Please help with dark tear staining!

[Coopers-mom]

Hi,
I am new to the forum. I need any advice for my newly adopted 2 year old Maltese "Cooper". He has very bad tear staining on his face. His coat is very white and silky all over but his face is a mess!
I love this little fella so much, but would love to be able to clean that face.
Anyone know what works best for cleaning, and what is causing his tears?

Thanks in advance!
Coopers mom

[honeybears]

Hi, I had to do a double take on your name because we have a Coppersmom here. Sorry I dont have any advice but you might want to post this on the small dog forum, since I htink that is very common with small dogs and they are the experts there and have addressed this in the past

[coppersmom]

Hehe...I had to do a double take too! Not me though!

[Shineillusion]

Tear staining is a two fold problem. First something is causing the tears to spill over, onto the face, instead of draining normally. In small dogs it's often ducts that are blocked or too small. Your vet can check for infections that can block the ducts, including ear infections that affect the internal structures of the face.

Now, the second part of staining us usually red yeast growing in the moist environment. You can bleach the existing stains with a mixture of one part milk of magnesia, one part 20 volumn peroxide (the kind used to bleach people hair) and enough corn starch to make a paste. Apply to the stained hair and leave over night. Wash completely in the morning and apply a bit of conditioner to the hair, as this is very drying.

You also need to address the yeast growth. Avoid foods that are high in sugars or that contain beet pulp. Clean the area daily with contact lense solution that is made to reduce protein build up on the lenses. Add a teaspoon of cider vinegar or lemon juice to the dogs food or water to make the tears less hospitable to yeast growth.

There are also products available to add to the food that will keep the stains from coming back. I'm hesitant to suggest those because they contain antibiotics. Though they are low dose antibiotics, I'm hesitant to use antibiotics long term for a problem that is cosmetic, rather than a health issue.

When the problem isn't yeast, it's usually fleas. So be sure your dog is free of hitch hikers.

[honeybears]

Shine, thanks for the info, I am printing it out for my parents who have a shitsu and her eyes are always crusted and she does get ear infections. I got them to switch her food recently, she has been on natural balance duck and potato now for a few weeks. Do you think acidophiloous would help too?

[Shineillusion]