[The trio]

I just bought a new baby maltese on Monday. She's 10 weeks old and very tiny. Her name is Piper and she is already the love of my life!
I am VERY new to this whole thing...the problem I am having is her face and coat...it always seems filthy. Even when I wash her face I can't seem to get the stains off completely and she HATES being washed...the poor thing shakes like she is traumatized.
Any help would be very much appreciated. And if anyone has any tips for a new malty owner I am all ears.
Thanks
Nicole (and Piper)

 

[uniquelovdolce]

welcome to sm nicole and piper , u will love it here. where is piper from? what are you feeding her ? if its wet food sometimes that contributes to the messy face. You need to wash her face daily with a little warm washcloth and combe her face hair with a flea comb thats what i use .. her coat needs to be brushed daily or matting can occur , I bathe dolce every 7 days because if not he looks grey lol ..

welcome and u will find lots of help here , look into the grooming section , alot of threads. ok now we wanna see pics of Piper .lol

 

[The trio]

I have cell phone pics...trying to figure out how to upload them from my blackberry to the forum?
She was an impulse buy. I know what your probably thinking but I couldn't have made a better choice....she is the best addition to the family I could think of.
I bought her monday, and she was at the vets yesterday with what was said to be kennel cough. The vet did some investigating while on the phone with the store in lower NYC and basically informed me she was the result of a "puppy mill". I had no idea what a puppy mill was until she told me. I am not a dog person per say, so excuse my ignorance.
I was horrified at what the vet told me...but I have purchased her already and there is no turning back
She is being treated for her cough and will be getting the rest of her shots after her antibiotics. I have bought some pet health care insurance for her as well.
The problem is the info in books on on the net is often very confusing...many times contradictory. This forum I am hoping, will clear up some of the confusion.
For instance I was told she was a "toy" but then I read there is no such thing as a toy? With tear staining I have read to use peroxide and milk of magnesia...then I read definitely NOT...never use these things. I am at wits end trying to make heads or tails of this info.
She truly is a bright sweet happy puppy...very smart for her age. Out of all the breeds I really believe this one is absolute best.
I am glad I found this site, because I am truly a newbie.

 

[Miss_Annie]

Oh no! Well welcome to SM! You are in the very best place you can be for help with your little maltese baby!

 

[uniquelovdolce]

well whats done is done and shes urs to love n to care for ,and you could not have wished for a better breed . lol
she is a toy dog all maltese are , what is not real is tea cups. look in all our threads on grooming for the tear stains and in behaviour and health..

i have a blackberry what i do is email them to myself on the compueter , save as and then upload it here , or u can use flckr or photobucket as well ..

 

[uniquelovdolce]

if thats her on ur avatar she looks like my dolce

 

[bellaratamaltese]

Honestly? With a 10 week old puppy, do not worry about tear staining! I would not try any 'remedies' until she is much older. Most puppies have tear staining at this age it's just the way it is and doesn't really 'change' anything (except to drive mom nuts, LOL). just try to keep the face as dry as you can. I personally don't worry about staining until the pups are 6 mos and usully by then, it has more or less resolved itself (I've been lucky that way!). Almost every maltese has some degree of staining (even those gorgeous dogs you see in the show ring) You can use waterless shampoo, etc but I would try to get her gradually used to grooming because more than likely - she hasn't been handled much. And i'm sure your vet explained about vaccinations and not putting her down on the ground in public until she has had those last ones and is 16 weeks old?

Can't wait to see pics of her and I'm so sorry you were duped by the pet store. I am well versed in impulse buys, LOL and this is one impulse buy you won't regret!

 

[yeagerbum]

Welcome to SM You'll find tons of info here that will answer you questions. The "search" function on this forum will help a lot.

I'm sorry to hear about the poor pup's kennel cough, but I'm sure you'll take good care of her. Don't worry about the tear stains right now, just wash her face with warm washcloth. She'll get used to being washed eventually, make sure the water's not too hot and blow dry her afterwards!

 

[mrs10]

Congratulations on your new love. Hope you enjoy the board and please send photos when possible!

 

[Nikki's Mom]

I did the same thing years ago. I bought a Bichon puppy from an upscale pet shop in NYC. Found out she was from a puppymill. It happens. At least you know better now.

Don't worry about tear stains while she is teething. It will happen. Keep the face as clean as you can. A lot of of us use Spa Lavish Pet Facial Blueberry-Vanilla Facial Scrub, and also comb cornstarch through the face hair (I use a flea comb) after it is dry.

Make sure your puppy gets a good-quality food, like Wellness, Acana, or Orijen.

Also, please set aside some time to view this forum's archives. There is a ton of valuable info here on health, food, training, etc.

Enjoy your pretty puppy!

 

[The trio]

Thank you for the blackberry info!

 

[bellaratamaltese]

AWW what a little cutie! Honestly? For a puppy mill pup, she doesn't look too bad. Coat is a little scruffy but you can deal with that later. And tearstaining is not bad at all, so don't stress that!

As far as grooming products, if you bought a pin brush with little balls at the end, I would suggest buying a different one. A lot of use Madan brushes that are good for puppy coats too. This is where i get mine from
toplinepet.com

but other online stores carry them.

I have a whole drawer full of 'first bought' grooming items before I knew any better so save yourself some money and buy the the good stuff first!

 

[bailey02]

As far as the madden brushes can you tell me what size and color did you buy

 

[yeagerbum]

omg she's SO CUTE!!

 

[notori]

As far as the madden brushes can you tell me what size and color did you buy

I use the orange or purple, although I don't think it really matters, just go slow and gentle till she get's used to being brushed. Don't wotty about tear stains now as she is teething and it will clear up later although you should keep her on bottled water as tap water has chlorine and will add to the tear stains. Good luck with your new pup, she is cute and looks very sweet.
Char

 

[uniquelovdolce]

aww im glad u were able to put the pics up , piper is adorable , and her tear stains are not bad at all , shes a cutie!!

 

[Katkoota]

Awwwwwwh. She is a doll ^_^ welcome.

Kat

 

[sassy's mommy]

Little cutie patootie! Welcome to the group!

 

[Cosy]

Welcome to SM! Yes, all maltese are in the TOY group as set by the AKC. Don't let anyone tell you differently.
As for the Milk of Magnesia, cornstarch and peroxide mixture, it will fade stains but is not advisable on young pups since they are still staining from teething. The mixture will dry the hair out if used over and over and will eventually break the hair. Just keep her little face clean and dry. Don't worry about stains while she is ill with Kennel Cough. I hope she feels better soon.

 

[llf060787]

Welcom to SM! Piper is adorable. Don't feel so bad about where she came from. She's in a loving home now.

Our Bitsy is from a puppy mill as well, although she's a puppy mill rescue that we adopted at 12 weeks from a local rescue organization. She's 8 months now and the sweetest thing. Our Bianca came from a Broker, i.e., also a puppy mill and we didn't have a clue when we got her so for our second fluff we wanted to definately go the rescue route.

I wouldn't worry about the tear staining until after she's done teething.

Just enjoy the little puppy smells and kisses - those are the best!