All dog owners want their dogs to smell good all the time, but the truth is, sometimes dogs smell pretty bad.
They can smell like many things, based on what they roll in, but one of unpleasant aromas dogs develop is one of poop.
Naturally, dogs give off light perspiration from their hair follicles, the function of which is to produce an individual chemical scent.
Dogs possess two anal sacs, which produce a natural secretion that is deposited when they defecate. They also produce oil, which has its characteristic scent.
All these are all normal body odors, and they are most prominent near the ears.
Butsome dogs seem to give out a bad odor all the time. Regardless of how much loveyou have for your pet, it is hard to love a dog’s stinky scent!
If your dog smells so bad like poop, and it doesn’t seem to be coming from its ears as far as you can tell, that’s a completely different thing. Don’t just shrivel your nose the next time you get a breath of your dog.
Dog smells should be taken seriously since a bad odor may be a sign of a serious disease.
Why Your Furry Friend Smells Like Poop -And How to Remedy It
There are quite a few reasons why a dog smells bad. Some of thesecauses are more serious than others.
If your dog suddenly becomes smelly, first, check for external causes. A few questions come to mind. Did it roll in something stinky – feces, rotting fish, etc.?
1). Has it been skunked or sprayed?
You need to remove the skunk odor beforeyour dog spreads the odor to your whole house.
2). Wet Fur Stinks
When your dog goes for a swim, the water causes the release of stinkycompounds. This usually makes your dog stink right after a bath.Microorganisms like yeast and bacteria live in your dog’s fur.
As long as the fur stays dry, there’s little odor
Ifyou are certain that your dog’s awful odor is not caused by an externalproblem, then check your dog carefully to see if you can find any health orphysical problem that may be causing the odor.
3). Mouth Odors
Bad dog breath has a few causes. It is often as a result of the growth of odor-producing bacteria in your dog’s mouth or gut.
Pay attention to changes in your dog’s breath. Take a good look at your dog’s mouth. Look for signs of infection, injury, or bleeding. Injuries are the main reasons for bad breath.
Infectionscan be treated with antibiotics. Once the infection is gone, the bad breathwill go away as well.
Also, examine the dog’s teeth. Dental problems can also cause bad breath. Growing bad breath means that your dog needs better dental care, or that something is wrong in its gastrointestinal tract, liver, or kidneys.
Itcould be dietary issues or as a result of plaque build-up. Add plaque-bustingremedies to your dog’s water, or food. It really works.
Diabetes canalso cause bad breath in dogs. Your vet can explore this via a blood test torule it out. Visit your vet to rule out anything serious.
Unlessyour dog just ate fishy dog food, they should never have a fishy smell.
4). Infected Ears
Does your dog’s ears stink?
If your dog’s ears smell like yeast, it it’s a sign of a yeast or bacterial infection — which is very common in canines.
Examine its external ears for wounds. Infected wounds are a common source of awful ear odor.
Usually,you can fix smelly dog ears with good cleaning at the first sign of trouble.Start by asking your veterinarian to show you how to clean your dog’sears.
Some breeds need more frequent ear cleaning than others. If your dog swims a lot or has hairy ears, you should clean it often.
Keeping them free of debris can stave off infections. If the smell persists, your dog needs the vet.
5). Skin Problems
Skin infections can also make a dog smelly. A bad body odor is often the first sign for a dog with a skin infection.
Any dog can get a skin infection that smells bad if the skin’s normal barriers are broken down.
However, some dogs such as Pekingese, Pug, Bulldog are prone to skin fold dermatitis, a stinky skin disorder.
You need to keep an eye on your pet’s skin folds if you own any of the mentioned breeds. To avoid infection and a foul odor, cleanse your pet’s skin folds on a regular basis.
If there is a wound on theskin and it has become infected, the wound will give out a bad odor. Clean anddress the wound if it is not so serious. Otherwise, leave it to your vet. Skininfections often require a veterinarian to recommend medications totackle them.
6). Gas
Gas (flatulence) may indicate a digestive problem, such as indigestion, constipation, bloat, etc. Some flatulence is normal, but if this is regularly occurring, it could be a dietary problem.
Sometimes, increased flatulence is a sign of a serious health problem.
Ifyour dog’s gas is not related to an underlying health issue, we are here tohelp!
Feedingyour dog with an appropriate diet that is low in carbohydrates will make adifference. Switching to grain-free diets often improves digestion, leading toless flatulence, smaller and less smelly stools. If the problem persists, avisit to the vet may be necessary.
7). Impacted Anal Sacs
Sometimes, a dog smells bad because of its rear end! Infected anal glands are pretty common in dogs.
That is to mean that if your furry friend doesn’t have anal gland issues today, it might tomorrow!It’s something that all dogs share. This is possibly the most common cause of odor that won’t go away.
Dogs with impacted anal glands give out a very typical, foul “fishy” odor.
They usually slide their bottoms on the ground to reduce itchiness and may discharge a brown substance that stinks.
Also, dogs express their anal sacs when they are scared. This is perfectly normal, only a bit smelly.If a dog is scared or overly excited, the bad odor can get on the surrounding fur.
This odor can then be passed onto places where your dog lies, and then it’s just offensive everywhere.
Your dog has anal glands and you should out with a bit ofmaintenance. While some dogs naturally expel any build up in their anal glands,others need constant assistance.
Your vet can stimulate the anal sacs to expel these glands. If you want to learn how to stimulate the anal sacs this yourself, ask your vet to teach you.
Once the compacted material is removed, your veterinarian may suggest a higher fiber diet for your dog to help it express its anal sacs naturally.
The biggest reason dog stinksboil down to poor hygiene. This creates a persisting dog smell in yourhouse. All natural odors can be kept to a good minimum with bathing andgrooming.
How to make your dog smell heavenly
1). Groom Your Dog Regularly
Make it a habit to groom your dog on a regularbasis. This includes cleaning its ears, brushing its teeth, and if needed,expressing its anal glands.
2). Watch the Diet
As mentioned above, poor digestion causes gas and bad breath indogs. Therefore, it is important to give your dog a healthy diet.
As you can see, dog odor can be an indication that your dog has some form of underlying health problem.
Conclusion
To keep ahead of dog smell you need to learn what causes odors and how to fix any fundamental causes of unpleasant dog smells.
If you cannot identify the problem yourself and the odor persists, be sure to take the dog to your vet for a check-up.