Tear stains on Maltichon

[iloveallthis]

I have a Maltese/ Bichon crossbreed and the tear stains are really bad. It's starting to cause skin irritation around the eyes.

I have been to a vet who wasn't very sympathetic and said it comes with the breed.

So looking for what has worked for others.

Things that have been suggested so far ...filter the water (we live in a hard water area.)

Wiping his face twice a day with tear stain wipes. Can anyone recommend any?

I don't really want to change his food but would just like to know what else should I be thinking about.

Are you sure the tear stains aren't caused by an underlying issue that could be fixed by surgery? If it's happened suddenly - rather than something that has always been there - it could be an actual issue as opposed to breed 'defectiveness' (as my vet charmingly termed it)!

My cocker spaniel always had tear stains but then it drastically worsened and she had the odd day of thick discharge (very grim). It turned out the issue was actually caused by a lack of moisture in her eye and her eyes were working overtime to create extra tears etc. She now has eye drops twice a day and is 100% tear stain free. But, if I miss a single day of eye drops...the stains are back (with a vengeance).

Edit: Just to say I've also taken other measures (and did before the drops) of keeping the fur near her eyes v. closely trimmed so it couldn't interfere with her eyes and make it worse.

There doesn't appear to be any discharge to see but I think need to possibly see a different vet

The filtered water truly does make a difference, I've been using it for my own pale coloured dogs for years and had no problems since switching from straight from the tap.

Rather than tear stain wipes which can be expensive and full of all sorts I usually recommend a spray of leucillin on a cotton pad to my clients. Much more cost effective and much nicer product. Doesn't sting if it gets in their eyes, either since it can also be used as eye drops/ flush.

Comb the area regularly to prevent any eye gunk building up and causing stains. Trim the hair down too if you're confident to do so.
You can buy whitening/brightening doggy facials which work like shampoo, they won't remove the stains but can help to minimise them.
Both of those are things your groomer should be able to help with/ advise on too.

There are some products which claim to prevent/ erase tear staining by using a powder on the area or in food/ water but the effectiveness is highly contested and some have been removed from the UK market due to safety concerns.

I know you'd prefer not to change food but it is definitely worth a go if you've exhausted all other avenues and seen no improvement. Good skin and coat health really does begin in the gut.

@iloveallthis I use these:
https://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/vets-best-clean-dog-eye-soft-wipes-100-pack
I do use them religiously every day though.

How did you get on with this, op?

I went back to a different vet. One of his tear ducts is very tiny. Have tried to flush it and currently using a product called Ocryl every day to reduce buildup.

Ah thanks so much. Glad you found a reason for it. Hope it works 🥰

The main thing is to try to keep the under eye area as dry as possible, I have a couple of Maltese so know the problem. Clean the area every day. The Eye Envy system works well, cleaning solution followed by the powder, but isn’t cheap. A more economic solution is to clean with micellar water, the human sort, dry with a cloth & apply corn starch with a small makeup brush. Many show people use this method.

@Darklane thank you for this. I will try it.

also try and keep the area clean and have you tried Metabolizm Tear stain supplement I’ve been using it for over 4 months and now have zero stains and no more red paws they have some amazing products www.metabolizmanimalsupplement.co.uk