[bell]

When I was at the vets office Saturday. I asked about Princess's eye staining and that I had been switching food trying to prevent it. I asked what he would recommend me doing? He said the food does not cause the staining at all. I asked then why does it get worse when certain brands are used? He still said it is not caused by foods.
I also asked about Angel Eyes, he said he would not recommend because eye staining will not hurt her. I asked because Angel Eyes has antibotics in it.

By the way this wasn't the vet I had made the appointment with, I made it with an older gentlemen that works at this vet office. But come to find out he was not even working that day.

 

[jmm]

I've never had a dog that stained due to a food I've fed.

Teething causes staining
Allergies (usually inhalent) cause runny eyes which leads to staining
Poor facial conformation can cause the eyes not to drain properly and leads to staining
Eye problems like distichiasis and entropion (both common to Maltese) cause excessive tearing and leads to staining
If for any reason you have excessive tearing you can get a secondary bacterial or yeast infection which compounds the problem

 

[iheartbisou]

Well, I'm not a Vet, so take it with a grain of salt- but I've heard that some food can encourage staining or make it worse.

Also, some Vets don't consider tear staining to be any other than a cosmetic issue so it's not a problem to them.

What food are you feeding?

 

[puppymom]

Well, I don't know much about eye staining I can only relate MY experience. Sophie came to me in February from TaJon Maltese. When she arrived she had a beautiful white face. I fed her Nutro Ultra puppy dry and canned. Within a month she had terrible staining.

I emailed Tammy for suggestions and she suggested I switch foods to Pet Edge. I did. We have been feeding Pet edge for about 3 weeks and the staining is almost gone.

Don't know if it was the food or a coincidence.......

 

[PreciousPrince]

For Perri it was food related - pretty sure it was the beet pulp. Other kibbles without it only caused tearing no staining. When I started cooking he had a noticeable reduction in tearing.
So many things it could be like Jackie pointed out - hope you get it figured out!

 

[Nikki's Mom]

Food allergies or sensitivities to certain foods can wreak havoc on the digestive system, sometimes slowly and over time, sometimes overnight. The gut flora (good bacteria vs. bad bacteria) becomes unbalanced, which might lead to a buildup of bad bacteria (infection,) which might lead to staining.

IMO, the best thing anyone can do for a dog with tear stains, especially if the dog is teething is to ensure there are no eye issues. Then keep the area clean and dry, rotate good quality foods, eliminate scented air fresheners/other scented products from the home, make sure there's lots of fresh air and clean filtered or spring water available, and give a good probiotic. IMO, grain-free foods are superior, but make sure the dog is getting enough water and rotate proteins. Malts are individual dogs and one protein that works for your dog might not work for another.

 

[jmm]

Beat pulp is actually white

 

[Ella'sMomma]

Food allergies or sensitivities to certain foods can wreak havoc on the digestive system, sometimes slowly and over time, sometimes overnight. The gut flora (good bacteria vs. bad bacteria) becomes unbalanced, which might lead to a buildup of bad bacteria (infection,) which might lead to staining.

IMO, the best thing anyone can do for a dog with tear stains, especially if the dog is teething is to ensure there are no eye issues. Then keep the area clean and dry, rotate good quality foods, eliminate scented air fresheners/other scented products from the home, make sure there's lots of fresh air and clean filtered or spring water available, and give a good probiotic. IMO, grain-free foods are superior, but make sure the dog is getting enough water and rotate proteins. Malts are individual dogs and one protein that works for your dog might not work for another.

A good probiotic... would you suggest feeding plain yogurt or are there actually supplements I could buy? Ella has awful staining and I'm trying to come up with a plan of attack.

 

[Nikki's Mom]

I rotate between Jarrow PetDophilus and Animal Essentials Plant Enzymes and Probiotics. I buy them online. They are specifically for pets.

 

[Kissi's Mom]

FYI...I started feeding Kissi Natural Balance Duck and Potato about 1 year ago...all tummy problems disappeared as did the tear staining. A couple of months ago Natural
Balance changed the plant where the Duck and Potato was manufactured and also made
changed to the formula....The tear staining is back...so at least in Kissi's case I believe
diet has a definite effect on her tear staining.
Linda

 

[bell]

She is eating Blue ( The one with Lamb in it)
I have tried Wellness LID ( The one with fish)
I have tried Natural Balance LID (the one with fish in it)

I can not give my dogs Chicken based since two of my dogs are allergic to Chicken and will break out.

Where can I get those probiotics?

 

[Nikki's Mom]

She is eating Blue ( The one with Lamb in it)
I have tried Wellness LID ( The one with fish)
I have tried Natural Balance LID (the one with fish in it)

I can not give my dogs Chicken based since two of my dogs are allergic to Chicken and will break out.

Where can I get those probiotics?

Jarrow brand is sold at many health food stores, vitacost.com, and iherb.com. I suggest you ask for expedited shipping as the product must be refrigerated.

Animal Essentials can be found at their website, animalessentials.com or on amazon.com