In a recent survey we conducted, 93% of the 600 Maltese owners reported that they did have a tear staining problem with their Maltese.

Yes. High mineral content in your water could cause almost the entire face to stain. One suggestion would be to train your Maltese to drink from a water bottle which will help keep the face dry. Another solution would be to purchase purified bottled water.

Common sense would tell you that the actual structure around the eye area would play a significant role in excessive tearing. It is my opinion there is a genetic predisposition toward tear staining.

Many adults have a tear and do not even know it. These are typically degenerative or attritional tears. Painful tears in adults are usually larger, "flap" tears. They will cause pain with kneeling, squatting, pivoting, going downstairs and occasionally they will even hurt at night when you roll over in bed.

Yes, some plastic bowls will cause discoloring of the face. A stainless steel bowl is best. Stainless steel is bacteriostatic, it doesn't chip or crack and is easy to keep clean. The main ingredient in a Tum is calcium. An argument that Tums could help is that it will change the pH of the tears. We personally tried Tums on two of our Maltese for a six month period by giving them a-half-a-Tum-a-day. We saw no improvement whatsover. You could try it but don't expect a miracle.

A dog or cat could inherit very small tear ducts or overly watery eyes, particularly as a response to various products. Definitely inherited are large eyes and short muzzles, which tend to allow more eye irritation and less drainage. There can be inherited or developmental structural defects that result in eye stains.

Hygiene is an obvious factor in tear-staining. Matter in the eye tends to collect at the inner corner. If the pet’s eyes are exposed to dust, wind, grooming products, stray or ingrown hairs and other irritants, there will be more matter at the corners. This matter becomes an irritant and causes more tearing and therefore more staining.

Simple health concerns are often the major cause of excess tearing. Some of these are natural such as puppies or kittens cutting their first teeth, and again when they cut their permanent teeth. Dogs or cats of any age with teeth or gum problems are likely to have extra tear staining. Ear mites and ear infections, or any health problem - especially those in the head, neck, and chest areas - may also contribute to tear staining.

A so-called "Teacup" Maltese dog is not from a separate breed, but it is a special phenomenon that Maltese breeders will more often call a "Tiny." A Tiny is NOT a litter runt, but rather a somewhat rare and special fluke of nature. Normally, a Maltese dog will be between 4 and 7 pounds in weight when full grown, but a Tiny, or Teacup, Maltese is about 3.5 pounds or less in weight when full grown.

The Central Asia Dog in fact is not very common in Italy, while the Caucasian Mountain Dog is present with a very remarkable number of subjects (only in 1998 more than 600 have been registered to the genealogical registers). Both the breeds anyway are very ancient and have the undeniable advantage that they have not been manipulated too much by man. They are fascinating and mysterious breeds that hide in their eyes a millennial history.

In general, the Cairn is a healthy breed. For more information, see www.cairnterrier.org/reboot/health.html. One advantage to adopting an older Cairn is that it is easier to determine if there will be any health issues than it is with a young puppy.

Basically, tear staining is caused by a chemical reaction between tears, or saliva, and the hair. This occurs when tears run from the dog's eyes, or when drool gets on the hair around the dog's chin as they lap up water from a bowl. In essence, the key to preventing staining is to keep the affected hair clean and dry, but it seems that some staining will inevitably occur. Read on to learn some tricks that help minimize tear staining and make stain removal easier and more effective.

Susie, the first Scottish Fold cat, was discovered in 1961 in the Tayside Region of Scotland, at a farm near Coupar Angus. She was a white barn cat with ears that folded downward and forward on her head. Her face resembled an "owl" or an "otter's face". A shepherd by the name of William Ross first noticed Susie's unique ears at a neighbor's barn. Since William and his wife Mary were Cat Fanciers they were fascinated with Susie.

The frequency of Factor XI deficiency remains unknown. While in the past there have been difficulties to get dogs screened for this deficiency, the new DNA test has not yet been embraced by the KBT owners and breeders. Few dogs have been screened and some were screened because relatives were diagnosed with the bleeding disorder. It would be helpful to the breed to screen a random group of champion and breeding KBTs to further determine the prevalence.

The labrum is the fibrous rim of cartilage surrounding the perimeter of the shoulder socket. It can commonly become torn with excessive motions about the ball and socket (glenohumeral joint). Traumatic shifts of the ball in the socket or repetitive motions such as throwing can cause tears to this tough rim of tissue.

The ACL is the Anterior Cruciate Ligament. There are more than 4 major ligaments that essentially hold the knee together. Without one of more of these ligaments the knee would be loose and you would perceive that the knee was giving way or buckling. The ACL is the most commonly torn knee ligament. The ACL is usually torn as the result of a non-contact twisting injury. You will usually feel or hear a pop, the knee will buckle and within a short period of time, significant swelling will occur.

Health problems in Shilohs are much like the health problems in German Shepherds and other large breed dogs including: hip dysplasia, pancreatitis, hypothyroidism, bloat/torsion, mitral valve murmurs, SAS, and allergies.

Like natural teeth, dentures can pick up staining every day. This is especially true if you smoke, or drink a lot of tea, coffee or red wine. In most cases you should be able to remove this staining with regular cleaning. However, more stubborn stains may take a little more cleaning, which your dentist should be able to help with.

First, knowledge is power. If you are trying to breed a particular fish, consult a good reference book, a knowledgeable pet shop or a local aquarium society-- like GCCA!. Many fish have very specific requirements; others will breed at the drop of a hat, under the most adverse conditions. Provide suitable habitat; large enough with appropriate type spawning sites for the type of fish being kept Start out with more that a pair.