An article from Blue Hill Maltese

TEAR STAINING

Throughout the years the question most frequently asked of me is, "how do you get rid of the brown stain on the face?"   This page will not go into depth on reasons behind the causes but will give you enough knowledge to discuss this with your veterinarian to find what cause could be creating your problem.                        

Tears are what creates the stain so to eliminate the stain you must eliminate the tearing.  The tearing can be due to many reasons such as eye infections, blocked tear ducts, diet, allergies, teething, fleas, genetics, ear infections, mites and bad health.  First check the obvious, then a good thorough exam by your vet should determine how to proceed.  Understanding the cause is your number one step to the cure.  Until you cure the problem, you will not get rid of the stain, so careful steps must be taken in order to get that beautiful white face.

Some of the most overlooked causes are the ones most obvious.   Teething, ear infections and/or ear mites, and low grade eye infections are major reasons for excessive tearing.  Please make sure you have your pet checked out for these possible symptoms. 

I have found that my personal number one reason for tearing is ears. Living in Florida where it is very humid, my dogs are prone to yeast infections in their ears.  Once I have this problem cured, I can successfully clear up their tearing.  However it may not be the case for every dog so again I must stress the importance of having your dog checked.

Teething again is a major cause.  Yet for adult dogs the tear staining continues and appears to worsen.  Hair is another important factor and care must be given to keep the hair out of the eyes.  Hair in the eyes can cause infections and major irritations. 

I have found that an antibiotic called Lincocin works very well for my dogs.  This is a prescription drug and must be obtained by your vet.  I personally give my dogs 50-100 mg twice a day for 14 days.  I take them off for one week and if the tearing has stopped, I'm done.  However if it seems to be continuing, then I give them the same dosage for 7 more days.  Another antibiotic that seems to work is Tetracycline.  However, this cannot be given to puppies that do not have their adult teeth in as it will yellow the adult teeth.        

Now for the big question.  You have your dog checked out,   you have the tearing under control and by the looks of everything your dog is well on its way to being cured.  So how you get get the face white? 

There are several methods in getting a pretty white face.   One is just to wash the face everyday and allow it to grow out naturally.   Another is to use a simple procedure but again takes a little time and last is to bleach.  Care must be taken in using these products or any other chemical solutions to not get anything in the dog's eyes.  It is important to remember that when attempting to removing tear staining you my also be damaging the hair. 

If you chose to wash the dog's face each day, there are many products on the market that will help.  Check your local pet market or perhaps your groomer can recommend a product.  A little faster method is called the MOM solution.  MOM is a mixture of equal parts of Milk of Magnesia, peroxide 20-40 % in volume and enough corn starch to make a paste.  Put this mixture on and leave overnight.  The next day, wash out with a gentle shampoo and CONDITION well.  This mixture is very drying and will break the hair if you do not condition well.  This procedure may take several times over the course of a couple of weeks to eliminate the stain.

Last is bleaching.  I do not recommend this unless you are very familiar with hair products.  Extreme caution must be used to assure that you do not get the bleach into the eyes.  The fumes will also cause the dog to vomit and foam at the mouth.  Permanent damage could occur if precautions are not taken, so I will not attempt to try to explain how this procedure is done.

If you have any questions please email me and I'll do my best to help you.   bluehill@maltesedogs.com