If you have a dog at home you might notice that around their eyes might be discolored or the fur/hair just looks faded. This is common in almost every dog but more noticeable in some, one of those breeds that its more noticeable on is the Maltese. Maltipoos come from cross breeding Poodles and Maltese so we’ll be discussing tear stains on Maltipoos. We’ll also be going through ways to remove this.
Maltipoo Tear Stains
Tear stains are formed whenever tears run from the eyes to the hair around your Maltipoos eyes. Tears contain porphyrin that contains iron which is responsible for changing the color of the hair. The reason all dogs don’t have the same amount of tear stains is because not all dogs have the same amounts of porphyrin. In this case it seems that Maltipoos inherited the high amounts of porphyrin from the Maltese.
Tear stains appear on the hair around your Maltipoos eyes and are usually a lot more noticeable on Maltese puppies. It doesn’t just present itself in one color but the hair can appear in different colors such as red, rust brown or even pink.
If you have issues identifying tear staining, you can feel the hair around their eyes, it will have a crunchy feel in a dry way if it is tear stained. Even if the hair might feel a bit soft where it does in some cases, once there is discoloration around the eye that seem red-ish or brown it is definitely still affected by tear stain.
How to Properly Remove Tear Stains
The most effective method of of removing tear stains is by using a tear stain remover. People will say there are many home remedies that will do the same but I’ve yet to see one that does more good than bad. The right tear stain remover will do the job just fine, we recommend using one that doesn’t contain any bleach or alcohol so their hair doesn’t get damaged.
What Causes Tear Stains
The best approach to solving a problem is finding the cause, though there are ways to remove tear stains after that you should try to prevent the issue from happening again. Below we’ll be going through the main causes of tear stains in Maltipoos. To best fix the issue of tear stain you’ll first need to correct all the causes identified.
- Irritated Eyes – Some dogs might develop more tear stains than others or at a faster pace because of allergies or something irritating the eye which causes it to use more tears. So you should always check your dogs eye if you see them distracted by it because there might be something irritating it. If you notice that there eye are constantly or regularly irritate please contact your local veterinarian.
- Tap Water – Tap water can have lots of harmful chemicals and toxins. Continuously giving your dog tap water may cause this and other health issues over time. There is also a high mineral amount that can increase the chances of tear stains. You can simply get a filter for your kitchen tap and help purify the water.
- Plastic Feeding Bowls – We always recommend feeding your dog out of a stainless steel bowl. Plastic bowls are dyed the color they are and that plastic might then cause nose discoloration if they are continuously fed from these bowls.
- Poor Quality Dog Food – Some dog food come with a high amount of artificial preservatives, coloring and flavor which isn’t good for your dog and may even upset stomachs. This type of food doesn’t provide your dog with the necessary nutrients needed to maintain a good coat and skin.
- Wet Hair – When their hair isn’t dried properly it can lead to the growth of yeast whether on their face, genitals, or even around the eye. This might happen everytime your dog eats wet food or even drink water. To help prevent this you should clean your dogs face regularly thoroughly.Conclusion
If your Maltipoo starts to develop tear stains its important to find the cause of the issue early out before it gets worse. While there are said to be various home remedies to tear stains we recommend getting a tear stain remover to do the job.
Tear stains can be avoided by taking good care of your Maltipoo by feeding them the correct food and water, using the correct bowl and doing cleaning your Maltipoos face as regular as you can. If your dogs eyes gets irritates alot your should contact your vet because it might be their allergies and there are medicines that can help with that.