[amylynn]

Hi, I really need some help advice.

My husband & I adopted two three year old Poodle mixes from a shelter 10 days ago. We decided on this breed because I have allergies & they were known to be low shedding low odor breed. Some breeds I am fine with others I have allergy problems. We also decided on somewhat older dogs because I have never owned a dog only a cat. They are house broken.


They have already been to the groomers & vet. They were clipped & cleaned. Given a clean bill of health. But they have an awful odor. I already had to clean their dog bed which smelled terrible. I have been using Febreeze & air freshners which only work very temporarily.

I have read that their food could contribute to odor. they were fed soft dog food at the shelter. We are feeding them Iam's for small dogs.

Should I change their food? Is there a good shampoo out there I can try?
Any other ideas?


I really dont know what to do. These are really sweet dogs but the odor I think is even causing some breathing problems like I am developing asthma.

Please help. Thanks.

[gone2thedogs]

First of all... congrats on your new adoptees!!!

Regarding the smell, I don't mean to be gross but can you describe what kind of odor it is? Is it a really pronounced "doggy" smell? Sort of like greasy popcorn? Or more funky, like musk?

I would definitely switch them off the Iams to a better brand. There are so many great food options out there, and dogs on premium diets often smell a lot better. Other than that, you could try a deodorizing "dry" bath and see if that helps, or vets sell a spray that is similar to a feminine hygiene formula and kills many types of stink. Foster & Smith sell a deodorizing shampoo that is not a perfume, it's supposed to actually kill the odor. But you don't want to bathe your dog too often, and you definitely want to figure out the root cause. Could you ask the vet about this?

[poodleholic]

Congratulations, and kudos to you for giving these two a forever home!

You have dogs who are Poodle mixes, so they're not going to have the same skin and hair a purebred Poodle has, therefore they will likely have an odor, and they won't be as hypoallergenic as a purebred Poodle is.

Check their ears for possible yeast or bacterial infection (or a combination of both). Do their ears smell bad? Get an ear cleanser (necessary for Poodles and other breeds with heavy ear leather) and saturate a cotton ball with it. Place in the ear, pull the flap down, and gently massage. Check the cotton ball. Do you see blackish looking gunk? If so, it could be a yeast infection, or yeast and bacterial, or, ear mites (or all of the above)! All will contribute to a bad smell.

Check their teeth and gums.

I have purebred Standard Poodles who never "stink," even when in need of a bath and coming in out of the rain. That being said, my male (a rescue) DID have an unpleasant odor when I brought him home due to severe gastrointestinal issues (gas, vomiting, diarrhea). His breath was also rank, though his teeth were white with healthy gum tissue, so his sour stomach was the factor there. I had to hand feed him up to 7x/day for the first few months. I kept a daily journal on him, and concluded his GI problems were stress related (good or bad), yet I'm sure food played a part as well. I gave him a liver detox and added probiotics daily (including plain, live cultured yogurt), in addition to giving him distilled water only for drinking, with Apple Cidar Vinegar added. He was fed a bland diet for a time, which included fresh poached chicken breasts and rice, then the inclusion of steamed vegetables, and finally, Wellness kibble. (My dogs are on Innova EVO and Wellness Core, supplemented with fresh meats and chicken, poached, with brown rice and steamed vegetables.)

I would definitely switch from Iams to a premium food. The little Shih Tzu I fostered (and then ended up keeping) had an infection in both ears (yeast & bacterial), a very greasy coat, and he smelled bad within a day or two of a bath. His people fed him Beneful <groan> along with a lot of fast food because "he won't eat dog food," his former owner said. Hah! He certainly does eat dog food! I used the Micro-Tek shampoo from EQyss, put ACV in his (distilled) water, dilluted the ACV to use as a final rinse after a bath, and gave him yogurt daily. His ear infection is gone, his coat is silky now, not greasy, he's stopped scratching and chewing himself, and he doesn't stink, but, does have a bit of an odor to him, though not unpleasant, unlike the Poodles, whose skin and hair are closer to ours than to dogs. Bottom line, he's getting much, much better, and it's only been a couple of months.

Add a bit of Apple Cider Vinegar to their drinking water (consider distilled water, at least for 8 wks.).

Try a medicated Shampoo that is mild and healing, such as EQyss Micro-Tek.

Febreze and other air fresheners are more often than not an irritant to people with allergies, and don't address the problem - the dogs' unpleasant odor. They can also trigger allergies in the dogs, who will then start scratching and/or chewing themselves, and then you've got an additional problem which will contribute to them smelling bad.

Keep us posted, and best of luck to you!

[RonE]

Not trying to veer off topic, but I'm amazed at the people who are allergic to dogs, but are able to have cats.

[espresso]

Baking soda may help.

http://www.armhammer.com/myfamily/tips/pets.asp

[Gauge23]

Rone, going to veer off topic with you. I am highly allergic to cats..(i break out in hives) and only slightly allergic to dog dander...I just don't really care about the dog allergy..they are worth it! haha..

[Durbkat]

Originally Posted by RonE

Not trying to veer off topic, but I'm amazed at the people who are allergic to dogs, but are able to have cats.

I agree, cats are the only things that set off my allergies, cats are the worst for people with pet allergies.

As stated, I'd switch foods and see if that helps and if it doesn't then I'd make a vet appointment to see if its something medical. Or vice versa.

[briteday]

If the bedding came with them from the shelter, I would just get rid of it and buy new. Shelters are breeding grounds for all sorts of things.

And I would also definitely find a higher quality food for the dogs.

Any new pet to a household should have a vet check ASAP. Even if they were seen by a vet at the shelter, those vets are often way over-worked and the exam is not very complete in most cases. Get the dogs to your own vet and have a thorough exam, take fresh stool specimens so they can check for parasites, and discuss any concerns you have. Making a list is helpful.

[Purplex15]

Get an ear cleanser (necessary for Poodles and other breeds with heavy ear leather) and saturate a cotton ball with it. Place in the ear, pull the flap down, and gently massage.

ok um, original poster, this is not how you clean ears. you put ear cleaner on the cotton ball and then you gently clean the ear with it, do not leave the cotton ball in the ear and massage it. you can massage the ear after cleaning is done. only clean what you can see. here are signs of infection: the dog starts whining when you put the cotton in the ear, the gunk is reddish, the gunk is yellowish (this is a yeast infection), and if the dog profusely shakes his head after you are done.if there is an abundance of hair in the ear, then you need to take the dog to the groomer and have them pull the ear hair.

iams is not a guality food. you can get so many kinds of approved dog food for so much cheaper than this as well

[starry15]

I have the or had I should say, the same problem with star. He would reek of odar. Here is was dandrif and his fur wasnt filtering right. The vet gave us this special shampoo to use. ITs called OxyDex. We bathe him once a week and he dont smell anymore. Try going to your vet and asking for that shampoo. Good luck!

[poodleholic]

Originally Posted by Purplex15

Get an ear cleanser (necessary for Poodles and other breeds with heavy ear leather) and saturate a cotton ball with it. Place in the ear, pull the flap down, and gently massage.

ok um, original poster, this is not how you clean ears. you put ear cleaner on the cotton ball and then you gently clean the ear with it, do not leave the cotton ball in the ear and massage it. you can massage the ear after cleaning is done. only clean what you can see. here are signs of infection: the dog starts whining when you put the cotton in the ear, the gunk is reddish, the gunk is yellowish (this is a yeast infection), and if the dog profusely shakes his head after you are done.if there is an abundance of hair in the ear, then you need to take the dog to the groomer and have them pull the ear hair.

I beg to differ. I have two Standard Poodles whose ears are cleaned as described above, and have been for 6 years! The saturated cotton ball is NOT pushed down into the ear canal, it sits at the top. Massaging gently serves to get the cleanser down into the ear. When finished, I will place a dry cotton ball in the ear and gently massage - it acts as a wic, drawing out excess cleanser. The dog may or may not shake his head (most do). My vet showed me how to do this, and many friends who are Poodle breeders and/or groomers also cleanse ears in this way. Shaking their head is something a dog will do whether their ears are infected or not! A yeast infection and/or yeast/bacterial infection will show up with black gunk on the cotton ball.

NEVER EVER pluck ears that are infected! When needed, I will use some powder (to get a grip) and fingers only to pull excess ear hair, and trim with snub nosed scissors, or use my trimmer (Wahl Moser). This helps air flow, so yeast and bacteria do not grow rampant. My dogs ears are sweet smelling and free of infections. I cleanse their ears once a month with Witch Hazel and Distilled White Vinegar, 50/50. I've also used Veterinarian's Best, a very good product.

[Love's_Sophie]

Is it actual skin odor, or breath odor?

If it is breath odor (which I am geussing), I am guessing that they probably need their teeth cleaned really badly, due to them being on the soft food. Try and get some chew bones that they will chew on, to see if that makes any difference, and see if the vet had checked their teeth and what they thought about them.

If it really is skin problems, get some good skin shampoos for them; there are some good ones out there, so shop around. I know Pet Co has some good ones, for dogs with skin problems. Then bathe them weekly, to see if that clears up their skin smell issues.

If you continue having allergies to the dogs, even once the smells are gone, perhaps you could try AllerPet D...this is a liquid that you rub into the pet's coats once or twice a week, depending on how bad your allergies are; in conjunction with keeping the animal clean. I have bad dog allergies, and even though AllerPet works well, just keeping my dogs clean makes a HUGE difference in my allergies.

Originally Posted by RonE

Not trying to veer off topic, but I'm amazed at the people who are allergic to dogs, but are able to have cats.

I am very much more allergic to my dogs than my cats...and it is actually amazing to me that people are allergic to cats more, because it is the dander that people are allergic to (contrary to popular belief "hair"), and dogs from my experience as a dog groomer (and cat groomer) have way more skin problems over all than cats...just pondering out loud...don't mind me