Smelly Dog, Smelly Dog, What are they Feeding You?

Do you ever have the feeling that your dog smells worse after a bath than before? Well, you may be right, and it’s perfectly natural; when dogs get wet they excrete natural oils meant to coat their fur and allow water to roll off more easily, and this is usually the source of that “wet dog smell” we all love so much. Hounds and dogs bred for water sports have more active glands for this purpose, so tend to be even wet-dog-smellier, plus, bacteria breed more freely in wet fur than dry — so thoroughly drying your apres-douche doggy will go a long way toward eliminating the post-bath smellies. If your dog’s fur is particularly hard to dry, you can use a blow dryer, but only on the lowest setting!

For other reasons, your sweet pooch may not smell quite so sweet. Basically, though, if your dog smells bad and you don’t know why (beyond the obvious: dirty, rolled in the stinky matter, met a skunk), consider these possibilities: bad diet (among other negative reactions and overall health problems, cereal-based foods can cause flatulence and gastrointestinal disorders, as well as allergies — all of which can make for a smelly best friend), ear infection, skin disease/infection, allergies, bad dental hygiene, impacted anal glands. Dogs with prominent skin folds (like bulldogs and Shar-peis, for example) need special attention to keep those folds clean and dry. Even medication can make your dog smell odd or bad, so keep that in mind as well.

And don’t forget that excessive bathing can also exacerbate the very problem you were trying to address: if your dog’s skin becomes too dry, it can become irritated, infected, or over-oily as a reaction, and insufficient rinsing can cause the same reaction.