cavapoo

Question

shabby   QUESTION: Our cavapoo is 2 years old she is cream and we live in SW FLA --- when she licks her fur it turns a pinkish color... any ideas what this is caused by?????

thanks

ANSWER: Hello Patty,
Your dogs fur turns colors when she licks it because of a chemical reaction that takes place between the dogs saliva and the dogs hair.  Licking the hair causes a chemical reaction that actually dyes the dogs hair a rusty color.  You can try the eye stain removers from most Pet Stores, to see if it helps some but other than that, there isn't much you can do about it.  
If her eyes are also running, it could be allergy related, and you can give her a Benedryl at night to help keep her eyes from running.  

I hope this helps you some.  If you have other questions for me, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Her eyes are runny and they have advised me to give her a benadryl..which I do during high allergy season.  Is there anything else I should be concerned about?  Can benadryl hurt a dogs system over lng term usage?
thanks

Answer
Hello again,
No, you don't have to worry about her having problems with Benedryl.  Vets prescribe Benedryl to dogs that have allergies, and they help with the runny eyes also.  Allergies tend to be behind the runny eyes anyway.  
You might have your Groomer shave her close right under her eye, and then you can put Vaseoline under the eyes to help the tears drop off from under the eye.  The Vaseoline helps keep the tears from sticking under the eye so they don't get the tear stains.  
If you are still concerned about the Benedryl, you can give your dog Milk Thisle from a Health Food Store.  You might ask them about the dose because your dog is small, but it shouldn't make a difference.  Be sure to go to a Health Food store, so you will know that its pure, rather than mixed with other substances also.

Give this a try and if you have other questions, you know where to find me.

Thanks again,
Kim