Stinky Border Collie Puppy

[GentleLake]

I've read a lot of variations for dilution, everything from a couple tablespoons ACV to water to a half and half ACV and water. Since you're having an odor issue I'd probably try a quarter or half cup to a quart of water to start and see how it goes. Don't rinse it off; just allow it to dry naturally.

It can also be used as an after shampoo rinse.

 

[Hooper2]

Definitely consult with a vet about any unusual and recurring odor with your dog.  But if there is no obvious medical explanation, I pass this on as just my anecdotal experience.

Many years ago I had a dog that developed an overall "body odor" that got gradually worse.  The odor would go away for a day or so after a bath and then it would return.  I tried several different doggie shampoos, including a couple pretty costly ones - it was a while ago so I don't remember which ones, but I tried quite a variety. Nothing helped. Then I read that the odor is caused by a specific bacterium, and that conventional doggy shampoos will wash most of the bacteria away, but that there will be enough survivors left on the dog's skin that they will quickly repopulate and the odor will recur.  The recommended solution? - a bath with human anti-dandruff shampoo.  So, I bought a cheap (compared to what I was paying for premium doggy shampoos) bottle of Head and Shoulders, and poof! The odor was gone and never returned. 

Some disclaimers here:  a) I have no idea how reliable my original source of information was.  It was just something I read on the internet, and as we all know, anyone can post anything on the internet, b) Most people recommend NOT using human shampoos on dogs.  Something about differences in optimum pH in dogs vs humans, c) I'm not a fan AT ALL of the great anti-bacterial fad.  But anti-dandruff shampoos aren't anti-bacterial.   Anti-dandruff shampoos do contain an ingredient that is anti-fungal, so I kinda sorta suspect that the offending odor producer is a yeast, not a bacterium, d) I'm not a vet,  nor do I play one on TV.  Reread my first sentence in this post, along with the advice of several other posters.   But plain ol' Head ahd Shoulders worked for my dog, it's cheap, and I only had to use it once so it's not like a one-time exposure to human shampoo did any damage to my dog's skin or coat. 

If you do try this, please let us know what the result was.

Oh, and edited to add:  I'm a huge fan of ACV as a hair rinse both for my dogs and myself,  and it was the first thing I tried with my stinky dog.  Didn't help with my dog, but again it's cheap, and can't hurt to try it.

[GentleLake]

I find it interesting how often something comes up in email or FB just when it's been a topic of conversation somewhere.

https://www.care2.com/greenliving/how-to-help-a-smelly-dog.html

 

[Baderpadordercollie]

17 hours ago, GentleLake said:

 I was just about blown away the other day by the putrid breath of a Lab I was dog sitting. It was enough to make me not want to pet her. 

Yikes. I feed kibble cutrently, but I brush my dog's teeth every day. Did you hand the owner a toothbrush when they came to pick up their dog? Haha I know that would be rude though. 

17 hours ago, GentleLake said:

Yep.

Two caveats with sardines are that many tend to have high strontium levels, and most are canned with sealants using BPA.

It's always some damn thing.

I use sardine oil which I ordered off Amazon

[D'Elle]

I am a bit horrified to hear that grain-free kibble may be linked to heart disease in dogs.  I am always trying to do my best for them, but keep finding out that this choice is not necessarily the best, either. And I know I am not at this point able to do an entire raw diet. 

Digger gets vegetables regularly because he loves them. When I am preparing them I always give him a few pieces. Not peppers or tomatoes. The others generally won't eat veges so no point in putting them in their bowls.

I am going to start supplementing with beef and beef heart.

But not sardines. From what people tell me, sardines have a very strong odor themselves, so don't want my dogs to smell like them.

[highway61]

17 minutes ago, D'Elle said:

But not sardines. From what people tell me, sardines have a very strong odor themselves, so don't want my dogs to smell like them.

This. If my puppy stank and I was feeding it smelly bait, I would start there    No doubt sardines are rich in vitamins/minerals and your pup loves them but I would discontinue them and see if the odor gradually gets better. 

[GentleLake]

3 hours ago, Baderpadordercollie said:

I use sardine oil which I ordered off Amazon

Dunno a whole lot about it, but IIRC Dr. Dobias, who warns about strontium, says it can be found in the oil too.

31 minutes ago, D'Elle said:

am a bit horrified to hear that grain-free kibble may be linked to heart disease in dogs.

There are several sources, including Whole Dog Journal, who are saying not to get into a panic about it just yet. It seems that certain breeds are being affected much more than others and that it may be largely a breed specific reaction.

Still, it suggests to me that the lectins may be a problem, and of course, some people are warning that they're problematic for humans as well.

[Journey]

I forget hold old the OP's pup is..are you sure all the puppy teeth came out?

[Parly]

Nawww I hope this is a something and nothing issue to resolve.

My BC's have always had a lovely smell of popcorn to their feet / paws  - more so when they're cosy and warm and fast asleep which sounds mental and some people won't believe but is entirely true.  Honestly I used to take in huge lungfuls of puppy popcorn smell.  I don't bathe them regularly though unless they have rolled in the muck-heap or found something revolting to roll on and there's just no chance they will ever be clean or come within 20ft of my house without almost jet washing them.  If they're just grubby I sud them up with a little splodge of soap free / sensitive body wash and send them back in the river after a ball to swill and rinse.

The worst smelling dogs I ever had the misfortune of being near were two springers that didn't have the best diets, spent most of their time indoors with the heating whacked up full and were frequently bathed, sprayed, scrubbed and showered by owners.

Think Springers are naturally stinky dogs anyway but our two did improve when we re-homed them and the worst was even stinkier cos she was covered with lice / fleas and had an untreated infection bless her   After a full check up with the vet it also emerged that she had rotten teeth which weren't helping the smell but weren't the biggest cause so we had her clipped back completely then when she was booked for a procedure, the vet removed the teeth when she was given a general anaesthetic.  Found the smell massively improved with a better diet, the odd treat of fish / chicken and plenty of fresh air and baths in the river with the rest.

I'm never a fan of too much grooming and pruning and scrubbing and spritzing though.  Can do more harm than good stripping all the natural oils from their coats so unless disgustingly filthy we just bath them in the river 

Hope yours is OK  

[ShellyF]

12 minutes ago, Parly said:

Nawww I hope this is a something and nothing issue to resolve.

My BC's have always had a lovely smell of popcorn to their feet / paws  - more so when they're cosy and warm and fast asleep which sounds mental and some people won't believe but is entirely true.  Honestly I used to take in huge lungfuls of puppy popcorn smell.  I don't bathe them regularly though unless they have rolled in the muck-heap or found something revolting to roll on and there's just no chance they will ever be clean or come within 20ft of my house without almost jet washing them.  If they're

just grubby I sud them up with a little splodge of soap free / sensitive body wash and send them back in the river after a ball to swill and rinse.

The worst smelling dogs I ever had the misfortune of being near were two springers that didn't have the best diets, spent most of their time indoors with the heating whacked up full and were frequently bathed, sprayed, scrubbed and showered by owners.

Think Springers are naturally stinky dogs anyway but our two did improve when we re-homed them and the worst was even stinkier cos she was covered with lice / fleas and had an untreated infection bless her   After a full check up with the vet it also emerged that she had rotten teeth which weren't helping the smell but weren't the biggest cause so we had her clipped back completely then when she was booked for a procedure, the vet removed the teeth when she was given a general anaesthetic.  Found the smell massively improved with a better diet, the odd treat of fish / chicken and plenty of fresh air and baths in the river with the rest.

I'm never a fan of too much grooming and pruning and scrubbing and spritzing though.  Can do more harm than good stripping all the natural oils from their coats so unless disgustingly filthy we just bath them in the river 

Hope yours is OK  

Re a lovely smell of popcorn to their feet / paws - I totally get this! Our last dog (beagle/lab) smelled like fresh corn and in the morning after a nights sleep I couldn’t resist sniffing her paws hahaha! 

Our BC pup smells fresh as flowers - probably because he eats so many grrh!

i hear you re bathing. Our dogs have always enjoyed streams and the sea and with that and a good brushing we only bathe them if they’ve rolled in scat. Or i’ve been known to get out baby wipes if it’s a small bit of scat :()

 

[Parly]

10 minutes ago, ShellyF said:

Re a lovely smell of popcorn to their feet / paws - I totally get this! Our last dog (beagle/lab) smelled like fresh corn and in the morning after a nights sleep I couldn’t resist sniffing her paws hahaha! 

Our BC pup smells fresh as flowers - probably because he eats so many grrh!

i hear you re bathing. Our dogs have always enjoyed streams and the sea and with that and a good brushing we only bathe them if they’ve rolled in scat. Or i’ve been known to get out baby wipes if it’s a small bit of scat :()

 

No way??   So glad you get the popcorn thing cos when I inhale massive lungfuls of puppy and go "Smells like popcorn" I've always had people look at me as if "Oh dear... "

Also get looks and little "Awww that's cruel" when I whizz tennis balls into the river, scrub both up on the riverbank then throw them back in a few times before letting them dry off nicely on the way home.  "No towels?  No... no nice warm showers?"

If their dogs ever rolled on the most foul, revolting stuff like mine have I would bet huge amounts of cash on them dunking little fluffy head first like he's being baptised.

Same with horses I'm a right scruffy sod.  Other folk spend hours grooming and bathing and preening and plating before shows and I'd just rock up, use my sleeve to dust off just enough so we could get a saddle on and there you go all done.  Beautiful.  

[GentleLake]

1 hour ago, Parly said:

My BC's have always had a lovely smell of popcorn to their feet / paws...

I don't know if this is the same smell that here we refer to as Frito feet. Fritos are a brand of corn chip (crisp?) sold in the US and they do smell pretty similar to popcorn.

The thing is, I've read it's usually indicative of an over growth of yeast. My dogs' feet have never smelled like that and they've never had yeast problems, but if they did start to smell like that I'd be concerned.

[Parly]

38 minutes ago, GentleLake said:

I don't know if this is the same smell that here we refer to as Frito feet. Fritos are a brand of corn chip (crisp?) sold in the US and they do smell pretty similar to popcorn.

The thing is, I've read it's usually indicative of an over growth of yeast. My dogs' feet have never smelled like that and they've never had yeast problems, but if they did start to smell like that I'd be concerned.

Have heard the term "Frito feet" before actually but with the BC's it's always just a distinct and pleasant smell when they're flat out asleep and all cosy warm.  Never smell it on them otherwise but when they're sprawled, relaxed, warm and really sleeping you get the odd whiff of sweet popcorn. Youngest gets a pink coloured snout / mouth markings too when he's really asleep which also disappears when he's up and awake.

Definitely not a smell I worry about though especially as it's only when they're little / warm and cosy and because the Springer I mentioned earlier smelled because of the yeast infection mostly.  That smell was absolutely putrid beyond belief   The popcorn gives you that "Sniff.. haaa LOVE THAT SMELL!!" like newborn baby smell and when Puddi was a tiny fluff-ball I remember our vet picking her up and inhaling a good lungful of puppy smell too  

[GentleLake]

On 8/14/2018 at 10:49 AM, D'Elle said:

Digger gets vegetables regularly because he loves them. When I am preparing them I always give him a few pieces. Not peppers or tomatoes.

Bumping this back up to reiterate that there's absolutely NO reason not to give dogs ripe tomatoes . . . or avocados for that matter. In both cases the ripe fruit is fine to eat. Green leaves, stems and in the case of avocados the pit and skin should be avoided.

Dr. Becker mentions the myths surrounding both tomatoes and avocados in this article about the latter: https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2018/08/23/sniffer-dogs-help-save-avocado-industry.aspx?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=facebookpets_lead&utm_campaign=20180823_sniffer-dogs-help-save-avocado-industry

And as an aside, she also mentions another useful job for dogs.

 

 

[D'Elle]

Oh, thanks, Gentle Lake. Digger goes crazy for avocado, so it's good to know that I actually can give him a little bit.

He sends his thanks, too. :-)

[GentleLake]

Ripe tomatoes are fine, too, @D'Elle.

[AnyaDogz]

It's funny mentioning the frito/popcorn paws because all of our dogs have had that but only when they are warm, cozy and sleeping. Otherwise, they smell like dog paws. 

A gentleman I worked with years ago who had 50 plus years breeding, training and raising labs always swore up and down that his dogs that smelled "muskier" were his smartest, easiest to train dogs. That included the paw smell. Dunno how accurate he was but I can say our first lab was very musky and he was the smartest dog we've had.

We rarely bathe the boys but when we do we use Fresh 'n Clean. They smell wonderful for at least a week or longer. $6 on amazon. A good brushing regularly seems to keep the stink to a minimum.