Dog Odors

The cause of dog odors are many and the first step is to determine what is causing your dog's odor. Grooming alone cannot resolve all odor problems as it may be a result of a health matter. Professional groomers are often alert to odors and able to determine their source and recommend pet owners seek veterinary care.

A DOG BEING A DOG

Dogs will be dogs and that means rolling around in some nefarious places. It doesn't take long then for their haircoat to pickup odors and matter. Fortunately these type of dog odors are usually resolved by regular grooming including a bathing procedure.

The reason for this behavior is not well-known, and professional groomers can expect a lot of foul smelling dogs to arrive on the steps of the business. Sometimes the dog may be trying to cover up perfumes or fragrant shampoos the owner may be using on their pet between professional grooming appointments. Try a fragrance-free shampoo and ask the owner to observe if their dog's behavior changes.

Skunk odors are easy to determine, oh yeah. One home remedy is a bath in tomato juice, and from our experience, it works. Our Cattle Dog got sprayed at midnight and there were no pet stores open to get a professional skunk odor treatment available from grooming suppliers. Fortunately, we did have a big can of tomato juice. We rinsed him with warm water, applied the tomato juice, and let it sit for about 5 minutes, and followed with a regular bath and dry. It was a success with just a small lingering odor that wore away in a few days.

If a dog has a very regular habit of rolling in odoriferous places, and you are bathing them more frequently than normal, consider using a gentle conditioning shampoo to prevent dry skin and irritation caused by frequent bathing. Breeds that commonly have dry skin make this procedure even more necessary.

OILY HAIRCOATS

Some breeds have oily haircoats, like the Basset Hound. Haircoat oils easily accumulate matter and hold onto odors until removed with proper bathing including the right shampoo.

Regular brushing helps to remove some of the odor-causing matter which leads to odor.

Excess haircoat oils can become rancid with time, especially in the Spaniels, such as the Cocker Spaniel, English Springer Spaniel and Welsh Springer Spaniel. The condition can advance into "primary seborrhea" with noticeable yellow brown scales usually around ears, hocks and elbows.

We recommend veterinary attention to determine the extent of the pet's condition. There are medicated shampoos with coal tar extracts that your veterinarian might prescribe, including some over-the-counter preparations. Most grooming suppliers stock medicated shampoos with coal tar extracts. Groomers observing skin conditions should always report them to the pet owners and recommend veterinary attention.

BACTERIAL SKIN DISEASES

Dog odors may be the result of bacterial skins diseases, and as a professional groomer we always recommended veterinary attention when the pet owner had not yet reviewed the condition with their veterinarian. Some breeds innately are more likely to develop bacterial skin diseases.

The goal is to keep the affected dog's skin free of bacteria and yeast that leads to itching, hair loss, hot spots and other skin problems.

Anti-bacterial shampoos are available, and veterinarians may recommend them to pet owners. If a pet owner arrives with a medicated bath prescription, always ask the veterinarian for written instructions on the proper use and application of the treatment. Anti-fungal shampoos similarly treat and control yeast infections on the skin and are commonly prescribed by veterinarians.

Most grooming suppliers stock anti-bacterial and anti-fungal shampoos. However, the role of the groomer is not to diagnose the problem but to recommend veterinary attention and work in tandem with the veterinary to ease the pet conditions.

OTHER SOURCES OF ODOR

Maddie, our company President, often said that a great veterinarian uses their nose. You can smell many potential health problems besides skin conditions. As professional groomers she and her staff used their noses to find the source of a problem.

Ear problems often result in odors, even very foul ones. They are more common in "drop-eared" dogs where the ear flap prevents fresh circulating air in the ear opening area. Common signs associated with ear problems are sensitivity to touch, redness and swelling. It is not for the groomer to diagnose the condition, advising the pet owner, "Your pet has an "infected" ear.

It may be an "ear infection" but stating that is a medical diagnosis and the responsibility of a licensed veterinarian. It is the duty of the groomer to describe objective observations such as, "Your pet has redness and swelling in its right ear and we recommend immediate veterinary attention."

Anal gland problems are often associated with a very foul odor. Many groomers, not all, "express" anal glands by learning how to apply safe external pressure to the sides of the anal gland. Other groomers prefer not to express anal glands at all, and rely solely on pet owners asking their veterinarians to do anal gland checks and expressions. Unfortunately, many dog owners are not even aware of anal glands.

As a professional grooming business owner you should discuss anal gland expressions with your veterinarian consultant. Anal gland expression involving internal expression procedures should be left to veterinarians even though it may be legally acceptable in your area. Our management guideline has always been that groomers address the cleanliness and styling of external areas of pets only, and veterinarians treat pets both externally and internally. Our following that guideline for nearly 40 years of field experience with no legal pet care problems, and thousands of grooming referrals from veterinarians who respect our grooming business management acumen. See Professional Working Relationships in the book, From Problems to Profits.

Dogs with very sensitive or swollen anal glands obviously have a condition that should be treated by a veterinary. In fact, you may even observe a whitish to greenish discharge from the anal gland, and in cases, veterinary care is the order of the day. Inform the pet owner and advise immediate veterinary care. Never force an expression, and never attempt to express an anal gland that shows any sign of health problems or is causing the pet discomfort.

Another internal source of odor is the mouth. From here stomach and intestinal gasses spread odors. Also, pets with gum and teeth problems emanate light to very foul odors. Some dogs get foreign matter such as wood pieces, paper clips, toothpicks, rubber bands and similar lodged in teeth and gums and which eventually result in odors. We suggest that veterinarians remove such matter. Any observations of these conditions should be reported to pet owners along with a recommendation for immediate veterinary attention.

ADVISING PET OWNERS

If a dog you groom has a strong odor and you cannot discern its source, and it disappears after grooming, you may resolved the problem. However, there is the possibility that grooming has temporarily masked the odor. Advise the pet owner of the odor and to stay on alert for its reappearance. If it does the source still needs to be determined as it could be a health condition requiring veterinary attention.

Substance Removal

At some time every dogs seems to find its way into plant sap, tar, chewing gum or paint. Clipping the affected fur will resolve the problem, but you may be able to make clipping it away easier with some of the suggestions below, and perhaps you will be able to avoid having to clip the fur at all.

CHEWING GUM

If you are going to clip chewing gum from the fur, first apply ice to the gum to remove stickiness. Then clip the affected area carefully.

Some groomers suggest "Shaklee's Basic H." You place a few drops on the affected fur and wait a few minutes for the gum to soften and remove with your fingers. Bathe and dry the affected area afterwards rinsing well.

You can also check with grooming suppliers for recommended products.

PLANT SAP AND TAR

You may have to clip the affected fur to completely remove the tar. However, we know that some groomers have had success with these remedies.

Petroleum jelly worked into affected fur may bring relief. Start with a small area and repeat. With a clean rag wipe away broken up tar between applications. If you use petroleum jelly the affected area will need bathing with a degreasing shampoo afterwards.

Some groomers advise using "Goop," a popular hand cleaner used mechanics and the like to clean greasy hands. Bathe and dry the affected area afterwards rinsing well.

Other groomers suggest "Shaklee's Basic H." You place a few drops on the affected fur and wait a few minutes for the sap or tar to soften and remove with your fingers. Bathe and dry the affected area afterwards rinsing well.

You can also check with grooming suppliers for recommended products.

PAINT

First an important word of caution. Never use paint thinner, paint remover, turpentine, gasoline and similar products on your dog, or any pet for that matter. They will irritate the skin, and can have poisonous effects whether absorbed through the skin, or inhaled as vapors, and intrinsically these are dangerous chemicals to handle on your own, let alone treating a dog.

Many paints today are water-based. Sometimes these dried paints can be removed by wetting the affecting only and allowing the paint to soften for a few minutes. Work the fur between your fingers without pulling on the fur, and you may find the paint will loosen. Coat types and textures make the success of this procedure variable. Do not rub the fur and loosened paint into the dog's skin. You can also check with grooming suppliers for recommended products.

If this doesn't work, take the safest route and clip the paint out.