Puppy Tear Duct Inflammation. Dog tear stains tend to be. When the ducts are infected or blocked, they can become swollen.
Putting a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in your dog’s water (he won’t even notice) can help clear up the tear ducts quickly. This overflow of tears can lead to moisture and tear staining below the eye. Other causes of tear duct blockage include hair, dust or other debris in the tear ducts and inflammation caused by infection.
Maltese Tear Stains. It occurs in other breeds as well, but with the white face, does make it show up more in the maltese. Another reason tear stains can occur on maltese dogs is due to the fact they have shallow eye sockets.
Tear staining is caused by excessive tear production (epiphora). Tear staining is a common problem in maltese. Maltese tear stains can be caused from one of many things including genetics, stress, environment, and an underlying cause such as colitis.