tear staining-- home remedies

[Riley'sMom]

My maltese Riley has recently been having really bad tear staining, its not the red tears that most white dogs have but its more of a gooky yellow. I just gave him a bath and by the next morning it was back again all down his pretty face. This really bothers me, I try treating the area by keeping it clean and clear of the gooky stuff (which REALLY grosses me out )but it keeps coming back, what else could I do? I'd like to try a home rememdy first before I go to the vet, or if they have anything OTC @ pet supply places. Is there anything to help clean the staining and is there anything that I can also use to help prevent its severity??? Home/OTC rememdies? Anything will be helpful.
Thanks in advanced!

Riley's Mommy

[karma]

I would take the dog to a vet. A yellow gooky discharge is often the sign of an infection. I don't know that common tear staining happens this way; but as I always say, I sure don't know everything. But your dog's cornea could be scratched, which can be quite serious.

[Riley'sMom]

If it seemed to be bothering him or irritating his eyes I would take him to the vet. The liquid coming out of his eye isnt gooky, its the build up thats thick like that. The tear it self is just a yellowish liquid color, just seems like a different type of staining like yeast from his eyes tears throughout the day or being damp a lot from drinking water.
After I wash it off his face it seems to be a little irritated and red, I'm really careful though!? Just wondering if there is anything I could try first before going to the vet. But I really dont think its serious.

[MyBabyShihPoo]

I'm not an expert either, but I was always told that discolored (especially green and yellow) discharge from the eye(s) could be a sign of an eye problem! Therefore, my advice to you would be to take him to the vet to have it checked out. You could always call your vets office first and ask if what you are experiencing is something you should be concerned about. And if they think it is, of course, bring him in.

As far as eye cleaning products, I am not quite sure what to tell you, unfortunately.

I know I didn't offer much help, but that's my opinion on it!

[karma]

Not to force the issue, but as a groomer, I've seen lots of tear-stained dogs, and haven't yet seen normal tear-stains occurring from a yellowish gooky discharge. An eye infection doesn't always seem to irritate dogs, either. My neighbor just went through this with her dog, and didn't take her to the vet right away because it didn't seem to bother the dog.

Have you checked your dog's eyes carefully? I'd flush them well with saline solution and examine them carefully. But the yellow gook is a red flag to me. Hope I'm wrong.

[karma]

Oh, and I didn't mean to ignore your question. To find a home remedy for tear stains, I would suggest you go on a maltese site and ask them. Honestly, I don't know that anything works perfectly; but then I'm in the realm of pet dogs and not show dogs. Someone in the show dog arena might be able to help you. I have heard of certain home-made formulas to put on tear stains but I would not repeat them much less try them myself because some are downright dangerous if they get in the eye, and I don't feel a few stained hairs are worth the risk.

Also, you could try going to a site like www.petedge.com. There are commercially-formulated tear stain removers you could try. I've heard that some are effective but that they must be used daily.

I have a few customers with malteses who swore they would keep on top of the stains when they got their dogs.... but to date they haven't been able to eliminate the stains.