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Guide To Australian Shepherd Training & Care

My Dog Contantly Stinks!... And That's Not All!

by Cheryl
(Texas)

I have sought more than one vet's opinion and cannot seem to find the right solution! I have a blue merle female Aussie. She is now 12 years old and I keep her groomed as she lives inside now, this includes a monthly trip to the groomer who clips her hair very short to keep the shedding down, bathing, clipping/grinding of nails, having her teeth cleaned, anal glands cleaned, etc. I can get her home and upon taking her outside to potty for the first time, she immediately has an odor! Her paws smell sort of like fritoes, her body odor I can't explain! She contantly licks herself, so that probably doesn't help at all and I have no idea how to stop her from doing so!

When I do catch her, I tell her to stop and she does, for a little while, and then she's right back at it... I sometimes think if she doesn't quit, she will lick herself a new you know what!... sorry, but it's gross and she stinks and if she wasn't so old, (has also lost an eye due to being kicked a long time ago by a cow) I would put her back outside (if I had a fenced yard, which I don't). She has my whole house stinking. I've shampooed my carpets, sprayed Fabreez, used carpet fresh, wash her bedding weekly, etc... I don't know what to do!

(I also feed her a natural organic dog food, switched last year hoping it would help).

Comments for My Dog Contantly Stinks!... And That's Not All!

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Smelly dog
by: Anonymous

I had a senior cat that started to smell and it turned out that it had cancer and you could smell it through the skin. It was awful. Do you let the dog go on cement or grass. If cement make sure you disinfect the cement daily and use bleach for parvo just in case. Maybe the shampoo the groomer uses is not good for a senior dog. Plus remember when dogs are inside a lot they get dried skin and may lick a lot.

sorry to hear
by: Anonymous

yeah, they tend to stink for various reasons. but taking her that often to the groomer , I think, is too much. your stripping away some important things she needs, and cutting her hair short, well, they have that double coat for a reason; trimming it is one thing, but you say you keep it short,and have it done monthly? Umm, I'd say, do some research on Aussies, grooming, health, allergies, etc. I have several dogs, of different sizes and breeds, and they can all stink a different times. My oldest, is 14, andfor the longest she has had skin issues, due to allergies.
Good luck, keep us posted.
p.s. Organic food is better, but Holistic is best.

Dog Oder
by: Rose

Older Aussies have an odor. If it's the breath, something is wrong. It has an anal odor. There are cancer's that go undiagnosed until it is too late.
You can use Bannix, if your dog is itchie. It works. You get it at a feed store. It's for horses but works great on these dogs, esp. the stomach area.
Good luck

strink
by: Anonymous

I have an Aussie that is 1 year and he has an odor. He needs a bath every week or 2. I was wondering if this is normal, he has been an inside dog.

Aussie Stinks!
by: Mike

My female Tri comes in from the yard and you have to put her in another room she smells so bad. Hard to explain what the smell is but it is STRONG. Any suggestions to make it go away?

Dogs all stink... but we love 'em regardless
by: Kashflow

I have had dogs all my life, various breeds; labs, border collies, staff bull terrier, mixes and now my ultimate favorite... aaahh the aussie:)

They all stink and some worse than others for sure, especially the water breeds or even worse the ones that aren't but do partake in water fun.

I had a border collie/husky mix that loved the water, but the double coat never dried out completely in the summer and he literally smelt as bad as 10000 feet in a 2 by 3 room!

My 3 yr old aussie Kash has his moments, especially the skunk incident that lingered for 3 months this past summer, but for the most part his smell is not at all offensive... to ME. In fact, as sick as this may sound, I love the smell of him... like it's imprinted on me I know! Like the smell of a newborn :D

But, having gone through the senior years with other beloved ones myself, please definitely check out the possible underlying health issues, especially with an older dog or cat.

Cheers!

Smells are subjective
by: Twinklee

My husband commented the other day that the sheets smelled like dog. I said that they couldn't possibly smell, they've been out on the line outside drying in the sunny breezes. Then it dawned on me! The dogs and the sheets smell like fresh air, haha!!

In the era of clothes dryers, not many of us put out the clothes on the line anymore. Try doing that, put a towel outside on a line and take it in about an hour or so later and see if it smells like your dog. Then you'll know it's you and not your dog.

Frito feet are another thing. There are a lot of scent glands on the feet. When mine get a little too frito, I just get a wet wash cloth with some lotion or soap and give them a quick wipe. No biggy.

Does the food have garlic in it? Could be what is exacerbating the issue. Just a thought.

bad odor
by: Anonymous

Our 15 year old Aussie started smelling bad when she started having bladder and urinary tract infections. She constantly licked herself from the itching associated with this and had several years of discomfort and bad odor with it. After antibiotics she would clear up temporarily and the smell would go away for a while. She suffered a lot for a long time. We put her to sleep last year but loved her dearly. She was a wonderful dog.

kepp dogs outside
by: bulldogg

Why do you people keep your dog/s inside the house? keep them in the yard in the kennel. or if you have a store room or a garage or any other room that leads out to the back yard ...just cut out a doggy door for them so they will have acess to the yard and the room 247. The good thing about this is? they will not be in the house.

Beautiful but stinky puppy
by: Merilee

We have 2 beautiful Aussie puppies that are 9 weeks old and play constantly between naps. We are trying to housebreak them ONLY for being in at night. They are being crate trained at this time because they are too small to be outside without supervision. We have an outdoor 10 x 10 kennel for playtime as well as the yard.

My problem is that they stink so bad, even with baking soda and it breaks my heart. I have had dogs all my life, but never a stinky dog unless he rolled in something dead like a frog or snake.

What am I to do? I brush them, they had 1 bath because of age, and cornstarch, baking soda, and baby powder. It doesn't help - any suggestions??

1 yr old aussie smells
by: cam

Rufus the stinky feet dog now has a new sent he smells like pickles WHAT the hell???? Reading about all the stinks of his breed whats going on?...

Same with mine
by: Anonymous

My austrailian shephard stinks and licks herself too. That's how I came across your post. Trying to see if it was just my dog or the breed. I have no answer and I hate the stink.

Stinky mini aussie
by: Anonymous

My husband researched this ( Libby stinks BAD all the time!!) he found that the oils in their coats are the problem...nothing you can do about that :(

Stinking Aussie mystery solved
by: K Boone

My 12 year old female aussie developed such a horrible odor over the past few months that we couldn't stand to have her in the same room. She's been having weekly baths, teeth brushing (horrid ordeal that!), all organic, grain-free food, doggie vitamins, Omega-3, apple cider vinegar, and yogurt supplements - nothing helped. We took her to the vet yesterday fearing the worst and found out she had a mat of hair stuck way down in her lower front teeth and back under her tongue - in spite of the tooth brushing! The vet removed the noxious hair ball and suddenly, she smells like a dog again instead of a dead rodent! This may be the problem with some other stinky aussies out there. It's good to have her curled up by my feet again!

Aussies don't stink anymore!
by: Merrilee

I have about 4 acres of fenced yard because of my Aussies when they were pups. They stunk so bad that I put them outside when they were about 4 months old. They are over 2 years old now and do not stink! They are allowed to run free in the fields and then they come back into the gated fenced area on their own. They get a bath in the pond that does not take the natural oils from their coat. If it is really cold, I let them stay in the utility room. They still smell like dogs, but they don't stink! I really believe taking them to the groomer too often removes those natural oils. Leaving them outside allows them to run free and for some unknown reason stops that awful stink like rolling in something dead!

Frito Feet Can Be Helped
by: Anonymous

Frito feet are the result of a yeast overload ... look for "frito feet smell on my dog" & read about it ... you can help you dogs with the itching & smell by researching that.

Stinky
by: Anonymous

My Aussie/Border Collie mix who is 4 months old male stinks all the time. Especially bad after going outside. He smells like skunk and I know he hasn’t been skunked. Is this normal?

Red Merle Does Not Smell Good...
by: Kristy

Our Aussie is 8 years old and suddenly smells so bad. I bathe him and trim his fur and have recently washed him with Selsen Blue, which I heard helps and also peppermint Castile soap. He still smells! The closest description I can explain is that it is like rotting vinegar.
I'm trying Chlorophyll now and will update if I find it works for him. I would love any suggestions!

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