# Keeping Dog's Face Dry? HELP!



## Hunter's Mom (Dec 8, 2008)

I need so much help with this that if anyone has any advice I would be so glad to have it. Hunter is a doll but I am having so much trouble with his face. I feed him the Potato and Duck little bites in the morning, I give him proper amounts of people food in the evening, we groom him regularly, we wash him regularly, I wash his face at least every two days BUT I don't know what to do to keep his face dry. He hates the blow dryer in his face (and I don't have a dog one so I use a people one set on cool) but I can't towel dry it enough after his baths. Not only that, but his eyes tear so much during the day that his face is ALWAYS wet. I know a wet face is bad but I just dont know what to do!

Please help me  Hunter and I would both greatly appreciate it (as would my husband who is equally concerned).


----------



## nici thompson (Dec 7, 2008)

I use cornstarch to help keep Bella's face dry. It's safe and she doesn't seem to mind it.


----------



## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

Has your vet checked Hunter's eyes? He shouldn't be tearing so much that his face is always wet. Maltese can have blocked tear ducts or ingrown hairs that cause excessive tearing.


----------



## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

I have the same problem with Chowder, and it especially drives me nuts at dog shows! I'll have him looking decent then 5 min later, his face is soaking wet. 

i've been using this product
http://www.pawmarksonline.com/cgi-bin/stor...ing&next=10

the drying powder when I have him at shows and it works fairly well. I also have to make sure he doesn't have hair growing in the corner of his eyes, that makes it a lot worse!

Other than that, you'll just have to get him used to the hair dryer in the face. it's a necessary evil sometimes!!


----------



## Hunter's Mom (Dec 8, 2008)

When you use the powders/cornstarch, does it leave a residue on their face? How many times a day do you have to do it?


----------



## PreciousPrince (Feb 27, 2006)

I agree with Marj about the first order of business being to have his eyes checked. If that's not it, it could be the food even if he's doing well on it. Perri used to have a pretty wet face, I thought it was just how it was going to be (his eyes were fine), but I've noticed with different foods there were varying degrees of wetness. 
Also, I can't dry Perri's face with a dryer either and use a microfiber towel to dry between his eyes after face washings - it gets a lot more water off than a regular towel.


----------



## nici thompson (Dec 7, 2008)

Bella's eyes have been checked at every Vet visit, (I'm a worrywort), She tears some, but on Eukanuba it's worse....When switched to Nutro ultra, she's staying dryer. I'm assuming some type of food, maybe wheat, allergy. Doesn't help that her daddy lets her hang her face out of his truck window :smilie_tischkante: The cornstarch will dry to the hair, so next face washing use warm washcloth to clean before reapplying. I usually wash face, then clean w/ 3% peroxide right before applying the cornstarch. That works better than any of the petstore stuff I've bought, and I've tried them all. My vet wouldn't give antibiotics for the stain, and said that some tearing was better than her eyes being too dry. He's been our Vet for years so I trust him...~~~~~~~One thing I have noticed with her, the less she barks, the dryer her face is. Ear infections can also cause excessive staining, as can retained/ bad teeth (or so I'm told). :Flowers 2:


----------



## gibbert (Jan 13, 2005)

Tchelsi has the same issue; I have never met another Maltese that tears as much as Tchelsi does! They have checked her eyes over at the vet ... several times ... by more than one doctor. No clogged tear ducts; no distichia (where the eyelashes grow in toward the eyes). As others have mentioned, I would definitely have these things checked out by your vet. If Hunter has any of these problems, the doctor can fix it and stop the excessive tearing. 

Like Perri's mom, I use a microfiber towel on Tchelsi's face. It works much better than a regular towel, but it's not a magic fix; I have to use it many times a day. I have to dry her eyes really well before taking her photo, or the wetness on her face shows up in the photo looking like bad tear staining. I wash Tchelsi's face with Spa Lavish Facial Scrub *every night*, otherwise the bacteria builds up and that area under her eyes gets inflamed and irritated. I'm considering using the product that Stacy (Bellarata Maltese) mentioned, but I don't want Tchelsi having any sort of powder build-up on her skin. Chowder always looks incredible, so it's defintely worth a try.

So that's my advice, for what it's worth:
1. have your vet check Hunter's eyes
2. wash his face every day
3. use a microfiber towel instead of a regular towel
4. try a recommended product with a drying agent 

Good luck! I know where you're coming from ... the tearing and wetness drives me nuts!


----------



## LJSquishy (Feb 27, 2008)

London constantly has a wet face as well. I haven't specifically had her eyes checked out yet, but I'm going to at her next check up.

I've tried applying cornstarch, but it only works for about 5 minutes before it's wet again.


----------



## nici thompson (Dec 7, 2008)

Maybe this will help.....

eyestain


Many common overlooked reasons for tearstains


----------



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

QUOTE (BellarataMaltese @ Dec 30 2008, 06:29 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=695824


> I have the same problem with Chowder, and it especially drives me nuts at dog shows! I'll have him looking decent then 5 min later, his face is soaking wet.
> 
> i've been using this product
> http://www.pawmarksonline.com/cgi-bin/stor...ing&next=10
> ...



Can you tell me the ingredients in the drying powder and the whitening powder? Thank you!


----------



## Cosy (Feb 9, 2006)

You might try Natural Balance Sweet Potato and Venison. Duck can be a problem
if they're allergic to poultry.


----------



## jazzmalt (Feb 6, 2007)

I've found a way to blow dry Miko's face that works well for us, since he hates the blowdryer anywhere near his face too. I saw this technique in a youtube video of a professional groomer working on a full-coated Shitzu. I use a high velocity dryer everywhere else on Miko, but a human blow dryer works best for the face. This technique sounds really simple, and it is! But you might give it a try and see if it works for you too.

Use your neck to cradle and hold the blowdryer. Do this by putting the pistol grip part of the blowdryer behind the top of your shoulder, right in the groove where the shoulder and the neck meet. Put the barrel part of the blowdryer in front of your shoulder, then tilt your neck slightly to the side towards the blowdryer until your neck and the top of your shoulder have formed a cradle for it. Miko has never stood still for blowdrying his face before, but this really works for him. Since the blowdryer is never closer to the doggy's face than your own face is, it keeps the dryer at about the right distance away from sensitive eyes, etc. Second, since you're looking at your doggy's face while you blowdry him, it keeps the dryer pointed at exactly the right spot you're drying. And, finally, a big reason I think this works is that our Maltese doggy's are very used to gazing at us and have no distress about our faces whatsoever, especially our eyes. When the barrel part of the blowdryer is right next to our face and eyes this way, I think it disrupts the doggy's feedback loop that normally tells him the blowdryer is a bad thing, but eyes looking at him are a good thing. In other words, maybe it confuses them enough to make them stand still.


----------



## Dixie's Mama (Mar 19, 2008)

QUOTE (Nikki's Mom @ Dec 30 2008, 09:05 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=695951


> QUOTE (BellarataMaltese @ Dec 30 2008, 06:29 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=695824





> I have the same problem with Chowder, and it especially drives me nuts at dog shows! I'll have him looking decent then 5 min later, his face is soaking wet.
> 
> i've been using this product
> http://www.pawmarksonline.com/cgi-bin/stor...ing&next=10
> ...



Can you tell me the ingredients in the drying powder and the whitening powder? Thank you!
[/B][/QUOTE]

I just emailed them and asked about the ingredients in the Drying Powder. They responded right away and said it was their secret formula. They won't tell! Sorry I didn't ask about the Whitening Powder but I imagine it would be the same response. Bummer! Dixie has the same wet face. It is worse when she gets worked up and stressed out. She's had her tear ducts checked etc. & no problems there. I use cornstarch right now as the breeder did. Just like Chowder her face is wet 5 min. later. Frustrating.


----------



## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

QUOTE (Dixie's Mama @ Jan 2 2009, 10:09 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=697869


> QUOTE (Nikki's Mom @ Dec 30 2008, 09:05 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=695951





> QUOTE (BellarataMaltese @ Dec 30 2008, 06:29 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=695824





> I have the same problem with Chowder, and it especially drives me nuts at dog shows! I'll have him looking decent then 5 min later, his face is soaking wet.
> 
> i've been using this product
> http://www.pawmarksonline.com/cgi-bin/stor...ing&next=10
> ...



Can you tell me the ingredients in the drying powder and the whitening powder? Thank you!
[/B][/QUOTE]

I just emailed them and asked about the ingredients in the Drying Powder. They responded right away and said it was their secret formula. They won't tell! Sorry I didn't ask about the Whitening Powder but I imagine it would be the same response. Bummer! Dixie has the same wet face. It is worse when she gets worked up and stressed out. She's had her tear ducts checked etc. & no problems there. I use cornstarch right now as the breeder did. Just like Chowder her face is wet 5 min. later. Frustrating.
[/B][/QUOTE]


Haha! I would have been surprised if they'd shared the ingredients! I ordered some more, I really like that stuff. 

Part of Chowder's facial wetness is nerves. When I use the drying powder and blow dry his face, half the time, his face stays dry. It's hit and miss though!


----------

