My Dog Has Started to Smell Gross!!!

Updated on October 04, 2010
J.M. asks from Manasquan, NJ
16 answers

im really freaking out about this. all of a sudden, our dog smells, and i mean smells like dirty, wet dog times 10. he has not been exposed to anything foul smelling, its like he is just sitting there and it radiates from him. his crate was washed with vinegar first, then simple green, then some odo-ban. it seemed ok, then one night in it, and the crate reaks all over again.
he's a cavalier king charles, 1 year old, neutered. gave him a bath, then another with a tea tree oil odor shampoo. its not an anal gland smell, and not coming from behind. his fur still smells like the shampoo, and the skin looks healthy, no dandruff. if you smell his mouth, ears, or eye tears directly, they dont really smell. but there is an overall smell emitting from his facial area. its lingering, but can figure out exactly where its coming from.
we are changing his food since we read that sometimes can cause ph problems with smell. any other ideas? i read some things about infections but he seems fine? maybe something in his ears/nose/throat? do i go to the vet for a smelly dog? anyone had a similar thing? its def not a normal dog stink and i am worried my house will start to smell!!! thanks for any advice

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M.L.

answers from Houston on

My dog does this too, usually right when she comes in from outside, like this musty, sweaty smell and it goes away after she calms down. Maybe he is having gas, belching a really nasty smell, if the smell is fleeting than that's probably it? You can always try and change his dog food, go with a salmon/white fish one, just make food changes a gradual one so as not to upset his stomach. I worked at a vet and animal hospital and the white fish is good for sensitive stomachs and allergies. I know though, liver problems and such can also cause really bad smells, so if you are really concerned, take him to a vet for some lab work. There could be something going on with mites or in his eyes/skin/ears/teeth that you can't see but could be picked up with an exam.

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S.H.

answers from Rochester on

Try talking to the vet about it- I know dogs with floppy ears are prone to yeast infections which can really smell bad, and will continue until it is cleared up. I have a toy poodle and we deal with them frequently. Other than that I have no clue what it could be. Good luck.

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R.J.

answers from Seattle on

I'll also just toss this out there: ANY chance you could be pregnant? My housemate's dog (who at most had a pretty mild smell), would actually make me *vomit* she smelled so bad while I was preggers. I could actually tell what rooms she'd been in and for how long. I couldn't be in any room she had been in for more than a minute or two for several hours. Being in the same room with her would trigger vomitting within 30 minutes, but nausea right away. OMG. The SMELL. When my husband brought her into our bed (our housemate was a firefighter, and gone 24 hours a couple times a week), so she "wouldn't be lonely". I actually cried myself sick, proclaiming that my H loved the dog more than me.

I love dogs and animals in general, but, my god. The stench.

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K.U.

answers from Detroit on

I am a veterinarian and so of course I would have him get checked out at the vet - maybe they will find something on their exam. If he is a CKCS, sometimes they can have dermatitis in the skin folds around their face. I have pugs and I have to clean out their nose wrinkles on a regular basis or it gets nasty. I've seen dogs with these type of faces develop facial fold dermatitis sometimes when tears from their eyes or any other kind of moisture gets trapped in there. It gets infected and it can smell. Or it could be his breath. Or his ears. Either way, I would have your veterinarian see him.

As for the other post regarding the fish diet - dog foods made with fish are usually for dogs with food allergies to more common ingredients (beef, chicken, etc.) And their owners have complained about the dog's resulting "fish breath" AFTER starting the diet.

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C.D.

answers from New York on

I would see the vet could be something inside him (growing neighbot\r dog
mouth smelled it was fatal)

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J.K.

answers from Binghamton on

I had an Irish Setter once that suddenly developed a nasty smell with no apparant cause. He stunk so badly that he would hide in a corner as if ashamed of his smell. We took him to the vet and discovered he had a nasty ear infection. I got some medication to put in his ear and it cleared it right up and there was no more smell. Best to have your vet check him out to prevent a potential health problem that may be brewing.

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S.G.

answers from Rochester on

A couple things:

Don't feed cheap food with corn in the first 3-4 ingredients -- these make a dog smell TERRIBLY. Read ingredient labels on the dog food.

Ears -- try cleaning them out -- warm water/peroxide on cotton balls and hold them in.

Teeth would be another concern, but really at a year old, I can't see how it would be that.

I would definitely get him checked out -- foul smells usually do mean there is some sort of issue. Some of these issues can be taken care of at home, but many require medications.

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E.B.

answers from New York on

As a vet tech for 15 years, I second everything DVMMOM told you. Just take him in to get checked - it will save you the time searching and you'll have peace of mind too!

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L.C.

answers from New York on

My best guess would be ear infection. We had an english bulldog and when he got an ear infection, it would stink up the whole room. Wasn't really a wet dog smell but it was equally foul. I would bring him to the vet, they have meds that will clear it right up. Good luck
Li

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J.R.

answers from New York on

If you know it's not an anal gland thing - which is a very weird and awful smell, are you sure it's not a skunk thing of some sort? They can ooze that smell for a very long time - months. I would then check with the vet. Good luck, that's an awful thing.
I'm sure changing the food is a good thing to try as well. I hope that fixes your problem.

B.K.

answers from Chicago on

He needs to be seen by a vet. I'll bet he has a yeast infection, or some other infection in his ears or around his collar/neck.

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L.H.

answers from New York on

If he's like my dog, he needs a bath every 2-3 weeks. My dog has oily skin. Another thing to think about is...Does he eat in bed? I mean his bed/crate. Some dog snacks leave a really smelly residue on the beddings and the dogs lay or roll in it. Be sure to have lots of those cheap $2.50 throw blankets/baby blankets so you can change his bedding every week.

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D.K.

answers from State College on

Ears, face or neck folds if he has any, teeth are probably some of your best bets around the face. I would take him into the vet have them check it out, since most likely skin, ear, or tooth infection. If he has any wrinkles on his face you can check those too, the insides get infected sometimes. Good luck and hope you have a clean smelling puppy again soon. I have to say too cavaliers are one of my favorite breeds even though I have never owned one, they all seem to love to give kisses and are very sweet!

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N.B.

answers from Jamestown on

Have you checked his teeth?

L.B.

answers from New York on

Our dog had that problem and it ended up being a skin infection. You should take your dog to the vet for a skin scraping so they can look at it under a microscope, you cannot always see the bacteria with the naked eye. Also becareful with what you bathe the dog with, it could make the problem worse. Sometimes the skin infection is caused from an allergy that they developed and my dog developed his allergies at age 5!

Good Luck

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T.V.

answers from San Francisco on

He's probably got something stuck in his nose...get to the vet before it becomes infected or abscessed.

Blessing....

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