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He smells! And not in a good way!

KingstonsMom

Well-known member
I just gave Kingston a bath a couple days ago and he smelled beautiful. But last night when we were snuggled in bed I noticed he is starting to stink already. Since his bath, he hasn't played outside or been around any other dogs. I've heard in the past that male dogs sometimes just naturally smell worse than females, but not sure if that is true or not. I'm wondering if perhaps when Kingston goes potty, his urine is getting on his belly fur and causing the bad smell. If that's the case, is it okay to trim or shave the long fur down there that's getting pee'd on? I really hate to do that, but I can't have him smelling nasty either.
 
If he isn't neutered he will always have a stronger smell, especially his urine. This is another reason why people do tend to neuter males.

More important: get him to a vet if it is truly a bad smell-- it isn't normal for a dog to start to smell like this. He may have impacted anal glands which can rupture and which are very painful. Or an ear infection, or gum disease. You need to find the reason and it will be medical if there's a real problem.

If he just has a smell you dislike -- well, remember he is a dog and he is a boy. He will smell like a dog and you can't get around that fact :). Maybe it would suit you better for him to be crated next to the bed rather than in it? People do shave some belly hair but if you cut their penis hair they urinate all over their feathering as it can come out in a spray.

I assume he has been on walks etc outside in the past few days -- he does need at least a daily walk of 20-30 minutes or will not get a chance to socialise effectively -- and may well have stepped in poo or something unpleasant. Try washing his feet. Washing the whole dog more than every two weeks or so (better for it to be even less frequent or you strip oil from their coat) wouldn;t be advisable. You can wash his lower regions and legs in water and that gets rid of urine smells.
 
My 13 year old Toby had a bad yeasty smell even within one day of being bathed, he stank the house out, a vet said that it was just an old dog smell. Another vet said that it could be a skin infection and he got antibiotics and twice weekly baths with an anti bacterial/anti fungal shampoo. After a month he was cured and the smell was gone .
 
Thank you for the responses so far. Kingston was neutered over a year ago. But now that you mention it, I did just recently cut the penis hair because it was getting so long. I bet that's what is causing the smell now! I never thought of that but it makes perfect sense.

Yes, Kingston goes on walks but I haven't let him roll around in the grass or anything lately that would cause him to be dirty. He does most of his playing inside, which is why I was surprised by the sudden smellyness. I guess I should start wiping his underbelly after he goes potty.
 
If he is actually smelly, please do go see a vet. If he is outwardly smelly because of anal glands (and this is a common reason for sudden smelliness) that means there's a problem. They can easily abscess and turn into a very painful problem for him. Urine is a fairly faint smell.

Also on walks dogs will frequently get dog poo or smelly substances into the hair on their feet -- it is on the pavement. Has nothing to do with whether they roll in something. This happens with mine every now and then.If I smell odd smells I usually smell their feet first to try and figure out what the problem is
 
If I smell odd smells I usually smell their feet first to try and figure out what the problem is

I was just thinking the same thing!! My guys don't normally smell...if they do I let my nose get busy to see if I can figure out exactly where the smell is coming from. For them to be uncomfortably stinky isn't normal. Let us know what you find out.
 
Our Beauregard tends to smell a bit 'doggy' after maybe a month without a bath... kinda like dirty socks. :eek:

I'm not sure we've ever been more than 2 months without a bath, but it takes Elvis muuuch longer to get smelly. He likes to lay out in the sun and nibble grass, and after a few minutes of that he smells like sunshine. :luv:
 
Get your baby checked at the vet! Normally a dog never really stinks without a reason (well, if its not neglected or fed with crap - which I 150% rule out for every dog in this forum). Tell the vet what you feed him as well - some dogs show food-allergies by odour!

About bathing.... I must admit that i.e. Sammy hasnt seen a bathtub for about 4 years (I remember the smell after she rolled in fox-*****....). She never smells "doggie". Billy hasn´t ever seen a bathtub - no smell at all..
 
Mine never get smelly either unless they roll in something (Lily or Jaspar!) or get a lot of urine on their legs -- but I take them where they wade in water regularly and that gets them nice and clean (sand at the beach also gets them REALLY clean though it looks messy when they are wet). I only bathe them around every three-four months as they stay pretty clean from occasional swims.
 
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