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Topical treatments should not be used until after the cause of the tear staining has been remedied.
Before a dog owner attempts to remove the tear staining from a dog's face it is important to have eliminated the source of the staining. if this is not done first, staining will just come back and it will be worse than before.
Many commercial dog foods contain beet pulp that can cause staining of the face and beard. You may want to try a food that doesn’t contain beet pulp for your pets that are predisposed to tear staining.
Two ways to treat: Antibiotic or Natural
Antibiotic:
Angel’s Eyes is a flavored powder that contains the antibiotic tylosin and is much faster acting than any of the natural tear stain removal medications. The only problem, except for the cost, is the exact amount of tylosin is not specified on the label that means the pet would be using an unknown amount of drug daily. Obviously, if one is going to use a drug one should at the very least know how much is being used.
The second controversy is whether or not it is even appropriate to use an antibiotic daily for a cosmetic problem. Casual use of antibiotics is responsible for antibiotic resistance of bacteria in the environment and, in general, bacteria that become resistant to tylosin also become resistant to erythromycin. Since tear staining is simply a cosmetic issue, perhaps non-antibiotic treatment could be used instead. However, dogs can tolerate very high doses of tylosin with no adverse effects.
Natural:
Angel’s Eyes also makes a natural Angel’s Eye powder. While it is slower acting, it does not have any of the side effects of an antibiotic. It is slower acting and can take 30 – 60 days to clear up the tear stain problem.
Missing Link, according to many of our customers, works well with the added benefit of many other supplements and vitamins necessary for your pets health.
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NaturVet Tear Stain Supplement is made in a powder, tablet and soft chew that is a functional treat. As with Angel’s Eyes it will take 30 – 60 days to work it’s magic. NaturVet has one distinct advantage – while it is a top of the line product - its’ cost is a lot lower than comparable products.
What do We Recommend?
If you have the patience to put up with the tear stain discoloration for a while, use one of the natural formulas – they work slower, there is no exposure to antibiotics and the natural products are much less expensive, for example – NaturVet Tear Stain supplement cost less than 1/4th the cost of the tear stain medications with antibiotics.
If you need quicker results, use the Angel’s Eye with antibiotic. Nothing will work quicker and it is safe to use.
If you want the best of both worlds, start off with the antibiotic Angel’s Eyes and one of the naturals. When the problem clears or your antibiotic Angel’s Eye runs out continue on with the natural. The end result should be the same and you will save a lot of money.
When the tear stain problem is cleared up it is time to clean the old tear stains around the eyes. A good eye wipe like MalaceticWipes will do a good job. My personal favorite is, again, one of the NaturVet products – NaturVet Tear Stain Removal. Remember, do not use these until you have cured the problem or you will just make the problem worse.
Just about the best way to avoid low grade infections, such as tear stains, is to have a healthy pet to begin with and then keep it healthy. Great strides have been made in the formulation of pet foods, but they still do not supply everything every pet will need. That is why I recommend using a supplement such as Naturvet All –In-One, Missing Link and Missing Link Plus are excellent and you will see a noticeable improvement in your pets’ coat, vigor and health along with helping to build their resistance to bacterial infections.
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