April 27, 2012
Posted in How to

Grooming your dog is just as important as making sure to give it its joint enhancing supplement like Dasuquin and its flea and tick preventative medication like Frontline Plus or Comfortis. All of these regimens work to keep the dog happy and healthy with age. Every breed is prone to getting dirty while playing outside, but if your Maltese or poodle always has rusty coloring on the fur around its eyes, this condition won't get clean with regular pet shampoo.

The most common reason behind this rusty hue is that the dog is suffering from a partial blockage of the tear ducts of the eyes. Many small breeds are susceptible to developing this problem, though veterinarians are not sure why. The clogged ducts can cause the dogs to tear more and a component in dogs' tears causes a chemical reaction with their light colored fur, leading to the discoloration. You may not like the way this looks, but it's important to know the condition does not cause your dog any pain, so if you don't mind the sight of it, you don't need to take any further actions. However, if you are unhappy with the dirty shade on your dog's snowy white coat, there are ways to treat the issue.

One way to stop the problem is to flush out the dog's clogged tear ducts, though this is typically a temporary solution. Surgery is another option, but because the issue doesn't cause the dog any pain, many vets would not recommend having the procedure done. Changing your dog's diet has also been found to heed some success, especially if your pooch is currently on a low quality kibble. Some vets have found that owners who switch their light colored dogs to a natural commercial pet food like Instinct Raw Frozen Beef Diet, have seen less discoloration. This raw diet food consists of 95 percent real meat as well as 5 percent fruits, vegetables and other whole foods.

The most effective way to reduce discoloration on your dog's face may be to try using pet products like Angels' Eyes. This product contains an ingredient called tylosin which is an antibiotic that has diluting effects on the pigment in tears. This means less tear stains on your dog's white or tan skin. The powdery substance can be sprinkled directly onto your dog's pet food or mixed in with its water, the product is safe to use on dogs age 6 weeks and older.
 

Related posts:

1. Extra care needed for white dogs
2. Caring for a white cat