[Jasmine]

Will presence of tearstains put my maltese at a great disadvantage as compared with those without in the show ring?
I'm using a tearstain removal (Eye envy) at the moment and it seems to help a little bit only with slight lightening of the existing stain.
Please help and share your expert experience.

 

[Colette'sMom]

Jasmine,
I can point you to an excellent article on tear staining, or I can cut/paste it here. I do know that show dog people have "makeup" concealer products for the show ring. I believe that the issue may not be tear staining as much as the overall quality of your Maltese to the standard. I do not see tear staining mentioned at all when you read what the standard should be.
Gail

 

[Jasmine]

Hi Collette's mum,
Will really appreciate if you can point out the article.
Thanks a lot.

Regards,
Jasmine

 

[Colette'sMom]

Hi Jasmine,
This is an excellent site. At the end it also has links to others. I'll cut and paste the other article in the following post. Just cut and paste this link:

http://www.malteseonly.com/tear.html

Gail

 

[Colette'sMom]

Here's the article from a very reputable breeder:

Maltese and Eyestain


Eye staining is one of the most commonly discussed topics among Maltese owners and exhibitors. If you purchase books on the Maltese or ask Maltese breeders about it, you will find that the one thing that the majority agrees upon is that some dogs are more prone to staining than others and that there is no known cause or real solution to the problem.

The one thing that you can do to prevent the stain is to first control any excessive tearing before it gets out of hand. Eye infections, blocked tear ducts, allergies, teething, and ear infections including mites can cause excessive tearing. Make an appointment with a Vet and have them check for the any of these things. Ask them about antibiotics as a short-term way to control the staining. Another dynamic that plays a part in the staining is the environment that the dog lives in. You should keep your dog in a setting free from cigarette smoke, strong fumes from household cleaners, dust, and stress.

Get into the habit of cleaning the debris away from the corners of your dogs’ eyes every day starting the day you take your puppy home. You can use a 'soft' toothbrush or a comb with small teeth. Make sure that there are no small hairs poking into the eyes. This can cause constant irritation and eventually lead to infections. Cut any hairs that point directly into the eyes or have your Groomer do it for you. If the staining is an issue for you, before you buy a puppy, ask to see the parents. Many breeders think that the staining might be hereditary. Chances are that if the parents have the staining, the puppy will too.

Manny Comitini

 

[Jasmine]

Colette'sMom,

Thank you for referring the malteseonly website plus the cut and paste article. I find that Marjorie Martin's article on tearstaining is very informative and helpful.

 

[TikisMom]

An update from us on tearstain products.

A few months ago I ordered a product called Eye Envy. Well, it didn't work for us! They did however issue a full refund of the purchase price.

Judi

 

[Guest]

I'm now using eye envy as well, as it is highly recommended by the local maltesers in Singapore. Now i'm in my 2nd week with the solution and powder, i noticed that the stain is still there when the fur is wet but the powder does keep the eye area dry and thus the stains lighter...
It cost a bomb! and i've yet to see the stains completely gone, i doubt i can get refund.

 

[muffieluv]

Thanks Gail for that site you gave Jasmine. Sounds like you know tearstain really well!

 

[TikisMom]

The eye envy people guarantee their product! They will not refund the shipping charges, but should refund the purchase price. I gave it a few months before asking for a refund and they sent me a check. If the product doesn't work for you send them an e-mail.

Judi

 

[muffieluv]

Tiki? Is that your dogs name?
CUTE!!!
Where'd you get the name?

 

[TikisMom]

Tiki is short for Patek Philippe. A beautiful, but very expensive watch. When we were trying to come up with a name for Tiki my husband was also looking at one of these watches, the price was very high so I named our pup after the watch and told him this was a close as we would probably get to owning a "Patek Philippe"

. We shortened the name to Tiki because he wasn't prissy enough for such a fancy name

It would be interesting to hear others stories on how they came up with a name for their little one.

Judi

 

[muffieluv]

Watches.. wow there are not many people who think like that.. Im saying that as a compliment.

Tiki is a really nice name..for a dog, and a watch!

 

[alyn]

We named Susie after the character in Calvin & Hobbes. Hubby and I are fans of Bill Watterson and think Susie's really round and cute, just like our own Susie

We actually went through several names before deciding on this. Names I picked were Fifi, Chelsea, Yuki, Bisou and Putti. Hubby wanted Spike! I told him no way are we naming any of our pets Spike but I did say he can call his future pet fish that *lol* Thankfully, we both agreed on Susie.

 

[muffieluv]

Fifi? Thats a really nice name!! Almost as nice as Susie!! Lol.. Spike

 

[Bushi's Mom]

I started off using Tear Clear, now im using Diamond Eye every day. Since day one i cleaned Bushi's eyes daily, before it got outta hand.

 

[Pinky]

I don't use anything on Ciscos eyes and he barely has any stains unless his "alergies" act up and he is tearing a lot. But even then they are very minamil (sp?)

 

[Rubysmom]

I have heard of people mixing up their own concoction with peroxide and cornstarch, etc. Has anyone ever tried this?

 

[ilove_d&m]

Ruby's mom: I have heard of people making this solution and it works.
I personally have not use it on my girls. Their face is not toooo stain! I clean their face everyday and give them bottle water the same water I drink and I think that has help alot.

 

[kit001]

I just wash Miorgan's face everyday, comb it a little around the eyes and once a month use the Pet Silk Tear Stain Kit on him with a toothbrush. Does a wonderufl job!