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Weird Smell

Shay

Well-known member
Lately my hands have a funny smell. I have started giving Lily, from my Vets recommendation, a fish oil based supplement in her food that he sells at his office. I just started noticing this. She has been on this supplement for about 3 weeks. I don't really smell a weird smell when I smell her, just on my hands. Is this from the fish oil in her fur getting on m hands when I pet her? Is is pretty unpleasant. Have any of you who give your dogs fish oil noticed this?
 
I don't recall smelling it on myself when I used to give Tucker fish oil, the oil itself smelled. However, we know my memory is suspect and it was a year ago. :badgrin: Fresh squeezed lemon will get rid of any odor. I think it's an exfolliator too !
 
I have been washing my hands like crazy. After I wash them, the smell is gone. A little while later it's back. It smells like the Vitamin E oil I used to put on my face, and quit using cause I couldn't stand the smell. My nose must be hypersensitive to the the smell :grnyuk: . It's got to be this stuff I'm giving her. Couldn figure out what is was, and then all of a sudden, it hit me. I never get the stuff on my hands cause it's in a pump bottle, so it's got to be coming off her fur. I hate to stop using it because he said it is really good for her. Her coat and feathers are really coming in and she is so shiny.
 
Shay, If Lily doesn't smell funny, it's probably coming from somewhere other than her coat.

Could you have some residue on your hands from the pump??

Glad to hear that Lilys' coat is looking great! :)
 
Shay said:
I have been washing my hands like crazy. After I wash them, the smell is gone. A little while later it's back. It smells like the Vitamin E oil I used to put on my face, and quit using cause I couldn't stand the smell. My nose must be hypersensitive to the the smell :grnyuk: . It's got to be this stuff I'm giving her. Couldn figure out what is was, and then all of a sudden, it hit me. I never get the stuff on my hands cause it's in a pump bottle, so it's got to be coming off her fur. I hate to stop using it because he said it is really good for her. Her coat and feathers are really coming in and she is so shiny.

I would suggest using a snood when you feed her. It will keep her ears out of the food and oil. I give my dogs fish oil capsules, and Bentley and Maggie somehow would get it in their ears. Since I've used the snoods on them the problem is solved.
 
O.K.....I just picked her up amd smelled her all over, and it does seem to be coming from just her ears. Where can I find a snood to fit her? Also, (I think I am obsessed with smells today) her tears are REALLY smelling bad. I try to wipe her eyes every day but the tearing is really smelling bad. Does this mean she might have an eye infection?
 
Shay said:
O.K.....I just picked her up amd smelled her all over, and it does seem to be coming from just her ears. Where can I find a snood to fit her? Also, (I think I am obsessed with smells today) her tears are REALLY smelling bad. I try to wipe her eyes every day but the tearing is really smelling bad. Does this mean she might have an eye infection?

I don't know about the tears! Maybe someone else will offer some advice about that.

Here's a couple of links for Snoods. I don't remember :roll: where I got mine, it's been a few years!

http://www.thesnoodfactory.com/
http://www.bisketbaskets.com/snoodbybisba.html

If you sew I think you could make one pretty easily too. It's basically a tube of fabric with elastics around each end. Bentley doesn't like his, so I bought a really large one for him because it fits looser and doesn't bother him as much.
 
If you have any old leg warmers around, it would do the trick.

I've even used a mans' neck tie, tied loosely to keep the ears up and back.

Snoods look better but who sees the doggies eating! :lol: :lol:
 
Another suggestion.... Make sure the dinner dish isn't too wide. If you can find one that is slightly narrower than your puppy's head, his ears will fall outside of the dish rather than inside of it.
 
Shay said:
O.K.....I just picked her up amd smelled her all over, and it does seem to be coming from just her ears. Where can I find a snood to fit her? Also, (I think I am obsessed with smells today) her tears are REALLY smelling bad. I try to wipe her eyes every day but the tearing is really smelling bad. Does this mean she might have an eye infection?
Shay, I had the same problem with India:
http://www.cavaliertalk.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2474&highlight=smelly+eyes
You might want to try the eyedrops and then just use a wet paper towel to wipe her face daily. If you want to try the Optrex too, try to find 'cosmetic puffs' rather than actual cotton balls, as the cotton fibers can get in her eyes. :flwr:
 
From Cathy Moon: "I started using one drop per day of Allergan Refresh Tears lubricant eye drops in her eyes, and she has been absolutely problem free for almost 2 months so far!! No more rubbing, no smelly face! She even lets me know when she needs her eyedrops. "


This is a timely thread for me. I've been going crazy for the past two weeks trying to determine where the smell is coming from on Tucker. To me it smells like old dirty socks, the kind a guy takes out of his locker! At first I suspected a yeast infection in his ears, but found no outward signs, no redness, he wasn't scratching at them, the flaps are nice and dry. Then I suspected his eyes, but that didn't seem possible, then I thought maybe it's his breath. His eyes have been very gunky lately.

Cathy my question for you is, where did you purchase Allergan or is this prescription? Last year Tucker had an issue with his eyes and I was given an ophthalmic ointment by the vet, but I'd like to be able to try something that is safe to give him daily.
 
Joanne, it's over-the-counter eyedrops - you can find the eyedrops in the contact lens solution section of the drug store.

India's eyes don't smell any more, since we've been using the Refresh Tears drops daily. I also wash her face daily with a wet paper towel and wipe near her eyes weekly with the Optrex.

Other sources of bad smells:

Look in ears with a flashlight for a yeast infection. India had dark brown waxy gunk, and we were given prescription eardrops to get rid of it, and we used Q-tips to clean her ears per the vet. Her ears smelled musty when she had a yeast infection, which is now gone!!

On their lipfolds - India had a yeast infection in her lipfolds. The vet took a smear to diagnose it. The yeast made her mouth smell bad even when her teeth were just brushed. There is a prescription for that problem too - Malaseb pledgets. She is like a new dog since all of these problems are taken care of!! :)

I believe the yeast infections were due to her being on antibiotics several times for urinary tract infections. Now we have that completely under control by having the groomer clip her hair around her private parts.
 
FYI, You can also buy Polysporin Eye and Ear drops that work very well.

They are over the counter here. They keep the odours away, from eyes and ears. :flwr: :flwr:
 
Thanks Cathy. I've been sniffing the poor boy every time I pick him up. I am 99% sure it's not his ears. I'm very diligent about cleaning them. I use a q-tip (very carefully) and nothing has come out. But his mouth could also be the culprit. I'm going to pick up some Allergan refresh tears, to see if that helps, if not, I'll bring him to the vet next week. On the mouth, I'm not so sure. Everything looks fine, but I think his breath might be smelling too, it's been difficult for me to pin point the source. Yesterday I even began to suspect his nose smelled! He has not been on an antibiotic since the very end of November. However, flagyl was prescribed twice in that month. I wonder if it could take this long for an infection to manifest itself if an antibiotic is the culprit.

I use a wet facecloth daily under tucker's eyes and on his face. I usually end up wiping again, but will grab a kleenex for touch ups and try to avoid the eye lid.
 
Joanne, you may find it's his mouth as well. I remember thinking the smell came from her nose, too.

My other two cavvies smell perfectly clean. That's how I knew something was wrong with her. It seems like it has taken FOREVER to get to the bottom of this.
 
Thanks for saying that Cathy. My sister told me I was crazy he just smells like a dog, but he didn't start smelling like this until two weeks ago. I think I need a refill on his heart-worm pills soon anyway, I may as well have his mouth and eyes checked and pick up some pills while I'm there. Thank God they take Visa :) at the Vet.
 
Thanks everybody for all the good information. I had no idea so many smells could come from one little doggy. I think my little girl has a couple of things going on. I will try to keep her ears out of the fish oil, and try what you have suggested Cathy for her eyes. The solutions all sound simple enough. My husband just told me that it's a good thing I never had kids because I would have made them neurotic. I explained to him that Lily is my kid ;). Jeez, I hope I' not making her neurotic. :)
 
The skin/fur under their eyes can also harbor yeast infections and get stinky. That was an area I hadn't considered before but my vet "warned" me to take special care with Flora as she has those darn "weepy" eyes.
JaneB
 
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