Happy Easter to all of our friends. We appreciate every one of our friends we have made through our Maltese Obsession journey. We share with you a little video EASTER GIFT basket, where the Team MO girls dress up in their Easter finest and show you ‘LIFE at Team MO’
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
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 …. ^_^
A FANTASTIC and Glamorous Groom can change the entire look of a dog. Cosette and Tweety have gone through many good and BAD grooms through the years. We thought we’d share a visual to some different hair cuts they’ve sported over the years. Similar to humans, a GREAT CUT will grow out very pretty!
Cosette is my first Maltese and she is what started my Maltese Obsession. Which style for COSETTE do your LOVE???
Tweety is the family grandparents maltese. Grandma had knee surgery and so Tweety visits with us often. Does Tweety the Sweety look best with MORE SEOUL or MORE CALI???
Thanks for visiting & Happy Grooming!
MOH
September 2013 ~~ Exactly a year ago my health was attacked. I broke my foot, followed by a pretty horrible first experience with shingles. This happened AFTER a VERY long struggle to recover from asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia and severe debilitating allergies. I spent my 50th birthday on the couch, CRYING, with my fur babies sleeping on my legs, as I pondered falling into a very deep depression.
In God’s way, He wanted me to just be still and find PEACE and JOY and REST from many years of work, ministry and a hectic busy lifestyle. My heart is very thankful.
During the months of my illness, my family ate lots of take-out and processed foods and the hubby and family fed the dogs kibble and processed wet packets of food during this time. I am an avid cook and this take-out food for months at a time played its toll on our entire household. This processed food didn’t sit well with the humans. The processed dog food caused tearing and staining in the dogs’ faces.
In Spring of 2014, as I felt adequately recovered from this long duration of ailments ~~ I decided to BLOG and VLOG my routine of grooming the dogs to have a source for my family to refer to in order to care for our dogs. We shot our first ‘FAMILY & Friends’ targeted video after I received a video camera on Mother’s Day this past May.
What was intended for just family and close friends, has turned into MalteseObsession.com
Early Spring had me going ‘back on track’ with cooking for everyone, cleaning the house and bringing the Maltese back to their GLAMOROUS GLORIOUS MALTESE and fresh smelling beauties that they are meant to be. The MALTESE OBSESSION team shares our routines and regimes that we have either learned from groomers and breeders ~~ or tricks and shortcuts that we came up with over the years.
Our grooming and styling regimes are a fusion of Korean, American, groomers, breeders and pet owners. Full grooming at home is not necessarily for everyone as it can be dangerous if the tools and solvents are not used safely. Please consult with your personal VETERINARIANS and PRO-GROOMERS for questions and concerns that relate specifically to your fur babies. Much of what we share is not necessarily THE WAY, but just OUR Personal Choice for Pet MALTESE and other drop coated pets that we serve at MO.
We send out a heartfelt “thank you” to all the friends that we have made! THANK YOU VERY MUCH to all the emails, messages and very encouraging feedback that we have received from so many MALTESE OBSESSED friends.
If you enjoy our videos and blogs, please SUBSCRIBE and leave us friendly comments, so that we can feel encouraged to continue this costly and crazy hobby of BLOGGING and VLOGGING.
Here are some images of how we brought our babies back up to their intended Glamorous Beauty over the last 6 months.
Thank you so much friends! We send out prayers for JOY & Good Health to You and YOURS!
MOH & the MO PACK ^_^
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. 
Our 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.
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.
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.
I recently attended the SUPERZOO Groomers Supershow in Las Vegas and had a fantastic time. There was so much to see and the Grooming Supershow captivated most of my time and attention.
I did post updates on the Maltese Obsession Facebook page, but found myself with little time to blog all of the wonderful information that I learned. After I returned from Las Vegas, I realized that I NEEDED to have purchased some new shears to review. I have received so many questions on finding more affordable BLENDERS AND CHUNKER SHEARS, that would work equally well to do Tweety’s Korean cut in particular.
My personal perspective for home maltese pet grooming is that you can achieve a lot with a good safe clipper like the Wahl Bravura, or any good clipper that has stainless steel comb attachments. My personal opinion on shears for home grooming is that most straight shears will work for a basic ‘home’ trim, but if you want to achieve a better more professionally groomed look for your maltese you MUST invest in a ‘FUNCTIONAL’ pair of BLENDING shears.
My GTG ~ SHEARS are
I have other favorite GTG-Shears like my tiny curved Pixi’s and my tiny Pixi texturizers that do very minute detail work, but I don’t absolutely NEED them to do a lovely groom on my dogs or dogs that I may be grooming.
The great deal is that you can pick ANY 3 Shears from the KISS SILVER line for $99 for the 3 shears. You can pick ANY 3 shears from the KISS GOLD line for $149. They also have a line of very affordable shears called the ENTREE LINE.
I picked the center KISS SILVER BLUE 3 shears for $120 + shipping
NOTE the BLUE row has the pinky handle to use them REVERSABLE === this is handy when using the CURVED SHEARS to round out the feet or to shape the long PALAZZO Trouser legs. A reversible blender is also cool when shaping a Korean style face (^.^)
The row on the left Kiss Silver Silver had a funny shaped thumb hole whereby my clunky thumb would NOT stay in nice, so that was a FAIL for my hands. The Kiss Silver PINK were nice too and i may need that set to have around as well.
AWESOME deal that was presented at the SUPERZOO was some entry level shears that GEIB was promoting. There are a couple good lines of entry level shears that were surprisingly EQUALLY sharp and responsive as my beloved CC shears. I don’t know how long the edges will hold up and whether the action on the joints will maintain it’s smooth responsiveness, but a quick Tweety Korean groom proved them FANTASTIC for home grooming purposes.
GEIB ENTREE and ENTREE BLUE TITAN are also nice entry level shears that are pretty affordable and the ENTREE has a few very inexpensive shears in their line up.
The nice thing about GEIB is that they have been in business for many years and similar to CC Shears, they come with a Lifetime Warranty. The box of shears came with a warranty as well as a return address sticker to mail the shears back for sharpening at the Buttercut Sharpening location. There is a fee for sharpening the shears, but it is nice to have that option to send them back to the manufacturer and have them professionally sharped for their nominal fee.
Please keep in mind that the GEIB KISS and ENTREE line of shears is their entry level groomer shears. Every pro-groomer and home groomer will have different personal preferences in what shears work best for individual hands and techniques. This particular set of shears was reviewed as an option to those asking for more affordable YET FUNCTIONAL blenders and chunked shears.
Thanks for visiting and please come back to visit. Happy Grooming,
MOH
Table Top Grooming Table — the colors available on Amazon vary — all MO GTGT items are sourced in the SHOP tab above!
DOLCE Flip – Top Knot FLIP Tool
PurePawsUSA.com 10% Discount Code is MO10
I believe the prices are better if you purchase direct through PurePawsUSA.com and use the 10% Discount Code MO10, but I have sourced some items through Amazon for those of you that are interested. The travel kits are NOT available on Amazon
CET Virbac Enzymatic Toothpaste VANILLA MINT
TOPLINEPET.com
Madan Band Scissor
Chris Christensen
The wooden pin brush come in SMALL and Med ~~ I use the purple SMALL in the video. Amazon available colors vary from day to day ~~ more colors are available on the Chris Christensen Website.
Apana Hot Yoga Mat Microfiber Towels: We found them for $16.99 at TJMaxx and Marshalls stores in the Athletic Sports Section. They retails for $50
Baby Travel Pillow: Comes in a variety of colors on Amazon. We found them at TJ Maxx.
