Look at this lil face – can you imagine something so adorable could be so stinky?! When I spotted 7kimba7's blog about her smelly pup, Scout, I couldn't resist trying another team effort here! Read through her story which I've summarized below, and then share any tips or experiences in your comments!
"I have a Shih Tzu/poodle mix – his hair is getting long and he's starting to smell. It's not that I expect him to walk around smelling like peaches and roses, but he smells pretty soon after he gets a bath (not like poo, but very dirty dog). I have been giving him baths every Friday, I brush his hair everyday so it doesn't mat, and I find it odd that he smells so bad three days after his bath. I've even tried those "freshen-up" wipes, but nothing works.
Can anyone recommend anything to keep him non-stinky for at least a week? Or perhaps having shorter hair will help? Any tips for grooming in general would be appreciated . . . I am new with the doggy thing and I'm trying to be a good mommy. And again, I know that dogs smell; his scent is excessive. I guess I'm afraid that you guys will say 'dogs smell, get over it!'"
To read my advice, and share your own, read more.
First up, try to isolate the smell. For example, extra stinky ears can be a sign of excessive wax or an infection, smelly breath can come from bad oral hygiene, or smelly fur and skin can (unfortunately) be more common with some breeds. Pups with oily skin can have extra oils in their coats that can become rancid and stink or cause (even more smelly) skin conditions. Also, some pups are more prone to bacterial skin diseases – I'd say make sure you are using a good anti-bacterial shampoo, and ask a vet or knowledgeable shop owner/groomer for suggestions. Lastly, smelly fur and skin can not only come from weak shampoo, but also from a pooch's diet. I couldn't help but recall Bella's smelly cat problem, and all of the food suggestions – do any of you have remedies, supplements, or grooming suggestions to combat the stink?
Matches Fashion
Camilla Skovgaard
Christian Louboutin
I'd definitely recommend calling the vet. Maybe they can recommend a great shampoo or something else that you can do as well.
He's such a cutie!
1I've got a vet appointment tonight for vaccines, I'll have to ask. Thanks!
2ask the vet to check his ears, they can give an unpleasant smell if there is even the smallest infection... i have two shih-tzus and they get stinky when their ears act up. Good luck!
3My in laws have a Poodle Shih Tzu mix and had a very similar problem when he was a puppy. It turns out they were letting his coat air dry and his undercoat wouldn't dry all the way and he'd get smelly. (He had a really thick coat)
Does your hairdryer have a cool (or warm) setting? If so use that next time and see if it helps. Also try using a professional strength shampoo and conditioner...Sometimes the inexpensive ones you can get at the pet stores aren't event worth it.
Check with the vet too though, they may have some other suggestions.
4He is so cute. I'm sure the vet can give you the answers you need! Good luck!
5I am definitely thinking diet. Make sure you are feeding a high quality organic dog food- NOTHING from the supermarket and definitely no Science Diet or anything like that. Also try adding like a tea spoon of yogurt to his food at every meal. Unfortunately I also agree with what Petsugar said... some breeds or some dogs just smell funky. I personally LOVE the "dog" smell, when a dog is clean and just smells like dog, but my old roommate got a gorgeous pure bred golden retriever and she had a funky musty smell ALWAYS, even after bathing and drying off. Also I don't use vet shampoo or dog shampoo on my fuzzy lab mix, nor did I use it on my previous dog who was a chow mix and VERY furry. I use human shampoo and conditioner, the cheap stuff like Vo5, and it works fine. Dog shampoo is too harsh.
6take the pup to the vet. usually smells that aren't fixed by giving baths are signs of infection. and, washing your dog every day is not good for them - skin, coat, etc. vet time - he/she will be able to figure out what's wrong.
7I WANT THAT PUPPY - STINKY OR NOT
8When I brought Fuji home from the breeder, he was smelly, too. His stench came from his fur. He hadn't been thoroughly bathed as a pup so the smell was absorbed into his fur. So, after a few haircuts and a few baths, his smell was gone.
9Thanks for the tips, everyone!
(and yes, I am not using the hot setting on my hair drier.)
He smelled fresh as a daisy for a long time when I brought him home originally, so I may switch to that brand/type depending on what the vet says (if it isn't from diet, ears, some sort of infection, etc).
Thanks again! I really appreciate all of your help!
10my chocolate lab smells after we bathe her(smells like dirt). We can't get rid of it either. But its not as bad as my aunts black lab who has this really weird musky/stinky smell and she got that stink after she got spayed which i hear is normal? but my dog never got that smell after getting fixed. :\
11the basset hound we had for a while stunk up our entire existance.
12I am a believer in vitamins. Our vet recommended Pet Tabs Plus when our golden was little and I have faithfully given him one every day. I am convinced that it is the reason he barley sheds (I can pull on his fur and nothing comes out), doesn't itch etc...
13oops - i meant "barely" obv!!
14AWWWWWW!! What a cute puppy!!!!
I hope your vet has answers for you. My first thought was diet because a grocery store/vet store diet can cause stinky poops and stinky skin. If your vet doesn't have any answers and he's on a good super-premium diet, you could try getting his fur cut short just to see if that fixes it.
If not, and you just can't stand him anymore, I'll take him.
15I recommend the vet too...but like Pet said, think about checking his ears. My in-laws have a shi-tzu mix and she had hair in her ears that was collecting all sorts of yuckiness.
Just a thought and good luck!
16I have two bichons and a maltepoo. One of my bichons just naturally smells funkier then the others, but I've been feeding him yogurt with live bacteria and his smell has decreased as have all of their recurring ear infections. I would lean towards diet or ear infections. dogs with floppy ears can get yeast infections in their ears and they smell pretty rancid. I would also try keeping his hair short. It helps with the grooming, particularly if you plan to keep bathing him once a week, I take my dogs to the groomers about 4 times a year for hair cuts and get the "puppy cut". Good luck, he is such a cutie. Make sure you are cleaning out his ears at least once a week. They sell ear cleaner at the pet store or you can make your own from witchhazel and other natural ingredients.
17HI I work as a volunteer in Miami-Dade Animal SErvices, and we have to bathed a lot of dogs and u have to dry them really good because:
1. there coat smells awful
2. they can get Kennel cough
So specially for a dog with a lot hair you need to dry it really good.
18after the vet visit stop by petsmart or something like that...i bought Peach doggyspray that when im doing my makeup i spray on her while she tries to get my brushes(she is a VERY girly puppy
) and i put some of the puppy body spray on her and she thinks im doing something
AMAZING for her and it help the typical 'dog smell' in between baths! And it also gets her to leave me alone while i do my makeup!
19Pet gave some really good advice. Definitely talk to a vet about what you are doing and what you can change.
Definitely look at the food you are giving her. Changing to a better quality food changes sooooo much
20I went through the same thing with my long haired pup! I recommend switching your shampoo/conditioner brand, and consulting with your vet, dog salon or local pet store for the best brands. I had to experiement with different ones before I found the right bath products that worked well for her, and I got different results from each one!
21Also, your dogs diet could be generating the smell. Do your research and read your labels, just like people food! Just because a dog food brand is really popular and flashy doesn't mean it's good quality, unfortunately. Some vet clinics are even contracted to promote and recommend not-so-great pet food (my old vet always recommended Science Diet and had huge bags for sale. bad bad bad). There are LOTS of good options these days for pet food, so go to a larger pet store and have a knoweldgable sales associate walk you down the food aisles and help pick a good quality food. I was told one of the first ingridients should be the meat product and there should be NO by-products or corn. Happy label-reading!
seconding should check their diet. higher quality foods mean the dog will eat less of it(saves $!) and the dog will look and feel healthier. pretty!
the best way to tell if it's good or bad is to look at the first five ingredients on the bag. those are what make up most of the food. if it's stuff like chicken, beef, meat, stuff that looks edible you're good to go...if it's corn, some kind of wheat gluten, something-byproduct, stay away. some dogs can also have corn allergies too and it can cause skin problems and lots of itching.
22He smells 50X better since we cleaned his ears last night and I learned how to properly get out all the gunk. Who would have thought that ear gunk would stink like that?
But he gave me some recommendations on what to feed him, based on what he feeds the dogs that he owns and his size.
He got a vaccine last night... it was so sad. Doc said he'd be sore for the next couple days and oh boy is he.
23Your puppy is soooooo cute. I have a yorkiepoo who often has stinky ears too. Good luck
24awwww Shih-Poo!!!
25I have one of those too...
Unfortunately... i have no advice for stink other than food type. Most commercial brands are terrible for pups. I feed mine Innova Evo (1/4 c twice daily) and that is plenty for him.
I'm glad your puppy is smelling better. Since it turned out to be his ears that were the main problem, the key to keeping them clean is making sure you dry the underside anytime they get wet, otherwise they will trap bacteria in them when they are damp. Thus, leading to various infections, especially yeast infections, which smell particularly bad and require medicine to get rid of. This is usually only a problem with floppy eared dogs.
26I have two cockapoos and we are well aware of the stinky ears!! They smell yeasty if that makes any sense. Anyways, there are a few things you can do to prevent future ear infections in your dog. And trust me your dog will love you for it!
1. Switch your dog's food, some dog food causes dogs to produce more yeast in their ears causing the stink. We use "Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers Soul" and we're pretty happy with it. I also recommend "Wellness," and "Evo" (My one dog is a very picky eater!) The Whole Dog Journal has a ton of dog foods that they recommend that are all much better than almost anything you would find in the chain stores.
2. Clean out your dogs ears 2-3x a week with Epi Otic (or some other ear cleanser) you can't find these in stores you can only get them from your vet, but you do not need a prescription for them. When you first start, the ears might be gunky and gross but as you clean them more often almost nothing will appear on the cotton ball or Q-tip which ever you use. My vet told us we can clean their ears daily if we were really motivated, but 2-3x a week seems to work just fine.
Good luck with your adorable puppy!
27Just FYI, odor can indicate gastrointestinal upset....the most common causes in puppies being 1) gastrointestinal parasites (worms) 2) changes in diet (watch those treats) and 3) viral infections.
28there's this shampoo I use on my minpin it's called Pa (Said like paw) it's high quality and really glossy and has a citrus clean smell to it. No offense to the person who said use human shampoo, but there's a lot of chemicals that can cause gastric upset if used on animals, I wouldn't recommend it if the dog may very well end up licking themselves.
29HI I ALSO HAVE A SMELLY ( BUT REALLY LOVED DOG ) WE FINALLY FOUND OUT THAT IT IS FROM HIS ANAL GLANDS WHEN SOME DOGS ARE NERVOUS OR EXCITED THEY RELEASE AN ODOR . YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE YOU WASH OFF THEIR BOTTOMS WHEN IT HAPPENS . THINGS SMELL MUCH SWEETER SINCE WE FOUND THIS OUT . HOPE THIS HELPS . GOOD LIKE WITH YOUR BEAUTIFUL PUPPY .
30Definitely check to make sure it's the hair and NOT the breathe -- I would check with a vet if you can, you really can't mess around with things like that (I speak from experience).
It could be sweat, my dog sweats and she STANKS, but those wipes really don't do anything....I have them too.
As long as you get the green light from the vet, try more regular grooming or some organic doggy "perfume."
31cute puppy!!! i use mane and tail shampoo for three reasons
321) the little guy gets itchy, you put the shampoo on and rub it in for a few minutes and all the itches are gone, plus he loves it i get kisses for the bubble massage!!!
2) the conditioner is leave in or rinse out, whenever he gets re-wet or sweats if i don't rinse it all out and leave some in he justs keeps smelling like conditioner for about 2 weeks.
3) the little guy gets itchy, i know i said that but he has allergies and mane and tail can be used everyday if you want to. horses use it everyday all the time.
After you bathe your pet work a little baking soda into his fur.
33What a cutie. My Schipperke gets a bath about every 4 days with dogger shampoo and my conditioner. Daddy blow dries him and applies some other hair goop I have. He's soft and sweet smelling. Hope you get your baby smelling sweet soon.
34I KNOW THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A DOG BUT I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH MY CAT, SHE IS A DOMESTIC LONG HAIR AND BOY DID SHE STINK. I TOOK HER TO THE VET AND THEY GROOMED HER AND CUT HER HAIR SHORT AND NOW SHE DOESN'T STINK AT ALL UNLESS HER HAIR STARTS TO GET LONG AGAIN, SO WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KEEP UP ON GETTING IT CUT. SO MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING YOU MIGHT WANT TO THINK ABOUT. YOU CAN ALWAYS TRY IT AND IF THAT DOESN'T HELP THAN WE THINK OF OTHER THINGS TO TRY. I MEAN IT WON'T HURT TO GET IT CUT, THE BEAUTIFUL BABY WILL PROBABLY FILL BETTER IF NOTHING ELSE:) I HOPE THIS WILL HELP YOU:)
35Post New Comment
Please share your opinion with our community, but make sure it is on topic and follows our Community Rules. We moderate comments and prohibit personal attacks, threats, spam, lewd images, or the promotion of your personal website.