Smelly Dog!!!

Sarge'smom · Senior Member Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 700

Sarge smells horrible! All the time. We give him a bath in the evening and by the next day he smells rotten again. He does not get into any trash, is not outside for extended periods of time, I can only surmise he needs deodorant!!!! Any suggestions?

Jamiya · Moderator Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 5593

Hmmm. I do know bathing too often is not good for dogs. What are you feeding him?

Jamiya

Sarge'smom · Senior Member Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 700

I guess my post did sound like I am giving him nightly baths! We have been giving him a bath about 2'x a month. But it is all I can do to wait that long! I try to use the dry bath wipe things in between. He is eating Iams and raw food combo.

loves-da-pits · Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2004 3:15 pm Post subject:

A lot of people don't agree with me on this, but I never cared about over bathing dogs. Only when they've been exposed to something such as a skunk or they've gotten into something harmful. I never bath my dogs, only brush them and they don't have any doggie odor to speak of. Only around their muzzles when they been into something smelly. And that usually goes away.

Even if they get into mud, it eventually dries and can be brushed out. Dog shampoos if used too much can interfere with the dog's own natural skin balance and can cause dry skin and irritation.

Like Jamiya implied, diet has a lot to do with how a dog smells. Just like humans who eat too much garlic, they start to smell like garlic.

There are scented dry shampoos that are sprayed on and brushed out without actually getting on the skin. You might try it. And try to keep wet shampooing to a minimal.

Jamiya · Moderator Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 5593

Tricky one! You could try replacing the Iams portion of his diet with a better kibble - Canidae seems to be a popular one that is not terribly expensive and also doesn't seem to cause the gas problems that I have heard many times (and experienced) with Innova. Natural Balance from PetCo and Blue Buffalo from PetsMart are good choices that can be easier to find than some of the other "super-premiums".

I assume you have washed his bed and crate pan? If he lies in a stinky bed all night, that would certainly contribute to the problem!

I don't notice much doggie odor since going raw. There is a small amount, though, if you stick your nose on the dog. Smile

Bonnie has a totally different smell than Nala, although they are fed the same.

Jamiya

Sarge'smom · Senior Member Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 700

Right now there is no bedding in his crate as MR. Chew Pants thinks he is part hamster and has been shredding everything he can get his teeth on! But, yes, I wash his pan out once a week when I change all of our sheets! I will look for the other brands of food and the dry/brush out shampoo. I was trying to ease my way on to the raw diet, but maybe I will just go for broke! Thanks you guys!

GinaH · Super Senior Member Joined: 18 Mar 2004 Posts: 1377

Sarge'mom I know how you feel. My Pekingese is the stinkiest dog in the world! MY other girls never smell as bad as her even when they get into the swamp. I have tried expensive shampoo's I brush her everyday I special order Solid Gold kibble just for her.I constantly wash her bedding and still she STINKS! I even tried bathing her every week but that just made it worse once the shampoo scent began to mingle with her stink! Now I only bathe her maybe once or twice a month. I have come to the conclusion that I will be spending the next 10-12 years with Miss Stinky Pants.(Her nickname is Fancy Pants so her name change will not be to confusing!)...LOL

Sarge'smom · Senior Member Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 700

I totally understand! Though I am sure there are many pups that end up shelters due to their odor, we will just grin and bear it! I can't look at that face, with those GSD eyebrows cocked up all inquisitive and those HUGE ears perked up at bent, and not risk the stench to hug and love him!

Maybe I will just pray for a chronic sinus infection so I can't smell him!

lil96 · Super Senior Member Joined: 06 Apr 2004 Posts: 1265

I think it has something to do wit being a GSD, becauseI know some GSD and they have a different odor than other stinky dogs. It is something to do with their dander (according to other peole I have talked to, never talked to a vet or anything) But my B-i-l has a black GSD who stinks terribly, He has some sort of special wipe he wipes him down with and my B-i-l brushes him daily. The dog also is on a mainly raw diet. But I remember once I stayed with someone for a week or so and they kept complaining my dog stank Mad

and asked me if I would mind leaving her outside for the week, which I didn'T think was too nice! But while I was there I found a dog perfume at Kmart it works for a little while, it isn't a strong smell. Sorry I can't remember more about the wipes that they use! Or what they said causes it!

2pyrs · Member Joined: 19 Mar 2004 Posts: 180 Location: Ohio

I well assume you did the look over for what was last sat in or stepped in and ears, teeth, worms and all though rare on large breeds- anal gland checked. Skin showing know irritation from bath soap used, Font line or other topical. Shows no signs of infection,bladder or other. Diet - consider adding Miss Link to your feed.

2pyrs

bellack1 · Posted: Tue Jul 20, 2004 8:13 pm Post subject:

Peppy ALWAYS smells. We bathe her and the next day she wil;l smell again. I think she rolls around in stuff outside. We tried doggie purfume, breathmints, special shampoos but if she doesn't want to smell good theres nothing we can do but put up with her!

karma · Member Joined: 20 Mar 2004 Posts: 95

Have you ruled out a skin or yeast infection? Sometimes they can be hard to detect. It could also be seborrhea...... but dogs are like people in that individuals can be vastly different.

Our dogs all eat the same things, live in the same environment, of course.... one has absolutely no doggy odor at all, breath included. If anything he always smells like fresh air... another has nasty doggy breath (we've ruled out bad teeth and gums, etc.) and his body also is very doggy-smelling. Just individual chemistry.

Sarge'smom · Senior Member Joined: 21 May 2004 Posts: 700

Yep, we have decided our dog just smells! We love him anyway, stench and all! Thanks for all the suggestions, etc., we had ruled out health reasons so it's just that he is a smelly dog!

treen123 · New member Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 2

OK, I am happy to help someone else with this! It took me 2 years to find out why my cattledog mix smelled so bad. I have had a lot of dogs and never had this problem. I tried changing her diet, giving her regular baths, even having her hind end shaved because I thought feces or urine were sticking to her fur! Here it is:

Some dogs (not many, but some) have overactive anal glands. What happens is instead of a small amount of secretion being expressed everytime the dog has a bowel movement, the dog builds up too much so that it literally dribbles out whenever they are excited etc. I started taking both my dogs for regular baths which were SUPPOSED to include anal gland expression. This got extremely expensive and I figured out the groomer wasn't expressing the glands. Normally on my other dog I would never have known, but with this dog it was OBVIOUS!! So..... I take only the one dog in every 5 weeks. For $12.00 they ONLY express her anal glands. I sit her on a huge towel, take her home and just wash her hind end only. It works great. If I wait 6-7 weeks it is too late, she spreads her "stuff" around again and stinks. But if I go every 5 weeks, she smells great, everyone wants to be around her and we are all happy. I hope this helps someone else!