday! However, I have done everything wrong from the get go. I have tried Angel Eyes (before I started following this message board). That worked, but I could only give him a very small amount or he would get sick. The groomer cut out the stains (which once again, I didn't know was bad). But now since I've been following this message board, I have him on probiotics. Not sure if those are helping or not. 

HOWEVER, I did break down and order Spa facial scrub and that stuff works!!!! I was so happy after the first time I applied it I just couldn't believe it. If you don't have some, you must get it!


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## Twinkle (Apr 24, 2010)

sarnoak said:


> Thanks for posting this thread. Ramsey (adult male) struggles with tear stains everyday! However, I have done everything wrong from the get go. I have tried Angel Eyes (before I started following this message board). That worked, but I could only give him a very small amount or he would get sick. The groomer cut out the stains (which once again, I didn't know was bad). But now since I've been following this message board, I have him on probiotics. Not sure if those are helping or not.
> 
> HOWEVER, I did break down and order Spa facial scrub and that stuff works!!!! I was so happy after the first time I applied it I just couldn't believe it. If you don't have some, you must get it!


I am referring to the "spa facial scrub"-->does it remove the tear stains and prevent more tearing? or does it just remove tear stains? Also..why is it bad to cut the tear stains out (i do that )


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## Theo's Mom (Jan 5, 2009)

I recently adopted another maltese and her tear stains are RIDICULOUS!! Since we have 4 dogs that trade food bowls and 2 that DON'T have tear staining its hard for me to give her Angel Eye's adn the right dosage bc they tend to switch bowls halfway thru. But they are on filtered water.
I just switched them all to Health Ext. Little Bites since they dont like NB at all. but they will eat the rolled meat sausages. I only give them grain free treats.
I contantly wash her eyes and use Eye Envy every day on her.
My male maltese has a mostly clear face. Just the usual eye boogies in the mornings.
I feel like its a lost battle. Not sure about the probiotics? Is there more information about it?


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