Tag: tear stains

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TEAR STAIN Obsession

Note from Mama MO:    Please note that these opinions and perspectives that we share are based on much research.   Mama MO has many years working as a professional chemist, pharmaceutical researcher and has a a great deal of experience working in the pharmaceutical industry (specifically as it relates to oral and IV antibiotics).    Mama MO, while currently MALTESE OBSESSION, has her professional past life as a scientist.     We appreciate you visiting us and we send our LOVE and WET NOSE Kisses to all of our Maltese and dog friends.

 

Tear Stain Obsession Part 2:    Day 1 and Day 12 of Cleaning

Tiny 3 lb Summer came to us with very long nails, mats all over and chunks of hair cut out in her legs and body due to mats.    On day 12, we thickened her coat and blew dry her to try and work with the very little hair that was left on her legs.    We spent some time working out the mats all over her body and as we wait for the bald spots to grow in, we will continue to try and even out the remaining hairs that she has.

 

For a dog like Summer with a very cottony dry coat, with very little hair …. we chose to use Pure Paws Amplify Shampoo with a splash of White Magic to help whiten her coat.    We also used Pure Paws Amplify Conditioner with a dollop of Star Line Silk Conditioning Cream mixed in.    Summer soaked in a bath and again in a conditioning bath to allow every strand of hair to be cleansed and conditioned properly.

 

Summer is a maltese mix and her legs are very thin and long.    Allowing her leg hair to grow out longer would help allow us to give her overall appearance  some balance.    Summer’s face is NOT structured ideally for a Korean styling as she has a longer nose on a very small face, paired with a very long torso and super long skinny legs.     Korean style is not always the best look for every dog,  so we’ll be working towards more of a cute teddy bear anime look for her.

 

 

Active Ingredients that Fight Tear Stains

Witch Hazel & Boric Acid

The Artero Pretty Eyes’ active ingredient is Boric Acid, though the bulk of the bottle is water.   They also include Thyme, Rosemary and Chamomile extracts to soothe skin.

The Pure Paws Love My Eyes active ingredients ARE Boric Acid and Witch Hazel.

Witch hazel is naturally flowering shrub whose leaves, bark and twig are high in tannins.    Witch hazel helps reduce swelling and also fights BACTERIA as does boric acid.

Witch hazel is one hundred percent natural and smells clean.    Properly distilled witch hazel is a fantastic natural ingredient to fight tear stains.   Witch hazel is also helpful in balancing pH levels, thus it is often an ingredient for ear solutions to combat yeast infections.

Boric Acid is used to treat yeast infections in dogs and in humans.    Boric acid also helps to balance pH levels due to its acidic nature, thus a wonderful ingredient to combat EAR, EYE and SKIN infections where YEAST is the culprit.

  • Yeast and Fungus can NOT thrive in a neutralized or acidic environment so having BOTH Boric Acid and Witch Hazel around inhibits yeast growth.
  • Bacteria is attacked and killed by BOTH Boric Acid and Witch Hazel extract
  • Itchy and Inflamed skin is calmed and naturally healed by Witch Hazel extract

Boric Acid:   Antimicrobial, Anti-Yeast, Anti-Fungal and pH balancing properties

Witch Hazel:    Natural plant based, Natural healing properties, Antimicrobial, Anti-Inflammatory, Anti-Yeast, Anti-Itch, natural astringent odor eliminating properties and pH balancing

Active Ingredients in ALL 4 Steps! A complete healing, cleansing and treatment for the culprits of tear stains (bacteria, yeast, fungus). Please always take care in making sure product does not go into the eyes.

With PURE PAWS LOVE MY EYES, you get 4 steps with ACTIVE INGREDIENTS!

Step 1:   Foaming Cleanser has Boric Acid + Witch Hazel + Deodorizer + Optical Brightener

Step 2:  Debris Cleanser has Boric Acid + Witch Hazel

Step 3:  Protective Cream has Boric Acid + Witch Hazel + Sunflower Seed Oil  

Step 4:  Absorption Powder has Boric Acid and Natural Minerals

When used correctly, the chances of success with this LOVE MY EYES KIT is far higher then using ANY other solution on the market that just adds random amounts of boric acid.

The added bonus is that Step 1 the Facial Foaming Cleanser also has their wonderful odor eliminator and color brighteners that are in their other shampoo lines.

 

 

 

 

Absolute things to AVOID

when it comes to clearing up Tear Stains

While there is NO ABSOLUTE one thing that will guarantee tear stains being cured, there ARE ABSOLUTE things to AVOID

  • NEVER NEVER bleach ….so so dangerous
  • NEVER NEVER … permanently damages the shafts and health of the hair, making the hair stain easier
  • NEVER use home made boric acid solutions … can cause permanent eye damage
  • NEVER give LIFE MEDs of powdered or treat form of antibiotics that claim to have tylan or tylosine in it
  • PLEASE NO toothbrushes on them tender eye tissue, unless the toothbrush is made of something softer then rabbit fur or mink … the tissue around the eye is so so tender, especially for tearing babies
  • Please NO paper towels on the eyes to dry them … the softest kleenex or the softest cotton gauze please
  • NEVER use random quality of Witch Hazel made for humans.   The distillation process and qualtiy of the Witch Hazel extract is very important.    Low quality or random extractions of witch hazel can be DANGEROUS when used around the eyes

 

Last thoughts…

HONESTLY there is no one thing you can do NOR one product that can 100% claim to clear up tear stains.    There are so many varying factors that can determine whether a dog or puppy stains or doesn’t stain including:

  • genetic disposition
  • dental health
  • diet
  • physical health
  • ocular health
  • water quality
  • food quality
  • environmental factors
  • grooming and hygiene

There are a sea of products that would like to claim 100% efficacy for clearing up tear stains BUT no one product nor routine can claim this….. sadly… but this is the truth….

 

We can however do as much as we can as dog owners to help eliminate tear staining as much as we possibly can by proper hygiene and grooming, working with our groomers/stylists and working with our veterinarians.

 

Thanks to Summer and her mommy for working daily to help give Summer a cleaner, cuter look!    Special treats for Summer💕

 

Good LUCK and Happy Grooming to all of our friends as we continue the battle against them tear stains.

 

 

 

 

Drying Powder

 

2×2 Gauze Pads pack of 200 – our favorite gauze to clean ears and to clean around eyes

 

 

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Maltese Face Washing ~ Shampoo and Washing Maltese Beard and Face ~ Mini MO Facial SPAW

We show you are latest routine for washing and cleaning around the face. This is a ‘IN-Between’ baths face washing that has helped to whiten Dolce’s face and keep her muzzle very clean and healthy.

If you see our previous videos from ONE YEAR ago, Dolce’s tear stains and muzzle stains have very much whitened.   We added this new regime of shampooing the face and beard with the SHOW Premium SLS Free shampoo just before Christmas 2014.   We saw immediate results in cleaning up of all the dogs faces, while adding such a fresh smell to their kissable muzzles.

Tropiclean Blueberry Facial scrub can be found on Amazon   

Show Premium Pet products can be found at pishpad.com

MOBling is available on our website at

 

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Maltese Tear Stain Cleaning Solution Demo’d by TWEETY the SWEETY & DOLCE da DIVA ** (^_^) **

Tweety’s voice at the end of this video reminds me of the voice of my daughter’s cello.

If you have watched our very first videos from last year (Late Spring/Early Summer) ~~ you will notice that Tweety and Dolce’s faces have very much cleaned up and become very WHITE!

We do NOT like using any chemicals or shampoos that are too harsh around our dogs faces, as we find that this can sometimes damage the hair and make the hair MORE SUSCEPTIBLE to SEVERE and permanent staining.

The Butler Schein Tear Stain Cleaning solution is relatively INEXPENSIVE for the EFFECTIVE OUTCOME that we have seen.

We are very busy and thus we only use this solution AFTER BATHS to clean the area AROUND the eyes.   We also use it as we show you in the video about 2 time per week.    If your maltese has heavy staining, then please visit your VET to check to see if there are any underlying conditions that may be causing excessive tearing (eg.   Allergies, food, blocked tear ducts, teeth decay etc).

We also still enjoy using the Tropiclean Blueberry Facial scrub during baths, but must remember to use conditioning after using this product.

We have a SEPARATE routine for FACE/MUZZLE hair  cleaning as this is just what we often do to clean the area around the eyes.

Here is the link to purchase the Butler Schein Tear Stain Cleaning Solution

The music you hear was at a lesson where Dear Daughter and her Music Mentor and Piano teacher picked a key signature and just started PLAYING !    This music was created with no musical score, but rather the pianist started playing and the cello also started SINGING !!   It was a MAGICAL MOMENT that I am so happy to have captured on my phone camera.    We will see what the final song, (IF THEY finish composing it) sounds like, but it was so beautiful I had to share it! ….song has no name…yet

BlogDSC_8517GlamGirls

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Addendum to the comments we have received about tear stains:

Getting lots of questions about this product. We do NOT sell this product, but it is available on Amazon and other sources. The Butler Schein/Henry Schein Animal Health division DOES have distribution globally.

The effectiveness of this product is NOT guaranteed as there are many factors that affect the severity and longevity of tear stains.

Butler Schein and Henry Schein Animal Health is a scientifically based company/distributor. They are part of a Corporation that has MEDICAL/Dental & ANIMAL HEALTH Divisions ~~ The expectations of a company that provides products for MEDICAL & Veterinary practices is much higher then products that are pretty easily sold at the pet store level.

‘Everybody can be a cook, but takes some R&D to be a CHEF’

There are lots of tear stain remedies out on the market, but many products do not list all the ingredients NOR has much scientific research gone into their development. The SOURCE of the raw materials/chemicals that are used by non-medical or non-scientific company is also something to think about. Example == water out of a well, vs water out of the faucet vs Purified Mountain Spring Bottle Water.

It’s all H20, but many different levels of QUALITY and PURITY of just WATER can exacerbate tear staining in our dogs. The same goes for the Water and Boric Acid ingredients that some companies use for ‘pet store’ tear stain remedies. What level of PURITY or QUALITY does their source of WATER and Boric Acid have?

NOTE: My background is chemistry/pharmaceutical R&D, Marketing and Education (this is what paid the BILLS for most of my life ^_^. I spent many years ‘COOKING’ ~~ so to speak ~~ in a Laboratory ~~ dealing with the legal drugs (aka Pharmaceuticals). I retired and traded in my White Lab Coat for Kitchen and Grooming Aprons ^_^

As a CHEMIST ~~~ I would like to KINDLY IMPLORE FRIENDS ~~
PLEASE DO NOT PURCHASE Boric Acid and try to make a home remedy when it comes to caring for eyes. Peroxide is also a NO NO as it can cause PERMANENT DAMAGE to both the eyes and the hair.   Only ONE SET OF EYES friends === and these EYES are VERY SENSITIVE!

YES to company’s and manufacturers that bring to you the SCIENCE behind their products!

NOTE: ANY COMPANY can throw a INDUSTRY BUZZ WORD on their LABELS for Marketing Purposes. I give my RESPECT to company’s that can back their claims with clear scientifically based answers. SADLY — the pet industry is not monitored by a governing department such as the FDA….

ANTIBIOTICS === I worked professionally in the pharmaceutical industry for many many years. I (personally) PREFER NOT using Antibiotics for neither our humans NOR our dogs, (unless absolutely necessary of course).   There is a tremendous problem with overuse of antibiotics in this world (this is a scientific FACT).

Pharmaceutical company’s are facing the scary task of trying to develop new antibiotics to combat the SUPER-INFECTIONS that we face today. Sadly the SUPER UNCURABLE INFECTIONS are forming FASTER  then the SUPER Antibiotics can be developed   🙁
NOTE: I would NEVER JUDGE anyone for using antibiotics, as I do feel that this is a personal choice that we are all entitled to make ^_^

I WILL however, push back on anyone that is DEMANDING me to make a video about a HOME REMEDY or any NON-REPUTABLE product.

Maltese Obsession shares our favorite Grooming Go To products, but we do AGREE that there are MANY GREAT choices out there to choose from. LOTS and LOTS of AWESOME items to try and test out! ^_^

k……sigh…breath…nuff said… I just had to share this note as I have received many messages that have SCARED me about what folks think that I should VIDEO next as a home remedy for EYE CARE …. must now go back to MY HAPPY PLACE with the dogs …. ^_^

Blog1AdorableGlamGirls_frame

 

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Eye Envy Review and Tutorial ~~ Tear Stains

We recently attended Superzoo and picked up a starter kit for Eye Envy.   In the video we show you how we MIGHT use Eye Envy.   We however are uncertain as to whether we would use the product or not as we are not positive about the safety of it’s ingredients.    After looking at this trial kit, we find that FOR NOW we will stick to what we know to work well enough for our maltese dogs.    Our presumption is that one must use AT LEAST 2-3 TRIAL kits to see results on tear stains, however this is just our guess.    Many people have found this product helpful and if you are one of those people, feel free to let our readers know by commenting under the COMMENTS section of our Youtube video.

 

We find that even just daily cleaning with warm water will help keep the face and eye area cleaner then if the face is NEVER cleaned.   Korean fusion Seoulcal groomOur regime/routine for cleaning the eye area of our dogs include the following:

1) Cleaning daily with warm water

2) Washing weekly with Spa Lavish Facial scrub in the bath

3) Daily cleaning with either (a) a diluted solution of the Spa Lavish Facial scrub and/or (b) cleaning eye area with contact solution that contains boric acid

4) Drying the eye hairs with kleenex or a SOFT microfiber towel

4) Drying out the eye area with a touch of corn starch applied with either a q-tip or a eye shadow brush.

 

Tweety had some dental issues, plus the short hair around the eyes didn't help matters. Tweety has always had some level of staining from when she was a puppy!
Tweety had some dental issues, plus the short hair around the eyes didn’t help matters. Tweety has always had some level of staining from when she was a puppy!

 

 

 

 

 

CARE IS TAKEN to never allow any solution or powder to get into the eyes.

Tear stains can be caused by many different issues and there is normally a need to do a ‘process of elimination’ to determine what the actual cause of tear stains is.   In our home we have identified several causes for occasional seasons of INTENSE tear staining:

1) Allergies

2) Eye hairs that were cut and are poking the eyes causing irritation

3) Dental issues

4) Illness has caused excess tearing on occasion ~~ if your dog exhibits excessive and smelly tearing ~~ PLEASE CONSULT YOUR VET

5) Actual crying when the family was away on holiday and the dogs cried for us

6) The kibbles we have tried  and certain store bought foods caused staining

7) Blocked tear ducts (although having the tear ducts flushed doesn’t always solve the problem)

The dogs ENTIRE face has come back stained from excessive crying during a non-anaesthetic dental.   I was down with multiple health issues, whereby I was unable to bathe the dogs for several months at a time.   The all teared up pretty badly from lack of regular bathing, and the family was also feeding them kibble at the time, as I was unable to cook for them.    These all contributed to some severe staining in all of our dogs.    Once I got back up on my feet, we had to go to work on cleaning them up with regular face washes and home cooked food.

 

Sheer vanity caused me to CUT a tiny strand of unsightly hair on Cosette.    She had NEVER experienced tear staining, but did have one very THIN strand of hair that held some coloring.

Cosette as a puppy NEVER had any eye staining
Cosette as a puppy NEVER had any eye staining
Cosette a few years old with very clean eyes and just ONE THIN strand of stained hair
Cosette a few years old with very clean eyes and just ONE THIN strand of stained hair
The AWEFUL day when Vanity caused me to CUT the few stained hairs at the inner corner of her eyes
The AWEFUL day when Vanity caused me to CUT the few stained hairs at the inner corner of her eyes

Here are three pictures that depict her BEFORE cutting hairs =======> leading to TERRIBLE TEAR STAINS ======> and after MANY MONTHS of growing out ====== clean again.    She has some faint coloring that has grown to the tips, but her face is much cleaner and the short hairs have finally grown past the length of poking her in the eyes.

DSC_0108
Cosette == what did these fews cut hairs do????? === they poked her in the eyes and caused terrible staining on a dog that NEVER stained
Cosette with the hairs finally grown out
We cleaned with Spa Lavish and Contact Solution w/Boric Acid as an ingredient. We DRIED DRIED DRIED the eye area and sometimes applied corn starch! Cosette is clean again!

 

 

 

 

 

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Tweety Face/Eye Wash and Simple Top Knot Tutorial

Tweety Face/Eye Wash and Simple Top Knot Tutorial

Tweety is making her debut VLOG appearance.    She was groomed into her Korean cut over a month ago, and we will VLOG her upcoming clipper Korean cut for viewers to see how we do this at home.
 
This technique of washing her eye area is only one of the many ways that we as maltese owners can keep the eye area as clean as we can.    
 
One question that I am sure to get is what our thoughts are on Angel Eyes and antibiotic treatments for eye tearing.  My experience working for many years in the pharmaceutical R&D as well as the sales and marketing end of antibiotics, has led me to lean against any unnecessary use of antibiotics for our family (both humans and dogs).    Bacterial drug resistance has become a huge problem in the pharmaceutical R&D world and I lived too close to seeing the human struggles resulting from antibiotic super infections and resistant strains of bacteria.


Spa Lavish Blueberry Facial Cleanser by Tropiclean

Above is pictured the Blueberry facial cleanser that is used in the video.   

On my other dog, I also use Contact Lens saline solution that contains Boric Acid to cleanse the eye area.   The saline cleansing is followed up with applying corn starch, which helps keep the eye area dry.

There are various different ways to clean the eyes and remove tear stains.    Excessive tear staining could be the result of blocked tear ducts, teeth problems and/or other health issues.



We hope you enjoy meeting Tweety!

Note:   All fluffs as wells as their groomers have different tastes, needs and favorites.   Not every SPAW treatment need be the same.    Maltese Obsession is happy to share our PAWSITIVELY Perfect GO TO Grooming experiences.
 
 
 
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