Everyone who has ever lived with a pet dog is aware of the smell. It smells like a dog. The smell isn’t a big deal for dogs, but it can be overwhelming for humans who are only used to the smell of newly bathed people. You may also smell dog if you add the scents left behind by your dog on your furniture, carpets, clothes, and the back seat in your car.
It’s not an option to throw your puppy in the bathtub. You just love him and he brings you so many positive things. The odor is what needs to be removed.
The Body of Your Dog
What exactly does a dog smell? Dogs don’t sweat like we do. Dogs don’t sweat like humans. They do not have liquid perspiration dripping from their pores or rolling off of their skin. They do, however, perspire through their paws and emit light perspiration that has an individual scent. Some dogs smell alike to us but not to others. The oil they produce is also a scent. It’s an essential part of maintaining healthy hair and skin. These body odors are normal and, along with glands that produce a yeasty scent in the ears, can be reduced by bathing regularly and taking care of your pet.
When bacteria or fungi invade the body, things can become unpleasant. Some dogs, for example, are prone to ear infections. This usually affects those dogs with long, floppy, hairy ears. However, any dog could be affected by an ear infection. The smell of ear infections varies from pungent to decaying depending on their severity.
Anal glands are also called scent glands. They do most of their work in the shadows. Anal sacs that are healthy will secrete a little bit of secretion when fecesing. The musky smell is for other dogs’ benefit. This scent is unique to every dog and helps them to recognize each other. (This is why they tend to smell each other before greeting each other.) Occasionally, anal sacs can become blocked, preventing them from draining. The glands can become painful and swollen for your dog. He may bite and lick the anus too much, which exposes the glands to infection and abscess. A veterinarian will need to drain and treat this condition.
Skin infections can also cause bad smells. They are more common in dogs that have overlapping skin folds like Bulldogs but they can occur with any breed. Skin irritation can cause them, as when folds in the skin retain moisture, microorganisms, and bacteria, or excessive scratching caused by skin allergies. You may have given your dog too many baths in an attempt to reduce the irritation or smell.
Bad smells can also be caused by dental infections. This is because the rotting and infected tissue inside the mouth causes a decaying, rotten smell. Just like humans, dogs can also experience intestinal gas. While some are natural, if your dog has excessively odorous gas, it is worth consulting your vet.
Make Your Dogs Smell Fresh Again
Dogs who are fed grain-based or cereal-based foods, which contain high levels of starch and low amounts of fatty acids, will often have dry skin. You can remedy this by changing your dog’s diet and adding more fatty acids. Or, you may want to consider fatty acid supplementation, with the approval of your vet. Avoid shampoos if your dog’s skin is dry. Instead, use gentler methods of grooming. Diatomaceous Earth or unscented, plain baby powder can be rubbed into the dog’s hair after a thorough brushing. This will help to clean and neutralize the smell. If your dog has skin allergies, you will need to experiment with different products and follow the advice of your vet.
A cotton ball or pad can be used for cleaning the inner ears. It is best to use a mild ear cleaner or hydrogen peroxide. You can do this with every dog bath but you might need to perform it more frequently if your pet has floppy, hanging ears. You will need to remove some hair from the inner ears of your dog if it has hairy ears. Non-shedding dogs like Poodles have hairy inner ears.
Take your dog immediately to the vet if your dog’s breath is bad. We are not talking about dog breath here, but bad breath. A tooth infection or cavity may spread to other teeth. If you want to avoid a major dental emergency, it is best to remove one tooth now rather than wait until the problem becomes a serious issue. You can easily cure dog breath with regular brushing, and chew toys that are tooth-friendly.
The fragrances in sweet-smelling shampoos can be irritating for your dog and don’t stay on the skin very long. The best option is to use a simple, gentle dog shampoo once per month. If your dog does not like to play in the mud or roll over dead animals and trash, you shouldn’t bathe them more often than every month. You can alternate between using light powders or perfumes designed specifically for dogs and brushing their coats a couple of times per week. Also, keep the spaces between the toes clean and the nail beds and pads.
There you go. Isn’t it one of the many reasons why we love dogs? But it does not have to be bad.