# Small dog owners - eye goop question



## ShutterBug (Jan 21, 2010)

Are there any tried and true tips for keeping a little dog's eyes clean? Mya has dark fur around her eyes, so I don't have to worry about staining, but we're having an issue with the fur getting all gunked up. I try to clean it at least once a day, but it seems like if I don't wipe them out a dozen times a day the fur under her eyes gets all matted and dried, and then it's practically impossible to get it out. I've tried puppy wipes, baby wipes, warm washcloths and none seem to get it out. 

I'll admit that I'm a little nervous about dealing with her eyes, so maybe it's ok for me to be a little more assertive about it? She (understandably) doesn't like me poking around her eyes, and squirms and wiggles so much I'm scared I'm going to poke her in the eye by accident and hurt her. I'd really like to trim some of the long fur from around her eyes, but I'm too nervous to get a pair of scissors around her eyes for the same reasons.


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## Purplex15 (May 28, 2007)

unfortunately, there isnt a way to keep the eye boogers away. daily cleaning is the best way to deal with it. the best thing to use is a wet cotton ball. it is ok to be assertive about this. she may not like it, but she does need to get used to people poking around uncomfortable areas, and learn to tolerate it. try and be quick about it, and as time goes on, the pup will get better. 

if you are too nervous to trim away the hair (as you should be, squirming puppies+inexperianced owner with scissors=puppy without an eye), then maybe find a groomer to do it for you. im not sure how young your pup is, or where shes at with her vaccinations, but even if shes too young for a full grooming, most groomers will be willing to do a quick trim of the face areas for next to nothing (especially if you explain that you want the dog to be groomed regularly and dont want her to get matted before she gets her full grooming).


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## Kina_A (Jun 8, 2009)

Can I ask, what are you feeding your dog? Reason I ask, is diet does also play a part in eye goop. 

I didn't beleive it at first, but I use to feed my dog Sadie crap food and when I switched her to a better quality food, I noticed that she doesn't get eye goop anymore.


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## ShutterBug (Jan 21, 2010)

Thanks for the replies 

Purplex, Mya is 10 weeks old. She's had just her 8 week needles so far. I'll try the wet cotton ball and see if that works better than the other things I've tried. I'll also give the groomer we're going to use a call tomorrow and see if they'd be willing to do a little trim around her eyes for me.

Kina, we're feeding her Orijen puppy kibble, she's been on just the Orijen for the last two weeks. The first week she was home it was mixed with Ceasar wet food while we made the switch.


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## Darla Giselle (Feb 19, 2010)

Don't trim the hair around the eyes. Imagine having to do that every other week for the rest of her life! You will be forever trimming those little hairs. Also it's very dangerous, one wrong move, what if she sneezes? Be patient, let it grow out so you won't have to ever deal with it again. You won't regret it, all long haired pups have to go through this stage. Eye booger happen with most dogs, regardless of the hair around the eyes. Just pick them out daily. Let the muzzle hair grow out like this:


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## Kina_A (Jun 8, 2009)

I wouldn't be surprise if the Ceasar food she was on prior to you switching to Orijen may have caused her to have goopy eyes.

Orijen is a really good food. 

Purplex's cotton ball solution is the best way I was able to get the goop out of Sadie's eyes when she use to get the goops. I use to use warm water and dip it in and just loosen the goop until I was able to take an eye wipe and get it off.

Good luck to you.


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## Ayanla (Jun 11, 2009)

Darla Giselle said:


> Don't trim the hair around the eyes. Imagine having to do that every other week for the rest of her life! You will be forever trimming those little hairs. Also it's very dangerous, one wrong move, what if she sneezes? Be patient, let it grow out so you won't have to ever deal with it again. You won't regret it, all long haired pups have to go through this stage. Eye booger happen with most dogs, regardless of the hair around the eyes. Just pick them out daily. Let the muzzle hair grow out like this:


There is no way I could grow out Odo's muzzle fur and put it up on top of his head with a bow. Even if I throw out the fact that it's very feminine looking, Kira would chew it off his head in about 5 minutes and I'd rather have to deal with cleaning eye boogers and trimming the hair, than picking hairbows out of Kira's jaws/throat. 

He has significant issues with eye boogers and I just clean his eyes daily and brush the muzzle fur with two combs (first a medium tooth, and then a flea comb) to keep them at bay. We also just switched from Angel Eyes to Eye Envy to keep the tear stains gone. Angel Eyes was working, but as soon as I stepped it down the stains came back and I don't want him on antibiotics forever. So we're trying Eye Envy.


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

Darla Giselle said:


> Don't trim the hair around the eyes. Imagine having to do that every other week for the rest of her life! You will be forever trimming those little hairs. Also it's very dangerous, one wrong move, what if she sneezes? Be patient, let it grow out so you won't have to ever deal with it again. You won't regret it, all long haired pups have to go through this stage. Eye booger happen with most dogs, regardless of the hair around the eyes. Just pick them out daily. Let the muzzle hair grow out like this:


If I had a full coated beauty like that, that's EXACTLY how I would keep them  It's not practical for most of my customers, so we either clip the eyes or train the hair to lie flat against the muzzle instead of "up" in their face. 
For some reason most of my clientele don't get into bows. Sigh...


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## misty073 (Mar 31, 2009)

Kina_A said:


> Can I ask, what are you feeding your dog? Reason I ask, is diet does also play a part in eye goop.
> 
> I didn't beleive it at first, but I use to feed my dog Sadie crap food and when I switched her to a better quality food, I noticed that she doesn't get eye goop anymore.


Our yorkie also had eye goop and it went away when he was switched to raw.


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## Kina_A (Jun 8, 2009)

Ayanla said:


> Angel Eyes was working, but as soon as I stepped it down the stains came back and I don't want him on antibiotics forever. So we're trying Eye Envy.


Let me know how Eye Envy works for you. I currently have Kina back on Angel Eyes since the tear stains returned when we stopped it a few weeks ago. Like you I don't want her on Antibiotics forever!


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## Purplex15 (May 28, 2007)

> Don't trim the hair around the eyes. Imagine having to do that every other week for the rest of her life! You will be forever trimming those little hairs. Also it's very dangerous, one wrong move, what if she sneezes? Be patient, let it grow out so you won't have to ever deal with it again. You won't regret it, all long haired pups have to go through this stage. Eye booger happen with most dogs, regardless of the hair around the eyes. Just pick them out daily. Let the muzzle hair grow out like this:


Im sorry, but its ridiculus to suggest that its easier to keep their dogs haiur that long, then to trim the hair around the eyes. that haircut is not practical for most people, it requires a lot of brushing at home, and most people do not have the time. Trimming away the hair around the eyes is fine to do. if the dog has eye booger issues, having less hair for it to get trapped in will make it easier to clean up.

And yes, one wrong move, and a serious accident is going to happen. Which is why i recommended the OP to go to a groomer and have them do it. They are experianced with wiggley pup and know what to do. 

If they let the hair grow, they might have more issues thaN just eye boogers, like matting. Right now, the issues is just eye boogers. It would be unwise to make the problem eye boogers, and matting around the eyes and muzzle. I am glad that you can keep up with your dog in that length, but most peope cannot. Especially for a puppy, that coat is just a bad idea.


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## Darla Giselle (Feb 19, 2010)

Purplex15 said:


> Im sorry, but its ridiculus to suggest that its easier to keep their dogs haiur that long, then to trim the hair around the eyes. that haircut is not practical for most people, it requires a lot of brushing at home, and most people do not have the time. Trimming away the hair around the eyes is fine to do. if the dog has eye booger issues, having less hair for it to get trapped in will make it easier to clean up.
> 
> And yes, one wrong move, and a serious accident is going to happen. Which is why i recommended the OP to go to a groomer and have them do it. They are experianced with wiggley pup and know what to do.
> 
> If they let the hair grow, they might have more issues thaN just eye boogers, like matting. Right now, the issues is just eye boogers. It would be unwise to make the problem eye boogers, and matting around the eyes and muzzle. I am glad that you can keep up with your dog in that length, but most peope cannot. Especially for a puppy, that coat is just a bad idea.


Oh noo, you misunderstood. I never said keep her in full coat. She can cto do it at all. But anywhere she wants, that picture is just to show leaving the muzzle hair alone to grow out naturally. Actually, at any coat length she should be brushing her at least a couple of times a week. Dogs in puppy coats can even get matts if otherwise. So she will be brushing the muzzle hair regardless of if she cuts it or not. Welcome to owning long-coated breeds. LOL I can go a week without brushing my Gigi's muzzle, she get's eye boogies, but I just pick them out daily with a tissue. 
Taking it to the groomer every other week can get costly when you don't have . Those filthy places with dogs and people from Lord-knows-where, trust me, I used to take my first malt puppy to petsmart, and 17 year olds were grooming the dogs. Not to mention being so young, it would probably be terrifying ordeal. Just the dryers alone have enough sound decimos to harm my ears, imagine a 3 pound puppy. I've never taken my Gigi to the groomers, never will either.

Trust me, be patient, it will grow out. I've seen eye boogies in all breeds, its very common.


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## Darla Giselle (Feb 19, 2010)

Eye boogies and tear stains are different. Most dogs get them both but it's alot more noticable in white dogs. Also, Angel Eyes won't work. There are sooo many contributing factors to tear stains. Dyes and minerals in food and water can cause them, allergies, blocked tear ducts, infections, eye shape, etc. 
-I would just drop by your vet and get the antibiotic Tylan, and use it for 10 days max.
-Or a teaspoon of natural yogurt(Activia). 
-Or 1/4 tsp of buttermilk powder in the mouth once a day. 
That should do it. I'm a maltese momma, and although my malt has never had tear stains, I'm on all maltese dog forums and it's our mission in life to conquer the tear stains.


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## Ayanla (Jun 11, 2009)

Angel Eyes did work for me, and it worked very well, but the stains started to reoccur within two weeks of discontinuing use and lifelong antibiotic use is not acceptable to me.

I tried many "natural" methods before resorting to Angel Eyes, and none of them worked even a little bit. Eye Envy, so far, is pretty impressive. Not only is it taking out what stains had reappeared, but the process of using it also cleans out the eye boogers, so I'm killing two birds with one stone. So far I'm really liking it.


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## Darla Giselle (Feb 19, 2010)

Ayanla said:


> Angel Eyes did work for me, and it worked very well, but the stains started to reoccur within two weeks of discontinuing use and lifelong antibiotic use is not acceptable to me.
> 
> I tried many "natural" methods before resorting to Angel Eyes, and none of them worked even a little bit. Eye Envy, so far, is pretty impressive. Not only is it taking out what stains had reappeared, but the process of using it also cleans out the eye boogers, so I'm killing two birds with one stone. So far I'm really liking it.


Eye Envy is good. 
When I said Angel Eyes wouldn't work, I met it wouldn't be solving the problem as it does reoccur. That's another reason why I hate AE because it makes a dog be on antibiotics soo long, and that can lead to even more problems. Tylan powder is the active ingredieng in AE though, and I wouldn't keep a dog on that for more than 10 days. Has your vet checked for clogged tear ducts? I know that's very common in the Maltese breed.


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## Ayanla (Jun 11, 2009)

It is on my list of things to discuss with my vet at our next appointment, but one of those "non emergency" things that doesn't warrant an extra visit. 

Odo is a maltese/poodle mix, and from a BYB, so he's not exactly the best bred little guy. For instance, he has a valgus deformity in both front legs, so that both paws are turned out around a 45 degree angle, what we'd call "duck foot" in a human. I'm going to have the vet evaluate his excessive tearing issue when we re-evaluate his front legs and get him his rabies booster this year.


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## Darla Giselle (Feb 19, 2010)

Ayanla said:


> It is on my list of things to discuss with my vet at our next appointment, but one of those "non emergency" things that doesn't warrant an extra visit.
> 
> Odo is a maltese/poodle mix, and from a BYB, so he's not exactly the best bred little guy. For instance, he has a valgus deformity in both front legs, so that both paws are turned out around a 45 degree angle, what we'd call "duck foot" in a human. I'm going to have the vet evaluate his excessive tearing issue when we re-evaluate his front legs and get him his rabies booster this year.


Btw-Odo is adorable!!


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## rileysmommy (Jan 4, 2010)

i'm having the same eye goop/tear stain issues with my maltese bichon. I've been using NutraVet's version of Angel Eyes (theirs is a more herbal form). And while it has reduced it a little bit, the problem is still there! Now I'm thinking of doing the Eye Envy like you guys mention. How do you use this product? Is it complicated? i just bought one from ebay right now.


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## Ayanla (Jun 11, 2009)

Eye envy is super easy to use. I got the starter kit straight from the manufacturer. It came with the liquid (which needs to be refrigerated), the powder, and the application pads.

I cut the pads into quarters and use two quarters (a half of one pad) per day. I just saturate the 1/4 piece of application pad and wash the fur around one eye with it. Then repeat with the second eye. The powder is optional, but can help to mute any present stains until the liquid starts to remove them. The powder I just dab on with the tip of my finger, in the opposite direction of hair growth.


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## Ayanla (Jun 11, 2009)

Darla Giselle said:


> Btw-Odo is adorable!!


He says thank you! Well, he would, if he could.


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## Purplex15 (May 28, 2007)

> Oh noo, you misunderstood. I never said keep her in full coat. She can cto do it at all. But anywhere she wants, that picture is just to show leaving the muzzle hair alone to grow out naturally. Actually, at any coat length she should be brushing her at least a couple of times a week. Dogs in puppy coats can even get matts if otherwise. So she will be brushing the muzzle hair regardless of if she cuts it or not. Welcome to owning long-coated breeds. LOL I can go a week without brushing my Gigi's muzzle, she get's eye boogies, but I just pick them out daily with a tissue.
> Taking it to the groomer every other week can get costly when you don't have . Those filthy places with dogs and people from Lord-knows-where, trust me, I used to take my first malt puppy to petsmart, and 17 year olds were grooming the dogs. Not to mention being so young, it would probably be terrifying ordeal. Just the dryers alone have enough sound decimos to harm my ears, imagine a 3 pound puppy. I've never taken my Gigi to the groomers, never will either.


Yes at any coat length for these dogs, the owner needs to be brushing, at least every other day with a puppy coat. but dogs eat and drink, which causes a long muzzle like the one you showed to be more trouble than simply just brushing matts. the water caked in the hair can cause the hair to grow mildew. foor can get stuck. It's not just about matting, its about keeping your dog clean and comfortable. Also, most dogs HATE their muzzle to be brushed, especially when it gets matted and has food and other gross stuff in it. 

Yeah taking a dog to a groomer is costly, for good reason. I get that you think we are all horrible people, but that isnt the case. Just b/c you feel a certain way, and do certain things, does not mean every other dog owner out there feels or does the same things. Your post is Really offensive to me as a groomer, b/c i dont appreciate being lumped into one group. there are bad groomers, and good groomers, just like in any business. If you couldnt take the time to research a better place than your local petsmart, then that is on you. It doesnt sound like you have much experiance around groomers, so you really shouldnt make such black and white assumptions when you dont know what you're talking about. 

Honestly, there are pro groomers on this board, yet you say things like it would be terrifying for the pup to go to a groomer, their filthy, and strangers. If you have read the posts by other groomers on this board, youd know how talented, knowledgable, and caring they are (groovygroomer and Graco just to name 2 pasters who always post on here with good advice and are good groomers). And the handful on here are not the only ones. The op is planning on taking the dog to a groomer, so the best thing for them to do is start the pup out soon at the pros so the pup gets used to it. If they said they want to do all their grooming themselves, then that would be different, but they didnt say that. so you are suggesting that a person who already admitted to wanting a groomer so they didnt have to do all the grooming themselves, to let the hair grow long and not ever use a groomer? thats really bad advice considering what the op said. Again, just b/c its something you do does not make it the best thing for other owners.


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

rileysmommy said:


> i'm having the same eye goop/tear stain issues with my maltese bichon. I've been using NutraVet's version of Angel Eyes (theirs is a more herbal form). And while it has reduced it a little bit, the problem is still there! Now I'm thinking of doing the Eye Envy like you guys mention. How do you use this product? Is it complicated? i just bought one from ebay right now.


Dude doesn't have white on his face, but he gets eye stains like a lot of small breeds. I've tried yogurt, RAW, vitamin C, angel eyes, and nothing has worked. The only thing that keeps it at bay is combing through the stain with a flea comb (it actually mats!) and then wiping it with warm water, every day. This is what it normally looks like 











Don't forget to wash it when in the bathtub!! 









Awh mom, a SINK bath??!!


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

Darla Giselle said:


> Oh noo, you misunderstood. I never said keep her in full coat. She can cto do it at all. But anywhere she wants, that picture is just to show leaving the muzzle hair alone to grow out naturally. Actually, at any coat length she should be brushing her at least a couple of times a week. Dogs in puppy coats can even get matts if otherwise. So she will be brushing the muzzle hair regardless of if she cuts it or not. Welcome to owning long-coated breeds. LOL I can go a week without brushing my Gigi's muzzle, she get's eye boogies, but I just pick them out daily with a tissue.
> Taking it to the groomer every other week can get costly when you don't have . Those filthy places with dogs and people from Lord-knows-where, trust me, I used to take my first malt puppy to petsmart, and 17 year olds were grooming the dogs. Not to mention being so young, it would probably be terrifying ordeal. Just the dryers alone have enough sound decimos to harm my ears, imagine a 3 pound puppy. I've never taken my Gigi to the groomers, never will either.
> 
> Trust me, be patient, it will grow out. I've seen eye boogies in all breeds, its very common.


And not all grooming places are filthy, and not all groomers are kids, incompetent, or dog abusing a-holes either. Painting the whole industry with a bad brush because you had a bad experience isn't very fair to most professionals here, IMO. We've had several puppies in for their first bath, basically everyone handles the puppy, everyone holds the puppy, puppy has his bath, puppy gets to see what a hair dryer feels like, they get their paws, face, tail, etc handled, so they get USED to the ordeal. Puppy grooming is NOT about perfection; it's about setting a good, comfortable foundation for a lifetime of being groomed. The first one or two visits for puppies are pretty much about warm, fuzzy, touchy-feely times with the people who are going to be cutting puppy's hair for the rest of his life. 
If someone waits til their dog is 9 months old and matted to the skin, of course it's going to be terrifying for the poor dog...


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## Darla Giselle (Feb 19, 2010)

Purplex15 said:


> Yes at any coat length for these dogs, the owner needs to be brushing, at least every other day with a puppy coat. *but dogs eat and drink, which causes a long muzzle like the one you showed to be more trouble than simply just brushing matts. the water caked in the hair can cause the hair to grow mildew. foor can get stuck.* It's not just about matting, its about keeping your dog clean and comfortable. *Also, most dogs HATE their muzzle to be brushed, especially when it gets matted and has food and other gross stuff in it. *
> 
> Yeah taking a dog to a groomer is costly, for good reason. I get that you think we are all horrible people, but that isnt the case. Just b/c you feel a certain way, and do certain things, does not mean every other dog owner out there feels or does the same things. Your post is Really offensive to me as a groomer, b/c i dont appreciate being lumped into one group. there are bad groomers, and good groomers, just like in any business. If you couldnt take the time to research a better place than your local petsmart, then that is on you. It doesnt sound like you have much experiance around groomers, so you really shouldnt make such black and white assumptions when you dont know what you're talking about.
> 
> Honestly, there are pro groomers on this board, yet you say things like it would be terrifying for the pup to go to a groomer, their filthy, and strangers. If you have read the posts by other groomers on this board, youd know how talented, knowledgable, and caring they are (groovygroomer and Graco just to name 2 pasters who always post on here with good advice and are good groomers). And the handful on here are not the only ones. The op is planning on taking the dog to a groomer, so the best thing for them to do is start the pup out soon at the pros so the pup gets used to it. If they said they want to do all their grooming themselves, then that would be different, but they didnt say that. *so you are suggesting that a person who already admitted to wanting a groomer so they didnt have to do all the grooming themselves, to let the hair grow long and not ever use a groomer? thats really bad advice considering what the op said. Again, just b/c its something you do does not make it the best thing for other owners.*


Whoa, you're either twisting my words or I didn't type something correctly. 
Regardless, I highlighted what I'm talking specifically about. Just to make sure you understand. And just so everyone knows, I've owned two long-coated, white maltese, I groom them myself(took no time at all), and I, _personally_, have never had any food or water problems with my dogs's beards, muzzle, ect. And I _personally_ don't know anyone that has(imagine all the show breeders' coated yorkies, malts, shihs all have mildewed beards!) But it *doesn't* mean that doesn't happen to other dogs. I only feed hard kibble, none of that mushy stuff, so that's why food doesn't get in her hair. The water she drinks always drys. But on many maltese forums, they do not ever take their dogs to the groomers _just because _they cut the muzzle hair and it takes for-e-ver to grow it back out. You can cut the beards on the muzzle as short as you want but the hair will still get wet, matted, food in it, and owners would still have to brush it out(whether they like it or not) to prevent matting. It's the same with the getting poo stuck and getting debris in their hair on walks. Some of the joys of owning long-coated breeds, it happens to all of us. LOL I've uploaded more pictures of shihs, the first 4 are my friends(she lets her pretty girls grow theirs out), the last 4 are just with faces cut from Google. 

Also to LazyGRanch, you're right, I shouldn't make assumptions about all groomers in general. Excuseee me. Self-grooming was just a suggestion, I can't order anybody to do that. Her choice.  
But I was saying to wait a little longer since the pup is so young, she probably doesn't have all her booster shots yet so she is not immune to dangerous infections/diseases that can be transmitted from other dogs/people. 

To the OP, if you ever have a problem with wet beards, you could try a water bottle like this: http://www.trendypetitems.com/43792_122841.asp or a dry-face bowl like this: http://spoiledmaltese.com/forum/uploads/monthly_02_2010/post-2149-1266513525.jpg
These are both specially designed for keeping long-haired dogs' faces dry. Both have worked great for people I know.


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## luvntzus (Mar 16, 2007)

Angel Eyes does work. It's the ONLY thing that worked! I used extra strength eye envy with the powder and it's a never ending battle because the tearing is almost constant. My dog has always been on a holistic food and drank bottled water. I also tried tums and putting apple cider vinegar in his water with no results.

Angel's Eyes is a mild antibiotic and you do not give it long term. I (and a lot of other people have said the same) only have to give it for a couple of weeks and the staining stays gone for 6 months to a year. The staining is caused by an overgrowth of red yeast. I personally don't think that's healthy and the Angel's Eyes clears it up.

So, since you can't see the stains, all you have to deal with is the gunky stuff. If you can catch it before it dries, just use a flea comb and the gunk will be picked up in it. Then I would use a warm wet washcloth. I think once a day would do it, but if it really bothers you then you might want to do it twice.

Edit- Darla, you're saying that Angel's Eyes doesn't work, but to pick up Tylan powder. They are the same thing.


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## luvntzus (Mar 16, 2007)

rileysmommy said:


> i'm having the same eye goop/tear stain issues with my maltese bichon. I've been using NutraVet's version of Angel Eyes (theirs is a more herbal form). And while it has reduced it a little bit, the problem is still there!


Not sure if you're aware, but only the new coat will grow in stain free. You have to shave off the old coat.


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## GroovyGroomer777 (Aug 21, 2008)

Purplex15 said:


> Honestly, there are pro groomers on this board, yet you say things like it would be terrifying for the pup to go to a groomer, their filthy, and strangers. If you have read the posts by other groomers on this board, youd know how talented, knowledgable, and caring they are (groovygroomer and Graco just to name 2 pasters who always post on here with good advice and are good groomers). .


<blushes>  Thanks  I also was put off by the post you were responding to.


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## Darla Giselle (Feb 19, 2010)

luvntzus said:


> Edit- Darla, you're saying that Angel's Eyes doesn't work, but to pick up Tylan powder. They are the same thing.


Yeah, I know, that's what I said. LOL But Angel eyes has a longer dosage than just straight Tylan. I also think Tylan is a lot cheaper. I haven't looked at the dosage in two years, maybe something has chaged.


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## luvntzus (Mar 16, 2007)

It just didn't make sense that you said Angel's Eyes doesn't work, when it clearly does, because its active ingredient is Tylan. 

Tylan is much cheaper. I think it's the exact same length of dosage, probably angel's eyes would like you to give more of their product though.


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## Darla Giselle (Feb 19, 2010)

luvntzus said:


> It just didn't make sense that you said Angel's Eyes doesn't work, when it clearly does, because its active ingredient is Tylan.
> 
> Tylan is much cheaper. I think it's the exact same length of dosage, probably angel's eyes would like you to give more of their product though.


I know I'm confusing, LOL Instead of me just copying and pasting everything in this thread from a maltese forum, just read through these post about AE. Like I said before, my maltese has never had staining but on this forum there are reputable vets, maltese breeders, rescuers, ect. http://spoiledmaltese.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=50825&hl=


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## poodleholic (Mar 15, 2007)

You can use a sterile saline solution (for humans) to cleanse the eyes, which will also prevent gunky build-up in the hair. I get the one for sensitive eyes.


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## Purplex15 (May 28, 2007)

> Whoa, you're either twisting my words or I didn't type something correctly.
> Regardless, I highlighted what I'm talking specifically about. Just to make sure you understand. And just so everyone knows, I've owned two long-coated, white maltese, I groom them myself(took no time at all), and I, personally, have never had any food or water problems with my dogs's beards, muzzle, ect. And I personally don't know anyone that has(imagine all the show breeders' coated yorkies, malts, shihs all have mildewed beards!) But it doesn't mean that doesn't happen to other dogs. I only feed hard kibble, none of that mushy stuff, so that's why food doesn't get in her hair. The water she drinks always drys. But on many maltese forums, they do not ever take their dogs to the groomers just because they cut the muzzle hair and it takes for-e-ver to grow it back out. You can cut the beards on the muzzle as short as you want but the hair will still get wet, matted, food in it, and owners would still have to brush it out(whether they like it or not) to prevent matting. It's the same with the getting poo stuck and getting debris in their hair on walks. Some of the joys of owning long-coated breeds, it happens to all of us. LOL I've uploaded more pictures of shihs, the first 4 are my friends(she lets her pretty girls grow theirs out), the last 4 are just with faces cut from Google


To me, it just seems like you are painting a pretty picture of something that just isnt so. You mention show dogs, and that is a moot point to me. People who are regularly showing their dogs take immaculate care of the coat to ensure it can stay healthy, so of course those owners go through the extra work of brushing a long coated dog. No one is arguing about these dogs needing daily brushing. What i am arguing is that that brushing becomes longer and harder if the coat is long. Now when it comes to muzzles, you are really just going to have to accept that other owners of similar breeds do not take as good of care of the muzzles as you claim to do. I see food particles, mildew from water never drying, burrs, pieces of trees, any and everything the dog has walked by. 

The op stated in his second post that he was going to call the groomer they were planning on using to ask about doing a quick trim up. His mind seemed pretty made up. Theres simply suggesting doing it himself, and then theres spending a paragragh explaining how evil groooming salons are.


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## Ayanla (Jun 11, 2009)

luvntzus said:


> ...Angel's Eyes is a mild antibiotic and you do not give it long term. I (and a lot of other people have said the same) only have to give it for a couple of weeks and the staining stays gone for 6 months to a year. The staining is caused by an overgrowth of red yeast. I personally don't think that's healthy and the Angel's Eyes clears it up.


I wish I'd had as much luck with Angel Eyes. It did indeed clear everything up, but when I discontinued use, the stains began reappearing within two weeks. I guess Odo is just yeasty 

I looked into other remedies before Angel Eyes, like antacid, vinegar, etc...but none of them worked. After Angel Eyes, I went with Eye Envy and so far it's working really well and I like it a lot. We'll see how well it does long term.


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