How do you get rid of a tear stain on a Maltese dog?
I have worked with Maltese dogs and they do seem prone to tear staining. The best product I have found for cleaning the stained fur is Stay White Tear Stain Remover (http://maltsmart.com/Stay-White-Tear-Stain-Remover.html) by the makers of Maltese Secret. This is a topical medication that you apply directly to the fur.
There is another product called Angels’ Eyes, which is an oral medicine that works from the inside out to reduce the cause of the staining (http://www.angelseyesonline.com/details.htm), which ,may be more effective as it is treating the cause rather than the effect, but bear in mind that this product containstetracycaline (an antibiotic) which the dog will be ingesting whereas Stay White contains no antibiotics.
I would suggest using Stay White first (as it is a gentler product) and then moving on to Angels’ Eyes if you do not see any improvement. As always, it is worth consulting with your vet prior to starting any medication, particularly if your pet is on any existing meds as certain products can react badly together.
Best thing to do is have the cause of the tear staining sorted out. Maltese terriers are one of the breeds that usually have tear duct problems – they’re often undeveloped so they become blocked easily. Tear ducts are where tears drain into, if they’re blocked the tears cannot drain and just spill over the face. A vet can unblock the ducts for you, while the dog is concious if he’s a good boy. Dilute peroxide whitens up faces beautifully, tho I would not recommend using this on a concious dog, too near the eyes!!
