Maltese breed - tear staining problem

[makathy]

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Could the water my Maltese drinks have anything to do with staining?

Yes. High mineral content in your water could cause almost the entire face to stain. One suggestion would be to train your Maltese to drink from a water bottle which will help keep the face dry. Another solution would be to purchase purified bottled water.

After an extensive 2 year test on 15 different Maltese of different ages from different bloodlines, the results showed that tap water vs bottled water made absolutely no difference in the amount of tearstain although there was a noticeable improvement in the amount of face stain using the bottled water vs both tap and well water.

[makathy]

Could the food I'm feeding my Maltese have anything to do with her tearstaining?

Don't ever feed any food that has color added as this will cause the area around the mouth to stain. Better quality foods such as Iams, Eukanuba, Innova and Sensible Choice, just to name a few, usually don't have color added. Also, be sure to check your treats (biscuits & cookies) have no added color. Find ones that are white or pale colored. Biscuits made by Iams would be one good choice. I don't believe diet has anything to do with eye or tearstain.

[makathy]

I don't want to have my Maltese drink from a water bottle. Could certain bowls cause staining?

Yes, some plastic bowls will cause discoloring of the face. A stainless steel bowl is best. Stainless steel is bacteriostatic, it doesn't chip or crack and is easy to keep clean.

[makathy]

The stain around my Maltese eyes started looking real bad so I just cut off the redish-brown ones and he looks great now.

That great look is only very temporary. In a day or two, those short hairs will begin to stain and you will be back to square one, except nothing to trim this time. Cutting off the discolored hair is not a good solution. I would recommend keeping the long hair out of the eyes by proper grooming and a topknot. This will help as the long hairs will have less chance of irritating the eyes and causing them to tear.

[makathy]

i found this Q&A in a website.. i think it would be very helpful for us Maltese owners because one main problem i have with this kind of dog breed is tearstaining.. c",)

i'll try to post additional infos bout the maltese breed & other grooming tips..

[makathy]

Removing Mats

Its inevitable that at some point your Maltese will develop mats in his or her coat. Some coat textures more than others will be a problem. If you find a mat, try to work it out first gently with your fingers. Don't immediately attempt to brush through it as it will result in hair loss. If you have no success as the the mat is too large to work out, you may try spraying it with detangler or, better yet, a coat conditioning oil.

Pull the mat apart as much as possible with your fingers; then use the end tooth of the comb to loosen the individual hairs. This can be tedious process but hopefully it will work for you and eliminate the need to have to cut the mat out leaving a hole in the coat of your Maltese.

Sometimes a mat can get so bad that this may be your only recourse. Alternate between separating the mat with your fingers and separating it with the end tooth of your comb. Never try to pull the entire mat out at once with the comb or brush. Make sure all mats are removed prior to bathing your Maltese as mats tend to get worse (tighter) when set in water.

[makathy]

Parting

Maltese look their best with a nice part down the middle of their back. Stand your Maltese straight on a table and stand directly behind him or her. Using the end tooth of a metal comb and beginning at the base of the dog's neck, run the tooth of the comb straight down the spine, allowing the coat to fall to either side.