Why Does My Dog Smell So Bad?

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If you have a dog, there will be times that you notice that they may smell a bit more than usual. With my dog Grace, she absolutely STINKS come summer! Benson smells like a normal dog, but the pungent smell coming off Grace lets you know she is coming into a room well before she does. Think of the dust cloud surrounding Linus in the Peanuts, except it’s stink.

Grace loves the water and to swim. But Lake Ontario has an exceptional quality of green algae a good part of the summer and can be less than optimal to swim in. I can’t keep that dog out of it. So the smell actually intensifies for a good several hours while she is drying out.

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Getting To The Bottom of It

With Grace, her seasonal allergies ensure that we can’t do much about the smell coming off her most of the summer. She gets an allergy shot and it does seem to help. For a short bit anyways. But the inevitable day comes when someone at the dog parks comments “Your dog STINKS!” and I know it’s time to go back for another one.

Besides allergies, there can be many reasons why your dog might smell more than is typical. It is worth trying to find out exactly what the cause is behind it so that you can work to reduce it. The last thing you want is someone walking in a room with your dog and not being able to stand the smell of it.

Allergies

I touched on it a bit above, but allergies can be one of the culprits behind the foul smell emanating from your dog…and the dog bed…and the couch…and the carpets…anything they touch or sleep on.

Allergies, whether seasonal or food related, can cause excessive oil secretion on the skin. Voila, stink due to buildup of bacteria and yeast on the skin. Your vet can help you determine if allergies are an issue with your dog. Grace gets a shot, Benson a Reactine when he needs one. I have also switched their food to a different protein with healthy grains in case food was contributing to their allergies.

You can read more on our experiences with allergies, including symptoms and causes, by reading our post on it HERE.

Ear Infections

Did you know that ear infections can actually lead to your dog smelling less than fresh? This can go hand-in-hand with allergies as well. We have had no shortage of experiences with ear infections in our house as well. However, I attribute much of this back to the allergies we discovered.

If your dog has an ear infection, they will typically exhibit symptoms such as excessive ear scratching and head shaking. They may also appear to be in pain and could be tilting their head to the side. You may notice excessive dark discharge in their ears and redness/swelling.

If you think that your dog may have an ear infection call your vet as soon as possible. Leaving ear infections untreated can lead to serious implications for your dog.

Anal Glands

Ok, who was waiting for this one??? I had a dog growing up, Mack, who ALWAYS seemed to have problems expressing his anal glands and they would get impacted. And guess who was the one who had to express them for him and follow him around with paper towels soaked in Epsom salts to hold on his bottom…

These are glands used for marking and are usually expressed naturally when your dog has a bowel movement. However, if they aren’t being expressed naturally and become impacted it can become painful and STINKY. You may notice your dog dragging their bums across your new rug or clean floor…

Many groomers will express the anal glands as part of their service. But if you notice a problem in this area, it is important to make that phone call to your vet.

Dental Issues

Dental disease can lead to odors as well. Keeping your dog’s teeth clean is a very important part of their overall care. I know I can’t get a toothbrush near Grace and Benson’s mouth though. So I learned other ways to care for their teeth. For more on tips to keep your dog’s teeth pearly white and plaque free read HERE.

You should pay attention to what is going on in your dog’s mouth since dental issues don’t tend to have any early warning signs. By the time you notice the smell it can be because the dental disease has moved to an advanced stage. You can read more on halitosis and dental disease in dogs on the VCA’s webpage HERE.

Gas

I have been fairly lucky with my dogs so far in this regard. When Grace first came home she could clear a room though with one of those silent but deadly stinkers coming out her bottom. As she adjusted to her new environment this eventually just went away. Benson on the other hand can still let the occasional killer fart loose…My little pug Nemo would fart loudly then spin around trying to see where it came from!

Check your dog’s diet if they have excessive flatulence. Make sure they are getting high quality proteins and grains, and avoid fillers and excessive carbs. If you are going to attempt to switch food, do it slowly to avoid further problems and diarrhea. We also use probiotics regularly in our house and yogurt for a treat for better gut health.

Next Steps

So you have figured out what is behind that rotten smell that may or may not make you vacate the premises. From that point you should have a pretty good idea what the next steps are to make your dog smell better. But there are also some things that you can look to do regularly to improve your dog’s overall level of hygiene.

Regular Baths

This one should be a no brainer, but a regular bath can help your dog smell better! There are some GREAT smelling shampoos out there, and you will go from avoiding your dog to snuggling nonstop in that clean smelling fur!

Avoid bathing your dog excessively, however. If you have addressed the underlying cause of the stench you shouldn’t need to bathe your dog more than once every three months. Bathing your dog more than this can cause their skin to actually dry out and you have created yourself a whole new problem to deal with.

Doggy Deodorant

I have a spray bottle that I use to concoct my own little doggy deodorant in for days that my dogs may smell a bit more pungent. You can mix a few drops of essential oil with warm water, such as lavender oil. Be careful with what oils you use though as many can be toxic to your dog. Find out what is safe for your dog and what isn’t by reading 24PetWatch’s post here.

Rubbing DRY baking soda or corn starch into your dog’s fur can also act as a natural deodorant. Don’t do it wet…just don’t…or it will cake into their fur like glue and you’ll need to bust out your trusty clippers to deal with it.

Drying Thoroughly

Drying your dog thoroughly after a bath, swim or rainy walk will help to reduce the odor they are giving off. This will also reduce the risk of skin infections and yeast buildup as well as hot spots.

We do the best we can with our pups, but given how THICK their fur is it can take hours to dry them out completely. And since I don’t have an industrial sized blow dryer we use mine until the dogs simply lose patience with sitting there. A bath usually results in every towel in the house needing to be washed!

Good Diet

I have already touched on it a few times above, but a good diet can go a long way. A poor diet can lead to skin, ear and digestive issues. Check the ingredient list carefully and speak with your vet to address any concerns that you may have with your dog’s diet.

After much consideration, I am feeding my dogs Acana. They have a wide variety of proteins available, as well as healthy grain and grain free options. Currently I have them on the Red Meat Healthy Grain recipe and they have been doing really well since making the switch!

Regular Brushing

Besides leaving your dog looking runway ready, a good brushing helps to distribute the oils in their coat and can avoid oil buildups in certain areas. It also helps with your housework since a lot of that loose fur will come off on the brush instead of building into some monster sized hairballs lurking around the corner.

So you should now be armed with what you need to know to get out there and show off your pup without having all the other people around you cringe and move away due to the smell! I do have to work rather diligently with Grace at this time of the year but it’s important that we know the underlying causes behind your dog’s smell.

Have any other tips or feedback on keeping your dog smelling like a bed of roses? Leave us a comment below!