Question:Hi..my 3.5 month old Havanese puppy eyes are watering a lot, they are a bit red, and they are tear staining. I wipe her eyes at least 3 times a day with a warm cotton ball and water but now the color is changing by her eye (white to tan). I've tried the tear stain removers but they don't seem to work. I've heard about using bottled water, does anyone use it? I know it could also be allergies but right around her dark brown eyed the white is a lighter brown. Is that normal? I'm just a little nervous b/c she is still young and I don't want her to have any eye problems. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
**I went to a vet for a check-up when I got her, and he said her eyes were fine, maybe allergies. I didn't like the doctor-didn't give a thorough exam so who know??**
Answers:
The reason why some products work on Maltese dogs eye stain and some don't is because there are many different causes of eye stain. Anything from ear infections to allergies can be the cause.
Luckily there are also many different effective solutions too. I actually have a website dedicated to Maltese dogs where I wrote an 8 part series about Maltese eye stain causes and solutions. Check it out and find the remedy that's right for your Maltese.
A lot of the lighter colored purebreed dogs have the staining problem. Poodles are bad for it and I have seen others that do it. If you are not comfortable with your vet then you should change and try someone else. There are lots of products out there for tears and staining but they don't help much. Ask your new vet when you see him/her.
It's hard at this age to actually tell if she has allergies. If it concerns you, I would take her back to another vet to do a complete check up.
However, breeds like the Havanese often has alot of eye discharge and staining. It might just be the way she is. If it gets worse or the mucous changes from clear to green or yellow, or if she starts scratching at them though, I would have her looked at right away. It could be an eye infection.
I suggest you change your vet. But your dog might have euphoria. It's when the dog looks like it's 'weeping' and the fur around the eye looks 'stained'. It's when the normal tearflow in your dog's eyes are blocked.
It can hurt your dog by possibly making it blind. Change to another vet, someone more reliable and get your puppy looked at right away. There are eyedrops to treat it, but the vet should prescribe it.
I have Pure white American Bulldogs and i am also a breeder. I usually wipe with hydrogen peroxide and give them a pill of tums a day. You will notice the difference within two weeks. Kelp is also good.
I have a maltese with really bad allergies. She gets tear stains a lot. but my vet just cleans her up and when i take her to the groomers they shave them off. just keep cleaning it with some tear stain remover and she will be fine.
If you're not already feeding a high-quality food like Canidae, or the most healthy diet (prey-model raw diet), you might consider switching. Also, the pro-biotics in plain, un-sweetened yogurt really help with tear stains. Just feed a small dollop a few times a week.
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