monapete

I have a 1 year old male maltipoo. He seems like over the last few months he has rusty tear stains that even go around his mustache. Well now since he chews on his back paws they back paws are stained a rust color. Could this be a bacteria infection? I called my vet and get very vague answers.
I wanted to see if anyone experienced this and what they did about it.
(he gets filtered water and is on a high quality food, I wash/dry his face daily)
I am assuming it is something in his saliva if his feet are staining?

-Lilith-

It is his saliva. Possibly use angel eyes.


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Lily's-Mom

Yes it's most likely staining from saliva. Our white Pekingese/Poodle mix had that problem too. I have used Angels Eyes and it worked well. However it is an antibiotic, so you may want to discuss with your vet

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"Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to choose a relative" - Mordecai Siegal

Carley's Mom

If stopping the licking would do it. You can put some Tea Tree Oil on his paws and most of the time they will stop licking. If they continue it will only be good for him, so it does'nt hurt to try.

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Fluffyspoos

The staining is a result of bacteria living in the moist environment caused by the licking, the staining is caused from their waste (from what I've read around) if you're able to stop the licking and keep the area dry the staining should stop. Unfortunately, the hair may be permanently stained and you may have to wait for grow out to keep it clean.

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georgiapeach

This could be a yeast problem. I have a westie mix that had this problem when we adopted her almost a year ago. It affected her eyes, muzzle area, feet, and tummy (she had black skin there).

What are you feeding your dog? A grain free diet helped Maddie immensely, as did changing her food bowl to ceramic, rather than stainless steel. Her water bowl is glass. It took awhile, b/c you can't bleach out the staining; it has to grow out/trimmed off over time.

Here's a link to a kibble review site. I'd switch to a food that rates 5 stars; 4 at the least (and preferably grainfree). If you switch, do it slowly, so as to avoid tummy upset. Also remember that you can feed less of a grain free kibble b/c it's more nutrient dense (in fact, if you overfeed it, it can cause tummy problems).

Something that helps my westiemix with her itchy paws (she also has environmental allergies) is to soak her feet in a Betadine/water mixture every day (you can also wipe it on other affected areas). It's antibacterial and antifungal. Here's a link with more information: Irritated Pet Paws | How to Relieve Your Pet?s Irritated Paws.

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Beth, mom to adopted rescues: Potsie, 4 year old cream minipoo, Maddie, 4 (?) year old terrier mix, and Dempsey, 5 year old flashy brindle boxer

MollyMuiMa

The staining IS from saliva but in order to stop the chewing you got to try and find what's causing it. ( I battle the tear staining too!) The main reasons for chewing on paws is usually allergies to fleas or foods. I put Molly on a no wheat, no corn, no soy kibble, add apple cider vinegar to her water, give her a tblsp of yogart daily, and I wash her face everyday to keep the tear stains at bay! I was told not to use Angel Eyes (tylosin) until all her adult teeth are in because it can cause teeth to be yellow. Last but not least is definate flea control. All it takes is one fleabite to get an allergic dog chewing! She is also on benedryl and the paw chewing has stopped! Every dog is different but this is what worked for Molly. I have also heard that feeding raw will work but since I live in a carpeted apt I can't try! I do give her a chicken wing a couple of times a week though! Good Luck!