Blue Buffalo Grain-Free And Saliva Stains

[Guest whitefawn]

Hi everyone,

 

Saliva stains on Winnie's face are driving me nuts. As much as I try to keep her cheeks reasonably clean, those brown, sticky stains will just not go away. I understand this is due to some kind of red yeast growth related to the particular chemistry of some dogs' saliva, and hence must be connected to the dog's diet. I feed Winnie Blue Buffalo grain free dry food (Freedom or Wilderness), which is supposed to be one of the best (and pricey) dog food out there, but I was wondering if the heavy yeast growth might be in some way connected to that food. Sometimes Winnie also starts scratching and biting herself like crazy, but I'm not sure if this is just behavioral or allergic (and maybe yeast related?). Apart from that, she eats very well, always begs for more, gets 1 capsule of wild salmon oil and 3mg of melatonin a day, hoping it will eventually help with her very bald butt, tummy and throat.

 

Also, any new advice on how to get rid of those annoying stains? I've had some moderate success with a mix of peroxide, baking soda and corn starch, but I'd need to torture her with that every other day to keep her reasonably clean. Apple cider vinegar in her water does not seem to make any difference. I'm unwilling to give her any antibiotic to fix this problem. I know this is (apparently) only a cosmetic issue, but I'm uncomfortable with the idea of yeast growing on my girl's face!

[a_daerr]

Sometimes Winnie also starts scratching and biting herself like crazy, but I'm not sure if this is just behavioral or allergic (and maybe yeast related?).

 

I think food allergies are waaaaay over-diagnosed, but what you're describing sounds like a legitimate food allergy. I'd look into switching foods. Probably nix the melatonin too.

[Busderpuddle]

What about adding a probiotic to her diet for the yeast overgrowth ? Also, there is a product you can buy for the white stains that dogs get on their face and eyes. I don't know how well it works though and it probably contains peroxide.

[galgrey]

What about adding a probiotic to her diet for the yeast overgrowth ? Also, there is a product you can buy for the white stains that dogs get on their face and eyes. I don't know how well it works though and it probably contains peroxide.

I was going to suggest a probiotic as well.

[Guest chardae]

Hi whitefawn,

 

I've had the stainy reddish brown saliva thing with my white Poodle Joey, but ONLY when he eats an Iams product (which is too bad, gives great poop), so maybe a switch in brands would help. I switched to brands containing basically the same ingredients as the Iams, thinking it would be of little help, yet his staining still went away!

 

Also, has Winnie had her ears checked recently? Joey is prone to yeasty ear infections, typical of a poodle, but often when he has them his saliva will stain more, as well as around the eyes. Getting the infection cleared up helped with the staining.

[Guest whitefawn]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and advice. I used to give Winnie a probiotic some time ago, and as far as I remember the staining was much less back then. So I'll give it a shot to see if it helps. I'll also try to switch to another food as soon as I'm done with the huge (and expensive) bag of Blue Buffalo I bought last week.

 

As for Winnie's ears, she actually scratches them furiously every now and then (and moans when she does it, which is funny because she normally isn't vocal at all). I've had them checked by the vet and he didn't see anything wrong and/or suspicious about them. I checked them pretty much every day and haven't seen or smelt any sign of yeast infection.

 

Right now the poor thing has her corn starch-baking soda-peroxide treatment on her face (vet says it's fine), though I muzzled her so she doesn't like it all off. She doesn't really seem to mind.