Dutch Shepherd Forum

Hello everyone. It has been awhile since I've been on the forum, it's nice to be back. So my pup has a strange problem that I can't seem to figure out and Im thinkin' maybe someone here can help me. I have a 2 year old DS mix who smells completely terrible when he comes in from being outside. It is very strange and I have read similar complaints on google, but nobody seemed to really understand the problem and would pass it off as an infection or the dog rolling in something. So here are the details. My dog is healthy and clean. He gets baths about 2-3 times a month and has no visible problems or noticeable smells from his mouth, ears, behind, etc. He is not an especially oily dog and usually doesn't ever get too smelly in between baths. I feed him Nutro Max dog food which is one of the better brands at our pet store. I think I might try changing his food to see if that helps. When I let him outside he smells fine, but he comes in with this indescribable odor and I have no idea where its coming from! The smell is there regardless of the temperature outside. I can see him from the window and all he does is sniff around, maybe trot around to inspect his yard, do his business, and come back to be let inside... and he will just reek. The smell goes away in about ten minutes or so. Im wondering if anyone here has ever dealt with or heard of the same problem?

Yikes. That sounds like no fun at all.

Okay, so is this usually right after he defecates? Because if it is, he may be releasing some of the material in his anal glands while passing a stool (which is totally normal) but the smell lingers especially if some catches on his fur. Are you familiar with the smell of glands? To take care of that issue I manually express my dogs glands, but thats because she licks IN the house and its like anal gland air freshener.

The other things I can think of...skin infection, but if you say that he normally smells fine and his skin looks good I wouldn't imagine that its that.

And if he's not rolling in anything...does your yard have a particular smell? A lot of wildlife have very specific musky scents - even snakes. So if you have unusual wildlife that your pup could come in contact with.

If it smells like infection I would have a vet check it out - infection can lurk anywhere. Do a complete head to toe and check for wounds, lesions, etc.

Also, 2-3 times a month might be a bit overboard for baths. Unless he gets particularly muddy - dogs are kind of self-cleaning more often than not with a quick brushing.

This is in no way a complete list of what can smell on a dog...but I hope it helps. (I've worked as a vet tech for 3 years so I know my way around doggy smells).

Never had it.
Are you sure there is nothing in the yard that makes him smell like that? Animals, mushrooms, plants?
How about trying to let him out, not into the yard, but trough the front door (on leash if neccesary) and let him sniff and do his thing overthere, then go back inside and see if he smells? If not, it is in your yard

I would know reasons for a dog to smell (like too many baths, food, rolling in stuff) but not when they pass this quickly, it must be something he picks up in the yard...

i would def ck his glands as previously stated. When released, they can smell pretty horrible.
When Kai gets extremely nervous or excited, ya better get the gas mask

Is he rubbing/dragging his butt on the ground? If so, have your vet check them.

Just throwing thoughts out there, but if it is related to skin (maybe changes in humidity effect him until he regulates to coming back inside???), try some pure apple cider vinegar on his food. At a minimum it should help if there is any infectious component.

I do think the anal gland thing is something to look into.

And I HATE to ask this but.....is it possible that he consumes his (or other wildlife) stool while outside? That would probably linger briefly in his mouth and be noticeable.

Anal glands or copaphragia(sp?) Aka: "poop-eating" (sorry, gross, but not at all unheard of.) would be my possible thoughts since you've established that it's not rolling in dead stuff.

Nope he doesn't eat or roll in anything outside thankfully. I have a friend with a lab and that dog will constantly find the most disgusting things to roll in and I am so glad I don't have to deal with that. It is a very unique smell- doesn't smell like poop or garbage. From up on the second floor i can see everywhere he goes in the yard and he doesn't get into anything. Unfortunately I live in a place where there is not much wildlife. I thought about it but I rarely see more than a rat in my yard and I haven't ever seen Kodi come into contact with anything. As for the baths... I live in a place that is humid and soggy most of the year (lovely Miami) so its hard to bathe him less. It might contribute to the smell but i don't think its causing it. I could bathe him that day and he still could come in with that smell. The anal glands are something I will definitely look into. Every now and then I will notice him paying a little too much attention to his behind but its never enough that I think twice about it. Is it a very strong smell? Cause when Kodes comes inside the whole room suddenly stinks. I can't see anything wrong when I look but Ill give my vet a call and see what he thinks. One of the similar complaints I read online was a dog that was eating the same food as Kodi so his food is getting switched as soon as this bag is done. I will also try the apple cider vinegar. Hopefully I can get him to eat it. He eats like a bird.

steph90 wrote:One of the similar complaints I read online was a dog that was eating the same food as Kodi so his food is getting switched as soon as this bag is done. I will also try the apple cider vinegar. Hopefully I can get him to eat it. He eats like a bird.

Don't wait until the bag is gone. Get the new food, and start the switch...at first, 75% old food to 25% new, then 50/50, then 25/75, etc. Spend a few days at each level.

hope it helps with the odor

Another thought I had about this was that maybe the shampoo scent reacts to his fur and gives off the bad smell when he gets moist from the humidity outside? I know when Sugar gets wet, her shampoo smell comes out....

I will also say that different foods she eats has affected how she smells, but it has nothing to do with going outside...

Hope you find something that helps!

Smell his paws.
Dogs sweat through their paws, and he might be sweating more outside because of stress or whatever.

My dog literally gets smelly feet.

Olie wrote:Smell his paws.
Dogs sweat through their paws, and he might be sweating more outside because of stress or whatever.

My dog literally gets smelly feet.

Mine too.

Speaking of smelly dogs you guys have to try the Pet Head waterless shampoo spray.... We only bathe Stella once a month but I spray her with this stuff weekly and she smells so good! (It's blueberry muffin scented and I get it at petsmart) you just spray it on rub with a towel and brush.... it doesn't irritate her skin at all and keeps her coat shiny

Mmmmm, blueberry muffin scent!!! Sounds yummy! I have to say Sugar smells nice anyway...not like a blueberry, but a good dog smell...even when wet : )

BTW, her stinky feet went away when I switched foods.

I'm still banking on the glands. If you've never smelled them before and you don't know what the smell is it is HORRENDOUS.

wahinelf wrote:I'm still banking on the glands. If you've never smelled them before and you don't know what the smell is it is HORRENDOUS.

so true!!

Thanks for all the feedback. Im really hoping changing the food is going to make a difference. It seems like something must be off for him to be producing such a strong smell so often, and I think the diet is a good place to start making changes. Im going to switch the food gradually like someone above suggested so I have a little while to make a decision on what to switch to (I just bought a bag of food before making this post)- does anyone have a brand that they have been happy with? I want him on a dry food that is healthy but not ridiculously expensive. Im also going to give him apple cider vinegar starting tomorrow. I know it helps balance the body's PH, along with other benefits. I drink it but I never would have thought to give it to Kodes! I have tried sprays in the past but the smell overpowers them. As for the anal gland thing- I think this could very likely be the cause of the smell but Im hoping the food switch will at least help a little. I had never heard of this until Kodi and I have had dogs all my life...

We use Blue Buffalo Wilderness salmon formula... it's grain free and has been great for Stella. I get it at Petsmart. It's not horribly expensive $50 for a 24lb bag.

I currently feed raw, but have done a few months of kibble to add weight, and I like to keep it as a backup if we travel where cold storage isn't an option. I prefer Orijen and Acana, Acana being the cheaper of the two.

I feed Orijen also, but it is expensive.

I feed Acana chicken and b. potato in the morning and raw beef or chicken or turkey in the evening. His coat is shiny , he has normal dog smell and even his poop smell is ok, not stinky at all