Tear Stain Adventure Blog

[NewEnglandBully]

After trying a few grain-free kibbles and before diving into the world of "Raw", Bass is now going to try Brothers Complete.
We have tried...Pioneer Naturals, Fromm, Natural Balance and TOTW...out of all of them, Pioneer Naturals seemed the best for tear stains, but they were still there.
Now, I realize that other factors could play into this horrible, dark, damp, ugly staining...environment, seasonal (we are in New England), the random pieces of popcorn that my girls conveniently leave on the floor after movie night...and I have considered doing the allergy testing to find out JUST EXACTLY WHAT IS CAUSING THIS!
Before I go that route, however, I want to exercise all means. So I am starting this blog, I sought advice from fellow EBN members, ordered some products online and am excited about our new "adventure" in tear stain stripping!
Oh and fyi, my boy is allergic to the home-made MOM/hydrogen peroxide/cornstarch concoction and I refuse to give him anything w/antibiotics (AKA Angel Eyes) unless it is mandatory, vet (and bullymom) approved and a last resort.
As of now SeaBass is on Fromm Pork and Peas, has a daily maintenance routine that involves destine, Kelapo coconut oil, ACV (Braggs of course, Vitamin E and other essentials. Tear stains are wiped throughout the day w/a soft cloth and we ONLY use filtered water.
On a side note, it may be time to clean out all the vents throughout the house (great project for Hubby and I could invest in one of those air purifiers...but he has run of the whole house and uses every room! I have not yet given Benadryl, I'm not sure why...I think because he's still a pup and quite active and I LOVE love his energy - especially when playing w/his Jolly Ball or Tire...

So that's about it. This blog, really is mostly just for myself as I enjoy writing and am "kinda" obsessed w/my dog <3

I am also aggravated that I didn't take more detailed notes when I first did a kibble switch... so even though I'm on my last kibble-quest...I decided to start! That's all. G'nite from Laurie and SeaBass

 

[punky]

I have been doing some research also on the tear staining... first i must tell you why, we recently took in a 1 year old male,, i call him a rescue, although we did pay for him, i call him that because the poor thing had a few issues wrong with him and it is my belief that is the reason he was passed for home to home.. no one wanted to give him the care he needed.. but that's another story.. when i got him he had a terrible ear infection, and a bad tail pocket infection.. but his tear stains weren't bad.. but as time went on(only weeks) it got worse.. but so did his tail infection.. hummm.. im thinking is there a connection??.. well his ear infection is gone, his tail infection is not so we are now having to take him to have his tail amputated..(my last option).. but again the last three owners (did i mention he was only 1).. feed him puppy chow.. i did change that to a limited ingredient dog food because of allergies that my other bully has and i was thinking that it could be this also.. i will know for sure after he has his surgery and tail is better.. i did a lot of research to see what worked and what didn't.. so now if and when his infections are gone, i will try his food.. i too clean it often... he is the sweetest thing ever for a dog that has had so much neglect but i wont go there.. i will post if i figure this out and i wont give up... lol..

 

[NewEnglandBully]

WoW, pretty awesome of you!!

My boy also has a deep tail pocket, but it (knock on wood) has never had any issues. When we first got our boy, he was 10 weeks, his breeders had him on puppy chow and his first trip to our vet (the next day after we brought him home) he had red and brown gunk in his ears. This may have been due to a combination of the diet he was on and his ears were glued by the breeders (Sire was a show dog). The first vet we brought him to didn't know his ears were supposed to be glued and pulled the glue off to clean his ears - (they did this in the back room where I was not present). The vet apologized and said they probably didn't realize it was for show ears...
It made cleaning out his ears much easier though and it only took one ointment prescription and it was cleared up in a week.
Every now and then a build up will start, but only in his brindle ear (strange). I also think his tear stains were caused by puppy chow (that is what his breeders had him on when we first got him) we did the slow transition to Pioneer and his tear stains got much better...but the protein level bothered me a little so I switched to Fromm because it got such a great response on EBN. Ever since I've been battling the stains and the rest you know from above...
I will let you know how Bass does on Brothers, I'm looking forward to it! I had to order it online, so it should be here some time next week WooHoo!
Congrats on your new baby, so sad he was not properly cared for! Let me know what food you are trying and how it's working! I still feel deep down, that I'm going to give up kibble at the end of all this - I'm just not confident, yet, how well I will do Raw...the measuring, the protein levels, the right balance of bone/organ ect... the cost each week, my boy eating better than my four girls (lol)

I'm scared of messing it up and not sticking to it properly then him never being able to go back to kibble...need to find my confidence...hence, Brothers Complete w/raw turkey necks - it's a start?!

 

[punky]

I am really hoping after his surgery that his tear stains will be better.. having all that infection has got to be effecting him... for now i am cleaning it often and will focus more on it when i have him back home.. his ear infection was so bad that when the vet put her q-tip in it to clean it (sorry if this sounds gross) but it actually gushed out on her.. she said shes never had that happen before.. she used a medicine that is heated before its put in his ear.. a really thick like substances.. she said all i had to do was leave it alone for a week.. with it being so thick it stays in his ear.... it did great but we decided to do it two times to make sure it was cleared up good..

I know i may have sounded a little harsh about the person we got him from but it makes me so angry to know that the poor dog was having the issues he was having and they would not do anything about it.. on the day i saw the dog i was told she had him at vet the day before and it was the first she heard of his infection... it was so bad she gave me wipes to take back with him (we drove 3 1/2 hours to get him) so we could wipe the pus and blood that was seeping from his tail.. my vet had to sedate him just to clean it.. then pack it with medicated gauze..

I had to take him the minute i saw him just so he would get the proper care he needed.. and when someone makes up excuses of why they are "rehoming" him it just makes my blood boil..ok.. im done venting.. if you heard the rest of the story im sure it would make you angry too...
Not only did i feel the need to save the poor guy i did fall in love the minute i seen him.. just something about how he looks at you.. hes so precious.. dont understand some people.. maybe that why i love my dogs so much.. they make me smile alot more..

 

[punky]

keep me informed on how your boy does if you dont care.. my rocky will need advice soon as we deal with it more.. for now it isnt to bad..but we dont want it to be either.. thanks.

 

[NewEnglandBully]

OMG
That's the saddest thing ever! How awful!! Poor baby. This breed is a LOT of maintenance...even after all the research and reading I did months and months before we got ours, I still didn't know to the extent...but it is SO rewarding!!! Please keep me updated on his progress and you're so great to save him!!!!

 

[NewEnglandBully]

So, I just met another Bully-rescue Mom at the pet store today, she took in a 3 yr old Bully that may have been abused and she was telling me how bad his coat was when they first got him...She put him on a good food and got his coat back to normal, but was also battling tear stains. She mentioned "Angel Eyes" and I let her know my opinion on it, along w/everything I read and heard...also brought up the MOM/CS/HP home-mix.
We probably could have chatted for hours, lol, but I had all four girls w/me and The Bass. I did let her know there were great tips on here so hopefully she'll remember the name of the website.
I think anyone that takes in a rescue is SO awesome! I wish I could, but I just couldn't chance it w/my girls. Maybe some day when they are all off doing their own thing I will try to rescue. Such an awesome thing to do!!

 

[NewEnglandBully]

I also wanted to add that Bass started NuVet Plus today! I am very excited about this product and hope this is the answer! OH...AND, the other BullyMom that I ran into at the store today mentioned that our town's butcher has someone there that specifically puts aside *Raw for their customers...I may be taking a trip to the butcher shop tomorrow

 

[NewEnglandBully]

Just a quick update...tears stains have gotten WORSE
They are so much darker and he has been having constant tearing, I think it must be the food switch. It has only been a week, but I have also noticed that the top of Bass' head (the fur not the skin) is pinkish in color. I know that I am supposed to give a new food a few months...but I really do not want to shell out the $$ for another bag of this stuff of he is going to continue to get worse...I am also starting to suspect a pea allergy. At the end of next month, he goes in for a vet check...I will inquire about a blood - allergy test.

 

[Jiggsmama15]

Hi, Laurie sorry to hear about you bulldogs tear stains I just adopted a bulldog puppy and my breeder recommended Malacetic Otic Cleanser for tear stains its also really good for cleaning the ears too. i hope this helps.

 

[NewEnglandBully]

Hi, Laurie sorry to hear about you bulldogs tear stains I just adopted a bulldog puppy and my breeder recommended Malacetic Otic Cleanser for tear stains its also really good for cleaning the ears too. i hope this helps.

I took your advice and ordered some last week at our Pet store...they will call when it is in, thank you! I do believe another member also told me about Malacetic Otic Cleanser as well. I will give it a shot!

I am slightly ashamed to admit this...but I gave in to the Angel Eyes last visit at the Pet Store...NOT with Tylosin though!!

This particular Angel Eyes does not - I repeat - does not include any antibiotics and is a "natural tear stain powder"


I also need to add that I am not feeding Brothers Complete any more, but I will write about that in my next entry! Thanks for your feedback and for reading my blog

 

[NewEnglandBully]

UPDATE:

So, Sebastion did not respond well at all to the food switch and I kick myself for keeping him on it the whole month. I took into consideration all I had read about giving a new food the chance to "work through their system"..."the tear stain worseningcould just be a way of the body getting rid of old junk"...blah blah blah
I put him back on Fromm (Salmon this time because his coat lost it's sheen and luster and turned dull in color, with a weird pink/green tint). I also ordered malacetic otic cleanser and in the mean time *GASP - gave in to buying Angel Eyes (without Tylosin).

I feel terrible that my boy looks so bad. It's not even a vanity "thing", it's a...well, maybe it's slightly a vanity thing, but I take so much pride in my boy and work really hard at keeping him happy and healthy! These dreadful tear stains are a sign that something is just not right and I am trying everything in my power to figure it out! Bottom line, even though I made this a personal vendetta (me vs.red yeast beast) I am really into research and finding the best (preferably natural) way to benefit my children ~ yes Bass is one of my kids, but if you're reading this, chances are that you, too, have a bully and treat him/her as your very own child!

In conclusion - I went to the butcher shop yesterday (a different butcher shop than the one I "tried" to inquire about Raw last month (<-another story for another time) and had a great experience w/customer service and knowledge! The butcher gave me a list of items to start with and told me to call when ever I was ready to place an order.
I will start a whole new blog regarding my adventure w/The Raw Diet....and I do hope the key to all of this lies somewhere between necks and cleanser! For now, the battle continues...tbc

 

[punky]

UPDATE... my rocky had his tail amputated and did great.. he hasn't been on any antibiotics for a while and tear stains are still there and seem to be getting worse.. so i switched his food to Earthborn holistic coastal formula.. he eats it fine, but i truely believe he would eat anything, tear stains don't seem to be getting worse and at one point looked a little better.. i still do the routine cleaning everyday sometimes i wipe it twice a day depending on how much he's gotten into, but still looks the same.. not any worse but still not that pretty white face i would like to see.. he still seems to be getting that one ear full of yucky brown gunk, and i noticed today he started shaking his head some so i think it may be bothering him.. going to make a vet appointment to have him checked out and see whats going on in there.. maybe she can give me some ideas to try to help his tear stains.. i will keep posting if i learn anything that may help others..