Which dog breeds have less doggy odor?

Dog owners often complain about body odor. Therefore they ask me about the breed having less body odor. It is the food and not the breed you give attribute to body odor.

Body odor depends upon individual dog than on breed.

Many pet owners assume waterdogs such as Newfoundland, poodle, Portuguese water dog, Irish spaniel, Labrador retriever, English setters tend to smell because of their undercoat, which picks up dirt and debris.


[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="637"] Waterdog!![/caption]

However, in reality, we have a flat coated retriever that is the most pleasant smelling dog we've ever owned! In fact one can put her nose right into her fur and all the smell, ever, is a mild chalky scent. On the other hand, she spends 99% of her time indoors. Maybe if she were more of an outdoor dog she wouldn't smell as nice.

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I owned a German shepherd dog once who also smelled nice; again, though, he didn't go outside much. But we also had a pit bull who didn't go out much, and he stunk to high heaven. Everything he touched, such as the blanket he used for a bed, picked up the smell. It was truly bad. The only thing I can guess is that he secreted something from his skin that the other dogs didn't (he also had very short hair, by the way). You could smell-test any dog you're thinking of adopting before you decide to bring it home. This probably isn't foolproof, especially with puppies (their smell does tend to change) or those just given a bath. But if this is a concern, I would pass on any dog that appeared clean but that still smelled bad. It probably won't get any better!

in my experience of 20 years of treating dogs (and cats) and other pets, it is the food you give them, not so much a "body odor" per se'. Cheaper feeds use more corn and other grains, these  ferment, which created gas. 

I have written another article on how carbohydrate-rich diet helps grow yeast in the body and that in turn give rise to bad body odor.  Other than this, there are other environmental concerns. Do they roll around in filth? Get baths regularly?

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Actually bathing too much tends to raise body odor. If you bath too much your dogs the epidermal layer of skin containing wax will get depleted and become house to fungus, giving bad body smell. 

Food to prevent body odor

Back to food, A good diet with essential fatty acids like Omega 3, and 6. Their coats are smooth and shiny, people say that "she's just been groomed" they are surprised when I tell them the truth.

I have so far successfully cured bad body odor of Black, Yellow, Mutts of the Heinz 57 Variety, Schipperke Corgi mix, Doxie mix, A Catahoula Leopard Dog most were rescues except for the Doxie mix. I have done this by formulating a special diet. Their menu being chicken, rice, split peas and carrots cooked in a pressure.

There is much food available in Amazon which cures body odor. These are mostly Yucca schidigera containing food. Several studies have been conducted in both dogs and cats and it was found that Yucca ingestion generally improves the character and intensity of canine and feline aroma.

[caption id="attachment_6866" align="alignnone" width="336"] food remove dog body odor[/caption]

There is Royal canin food containing this ingredient.



To conclude, just find Yucca in your dog's kibble and get rid of bad body odor.

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Can a dog recover from canine distemper!!

Canine distemper is undoubtedly a dreadful disease of dogs. Dogs do and can recover from the canine distemper. According to one estimate, fifty percent of adult dogs affected with canine distemper recover from the disease. In the case of pups, the chances of recovery are less, it is about 20%. 

To know about cure lets quickly go through the disease. 

The cause of canine distemper

The disease is caused by a virus belonging to family paramyxoviridae, closely resembling measles virus. This virus spreads through aerosol droplets. Therefore, when an infected dog sneezes on any unvaccinated dog there is a chance of contracting the disease. 

Some recovered or infected dogs sheds virus for months. Any healthy dogs coming in contact with these infected dogs may get the disease. 

Once the virus gets inside the dog's body it replicates fast inside the respiratory tract and goes into the gastrointestinal system, eyes, urogenital organs and also inside the central nervous system and nerves. 

According to Small animal Paediatrics Canine distemper virus (CDV) is a multisystemic viral disease of dogs that affects puppies most commonly aged between 3 and 6 months.

Signs we see in Canine distemper

A transient fever sets in for 3-6 days and there may be leukopenia or decrease in a number of white blood cells. 

The fever subsides for a few days but again relapses with more severity. The classical signs of distemper can now be seen. thick discharge from nose, eyes. The dog becomes lethargic, unable to walk or sometimes cannot even stand properly. 

The dog refuses to eat. In later stages of the disease, the dog loses control to hold pee or poop and poop involuntarily. 

If the dog survives this stage there will be a hardening of foot pads. 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="398"] Hardening of the foot pad[/caption]

There shall be Enamel hypoplasia in affected dogs.

In later stages there can be seizures, both locally affecting only one or both limbs or generalizes seizure affecting the whole body.

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Treatment- No specific treatment. Only symptomatic treatment is possible.

Some dogs recover without any disability, but the most permanent damage of their nerves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Options available for treating canine distemper

As mentioned above there is marked Leukopenia of lessening of a number of white blood cells in the blood. 

If by any means the number of white blood cells is raised then there is a fairly good chance of recovery.

According to AVMA there is no cure for distemper. Supportive therapy with fluid, antibiotics to prevent secondary bacterial infection, measures to control neurological signs are done. about 30% of affected dogs survive, some survive with disabilities for life. 

Passive immunity

In some countries Canine distemper immunoglobulin is available, unfortunately, this product is not available in U.S.A. This immunoglobulin raises the chance of recovery. This author has successfully treated many distemper dogs with this immunoglobulin.

Homeopathy

This raising of WBC can be done by using some homeopathic medicine such as Distemperinum. According to IVC journal Distemperinum is effective in raising survival rates of affected puppies from 20% to 60%.

Acupuncture

 

Acupuncture offers promising recovery from distemper. Acupuncture works like magic in recovered dogs or dogs suffering from neurological impairments caused due to distemper. 

There are several hospitals in U.S.A offering treatment of dogs through acupuncture. Some of those are Renton west veterinary hospital, Cascade park animal hospital, country care veterinary hospital, 

Another promising avenue of treatment is by using antiviral drugs. According to Kate E. Creevy, DVM, MS, DACVIM Antivirals such as ribavirin, given alone or in combination with interferon-alpha, have been shown to be effective against CDV.

 

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Things you never knew about bad odor in dogs and how to get rid of it!!

Almost every dog suffers from bad body odor. We need to understand the cause of that bad odor to get rid of it.

Whenever I think of bad odor in the dog I get reminded of Shakira the pug.  Every time she walks into my pet clinic in Ranchi we try not throwing up. Shakira used to smell like shit or urine.  The owners tried everything whatever the vets in town advised but the effects were only temporary. 

On skin scraping test and cellophane test I noticed superficial pyoderma in Shakira due to yeast infection, prescribed cephalexin, changed from carbohydrate-rich diet to protein-rich diet, applied Epi-soothe and Ketochlor Shampoo and Shakira smelling like a rose in two months. Yes, two months is long but it does take time to heal skin problems. 

This is not an isolated case but I have treated many such cases.

Now, let's understand dog odor, from where it comes and what can be done to cure.

Puppy body odor

Cause- Bad smell in puppies comes from urine. Our little pups love to roll themselves a bit in urine. Sometimes, they do not drink enough water and their urine becomes turbid. Then, their body becomes smelly too.

They smell like urine. 

Cure- Let them drink enough water if they do not like to drink water, add some chicken flavored additives in water and they will certainly love drinking water. 

Wrong feeding can be smelly too

According to Jodie Gruenstern DVM, CVA, a holistic veterinarian and practice owner in Wisconsin.“𝐈𝐟 𝐚 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐞𝐝 𝐚 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐭, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧,”

Undoubtedly, food rich in carbohydrate encourages yeast growth in the skin. This is more true for sedentary dogs. dogs that do not go out often. such as the pug, chihuahuas, poodle, etc. The dog yeasty wet dog smell (popularly known as mousy odor) is usually caused by feeding dry kibble which is low nutrition, too high in carbs so this food feeds the yeast which causes yeast overgrowth in the skin and ears, and they stink when wet, and sometimes the yeast is so bad, they even smell when they dry.

Cure-  Stop feeding low-quality dry kibble and stop feeding canned pasteurized food. This cheap processed food causes yeast overgrowth which makes your dog stink wet and when really bad, your dog will even stink when dry.

Switch to either dehydrated raw with veggies, cook your own or feed a high-quality kibble containing good quality protein.  You may get an idea from Balanceit website. 

Look for raw pet food with NO HPP, No pressurization, as the pressure kills the nutrients and enzymes, which would defeat the point in feeding raw.

A plant root called Yucca schidigera is frequently added to dog food to reduce doggy smell in dog's feces and skin. It has an additional benefit of reducing cholesterol, relieving arthritis, inflammation. This is why the author always recommends drools vetpro adult food in his clinic in Ranchi which contains Yucca. 

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Stinky Smelly pugs

Pet owners complaints their pug smells like urine. This urine smell is due to yeast infection. Pugs skin has numerous folds, though we love their folds, it is actually these folds that cause trouble, bacteria and fungi make their home inside these folds. 

Cure- The shampoo becomes useless because shampoo or drug in it don't go inside these folds. This is why I generally prescribe a proper antifungal drug or antibacterial drug along with the shampoo. Of course, a protein-rich diet is also necessary. I saw some tips on the internet telling to rub white vinegar on their body, never do that.  Dog skin is slightly alkaline, rubbing vinegar shall make their skin acidic and this aggravates your dog's bad odor problems. 

Bad odor due to anal glands

dogs and cats have anal glands that are located on either side of the anus. 

Each time the animal defecates, the pressure of the stool causes the glands to release their noxious contents.  This enables the dog or cat, to leave their personal calling card on the poo!  So, when I say noxious - I mean an ungodly odor, that you will not forget.  It's potent and difficult to eradicate (clean, spray, ventilate, repeat).

Sometimes, dogs and cats cannot discharge the glands normally and they can become impacted and or infected. This could be a source of the odor. 

Cure- Simple emptying the anal glands solves the problem. If the gland is infected a proper antibiotic will be given by your vet or surgical draining may be done, but that's pretty rare.

Dog odor due to infected urine.

This is when urine smell is due to an infection in the urine. 

 

The most likely reason could be a urinary infection.  Causes of a urinary tract infection can vary widely, from diabetes to bladder stones, just to name a few.  The urine may appear cloudy and have a fetid/rotten odor.

Cure- The dog will need to be seen by a vet and a urinalysis performed.  The doctor will be able to obtain a sterile sample for you.  Other diagnostics may need to be done and antibiotics to treat the infection. 

 Dehydration also, causes urine to have a stronger odor and darker color.  So, ensure the dog has access to plenty of clean drinking water and is not vomiting or having diarrhea, which causes dehydration. 

Did your wife complained about that nasty smell in your urine!

My wife does. 

Male dogs that are "intact" (not neutered / still have testicles) produce stronger urine due to the release of hormones.  They also, urinate everywhere, to mark their territory. 

Dog odor due to the ear infection

Ears can be tricky, an ear infection can be yeast, bacterial or mites. 

 Dogs don't get ear infections the way we do, for them, it's a secondary problem. The most common cause is ear anatomy (poor air circulation, making the ear hot and damp) and allergies.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240"] It is best practice to invert your dog's ear once in a while and clipping the inside hairs[/caption]

 

Once you have the infection dealt with you may want to groom any excessive hair around the ear - and especially in the ear if there is any - and get in the habit of airing her ears out daily by turning them inside out for a while (if they are floppy ears).

Cure- Get a cotton tip (Q-tip) and gently run it around the opening to the ear (never insert the tip in to the ear) what happens is the mites create this brown mess that's what smells so awful (and is ear mites) in fact if you have a small little finger you can run this around the ear opening too but make sure that its clean before and after!

If this does not help, contact a vet, 'cause ear mites and yeast infection cause brown wax formation.



Besides these, there are many other causes of bad odor. Such as Atopic dermatitis or food allergy might be the primary cause and bad odor may be caused by secondary bacterial infection. Some dogs are born with severely itchy skin. I didn't discuss those here, better leave those problems to your vet. 

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