Only a small percent of dogs with tear staining have it as a result of an illness. However, if your Vet finds your Havanese to be in excellent health, then you should know there are ways to prevent, reverse and control tear staining.

Tear staining is caused by yeast. Yeast is a bacteria, this particular bacteria thrives in conditions that are wet and warm. For dogs that tear excessively rule out a clogged tear duct or ingrown eyelash.

For most dogs tearing is a normal process of cleansing the eye, over time “goo” will collect under the eye, if you do not clean this area bacteria will begin to grow and fester, it is warm and wet and so, therefore, a perfect spot for a yeast feast. When the area dries, the yeast leaves its mark, a rusty stain, if we ignore it, it gets worse and spreads.

There are a lot of products on the market, none of which will immediately remove the stains. Most of these products require that you use them several times a day, every day, forever. Which may not be practical for most owners.

I prefer products that I feel are healthy, natural and work from the inside out. My favorite is a product called I-Stain® by Thomas Laboratories. This powder is a mixture of probiotics, which are good in more ways than one. As always follow the manufacturers instructions. I give about 1/4 tsp once or twice per day for a 12lb dog. A small tub will cost you about $12.00 and will last the owner of a singleton up to six months or longer. If your dog is a picky eater, place it in a  dollop of moist food. This is my first choice.

Another popular choice is Angel Eyes® this product is much more expensive for much less product. However, it has very good reviews. Good reviews mean that it works but are it worth the high price? Apparently, many dog and cat owners think so. My concern however is that it contains an antibiotic but the manufacturer assures us that it is just a small amount.

Keep in mind that the active ingredient can cause staining of of un-erupted adult teeth. This would have to be considered if using it in a puppy.        This is similar to a product that can be offered through your Veterinarian called Tylan powder, an antibiotic usually prescribed to treat bacterial overgrowth, which interestingly enough works on tear staining.

Some other things that you can do is to make yeast vacate the premises is to dilute vinegar with water and carefully wipe the area under and around the eye, you should avoid getting it in their eyes. Otherwise, dust under the eye area with corn starch, the corn starch keep the area under the eyes dry and will dry up any tears that may fall from their beautiful eyes. However, this can cause caking and so you’ll have to comb more. Use a simple flea comb to remove debris once moistened.

If your dogs already has stains, (for a pet) you can begin treatment and as new hair grows, trim off the stained hair, it will take as long as it takes for the hair to grow for you to reverse it. You will have to be consistent with giving the powder daily according to the instructions.

Just because your dog is dark colored does not mean there is no yeast. Yeast can grow under the eye and spread to the face, head and chin making for itchy skin. If your dog has debris under the eye and a sour smell, he is likely to have yeast, make sure you remove the debris.

Sometimes, the beards on the Havanese can get wet from drinking water or eating wet food and cause itchiness, If you think this may be the case with your dog, go ahead and ask your groomer to thin the hair under the chin to let air circulate and prevent breeding yeast. Instead of messy canned food you can opt for a food roll, like Natural Balance®

A puppy that is teething will usually have more tearing during that time. You may notice it around five to six months when their adult teeth will start coming in.

There are different rules for the show dog vs the pet with regard to trimming, refer to the AKC breed standard for complete details.

Picky Eaters

The Havanese is a very talented dog, they were once used as circus dogs to entertain families and children with their amazing antics. Yet, you may find that you’re the one jumping through hoops to get him to eat!

The most popular concern I hear from families is their dog’s  http://vbrisket.com/members/vclintwyckoff/activity/friends/ lack of interest in food. It is not uncommon for the Havanese to love their food one day and turn their nose up at it the next.

I no longer recommend that dogs are fed a kibble diet but I make an exception for young dogs under one year and dogs that are going to be bred and when they are pregnant. The correct ratio of vitamins is essential to growing puppies and pregnant bitches. 

buy prednisolone for dogs uk For breeders: Vitamin K (found in raw liver) deficiency or overload can cause cleft palates and other conditions.

However, the right raw meat diet is far superior to any kibble on the market. I have yet to have a finicky Havanese turn their nose up to a meal which nature intended for them. Even if you cannot imagine preparing raw meat for your Havanese (I’ve been there) then at least consider researching some of the frozen or prepackaged dehydrated raw meat diets.

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