Tips To Eliminate Tear Staining - Shih Tzu
By Connie Limon, Fri Dec 9th

Tear staining can be from many different causes. Also consultwith your vet first. There are antibiotics the vet can prescribethat will help some cases of tear staining.

Here are a few other tips you can use to help with tear stainremoval.

Use filtered or distilled water.

Using air purifiers (such as those you can obtain from EcoQuest)in the rooms with the dogs for air purity.

Ensure good ventilation by using exhaust fans, ceiling fans,open windows etc.  

Ensure your Shih Tzu have adequate exposure to sun. Beingoutside with sunshine and clean fresh air is healthy for you andyour pets.

Keeping your dogs clean with their hair out of their eyes isalso important.

Keep your dogs environment clean.

Keep the filters in your air conditioning and heating systemsclean.

Water and food bowls should be either ceramic, glass orstainless steel. I prefer water bottles.

At least once per month, the bowls can be soaked in a weakbleach solution and then washed with regular dishwashing liquidand air-dried.

Genetically, there are some bloodlines that are more prone totearing then others. Hair growth on the eyerims.

Ask your vet for the antibiotic, Tylan. Tylan is primarily madeto battle microplasma in poultry and swine. This is not acommonly used canine antibiotic so if desensitizing occurstowards Tylan, it is not as damaging as it could be with othermore commonly used canine antibiotics.

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Ask your vet to run a Culture and Sensitivity test on thetearing residue. Having the tearing cultured almost always issuccessful because the sensitivity report will tell yourveterinarian what exact antibiotics the bacteria will respondto. You will need to consult with your vet about the Tylan andif he/she decides this is an appropriate treatment for your ShihTzu, he is also able to figure out the correct dosage. Do nottry figuring out the dosage yourself. Consult with your vetabout the antibiotic, Tylan (or something else he/she may havefound useful for tear stains) and follow vet's instructionsabout dosage and how to administer the drug to your Shih Tzu.

Try first to eliminate the cause by consulting with your vetregarding any issues your Shih Tzu may be experiencing thatmight be causing the stains. If the cause can be determined andthe conditions remedied, the tear staining should slowly fadeaway.

There are ways to remove the stain once the staining hasstopped. Some ways to remove the stain are harsh. Some productswork for one Shih Tzu, and then not for another. You canexperiment with all the different products on the market to seeif any will work for your Shih Tzu. You can also try putting alittle corn starch on a toothbrush, moisten the brush, and brushthe stained areas daily. You can also cover up the stain withmake-up especially for this purpose for dogs (which is what alot of the Show Dogs end up doing).

Tearing can be related to a medical issue, with environment,care and genetics playing a part in the mix. Try to eliminate asmany of the possible causes first. Then proceed to other methodsof removing the stain.

About the author:Connie Limon, Breeder of the Shih Tzu Austin, Indiana StainGlass Shih Tzu http://www.stainglassshihtzus.com IndependentField Rep HealthyPetNet http://www.healthypetnet.com/connielimon

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