Shih tzu face

OoflowerbudoO · 05-02-2008, 09:05 PM

So my shih tzu has a smelly face. And for a while during the winter, he did not have this problem. He had it last autumn and it's starting now again. I do'nt think it's an infection bc he's not in any distress, there's no goo or pus around that area. It just seems like his tears stain his fur around his face, and it gives off this sour odor. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to take care of this other than washing his face everyday? I read somewhere that a solution of baking soda and water may help. I thought this may work bc his face smelled so sour that it was acidic, so the baking soda may counteract that nicely. so today I mixed up a very very dilute solution of baking soda and water, and dipped a little paint brush in the solution and dabbed it at his face. But the solution gave his face fur a light orange color!! Isn't that strange?! Do you guys have any thoughts or suggestions? I'd really appreciate it!

Aggie · 05-02-2008, 10:40 PM

I'd wipe with a moistened cloth every day- gauze or something similar.

I did find this article, however, it might be interesting for you: http://www.bhejei.com/tearsta.htm

Sugar Daddy Otis · 05-02-2008, 10:40 PM

Are you sure that it is his face smelling and not his ears? Lift his ears up and smell inside. I can't help you with the staining of the eyes, I am sure someone will come along and help you out with that. Do a search for "tear staining" above using the search button to find topics on it. Good Luck!

Durbkat · 05-02-2008, 11:23 PM

Snoopy's face sometimes smells but it goes away when I brush his face with a comb and when he drinks his face hair gets wet which helps with any smell. But giving baths every few weeks helps. Perhaps he has a blocked tear duct causing the staining as Snoopy hardly has much staining.

Franny Glass · 05-03-2008, 07:07 PM

Like Sugar Daddy Otis said, check his ears.

Eye boogers CAN stink though, speaking from experience. Baking soda and water can help, but you have to wipe and wipe and wipe (and wipe some more) to get rid of the orange or red residue.

I put Angel's Eyes in my Shih Tzu's food. He gets TERRIBLE eye crud. And, being the once abused little crotchety (yes still lovable) imp that he is, he bites, and I can't ever get his face clean without sustaining an injury or two. It's all natural, and easy to feed, and it helps a lot.

It could be his teeth, too. How old is he?

PeppersPop · 05-05-2008, 04:27 PM

My dog has a smelly face/head too. Bathing him makes it go away briefly, but it quickly comes back, especially if he's been on a walk or gotten excited and worked up over something. It's not a disgusting or offensive smell... but its a definite smell and one that I associate with wet dogs or dogs that are overdue for a bath.

I don't know for sure or have any kind of dog expertise to back it up, but it seems to me like its the dog equivalent of stinky arm pits.

Pepper gets major tear stains and the vet told us to wipe his eyes once a day, so his eyes get wiped with a wash cloth every night before bed... if he's built up a lot of tear stain crusties, then I make the cloth a little wetter than usual and hold it against his face/under the eyes for 30 seconds or so, wring it out (or use a different cloth) and then wipe.

If he's really stinky and its not time for a bath, then I will sometimes wipe his entire head with the wash cloth or use a "bath in a bag" wipe. I don't actually wash his head other than bath time.

You can buy special deodorizing shampoo or deodorizing spray, however, I would be careful with it, especially if its his eyes or face.

You might also want to think about calling the vet. S/he might be able to help you figure out what it is and have some suggestions on how to deal with it.

Good luck.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OoflowerbudoO

So my shih tzu has a smelly face. And for a while during the winter, he did not have this problem. He had it last autumn and it's starting now again. I do'nt think it's an infection bc he's not in any distress, there's no goo or pus around that area. It just seems like his tears stain his fur around his face, and it gives off this sour odor. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to take care of this other than washing his face everyday? I read somewhere that a solution of baking soda and water may help. I thought this may work bc his face smelled so sour that it was acidic, so the baking soda may counteract that nicely. so today I mixed up a very very dilute solution of baking soda and water, and dipped a little paint brush in the solution and dabbed it at his face. But the solution gave his face fur a light orange color!! Isn't that strange?! Do you guys have any thoughts or suggestions? I'd really appreciate it!

Graco22 · 05-05-2008, 08:22 PM

The smell you are describing sounds like its the typical yeasty smell that many of the "smushed" face dogs get. The tear stains make the area moist, and yeast overgrows, making the smell and the stains. I have seen many bad tearing dogs clear up when put on a quality grain free diet/kibble. Keeping the area dry is most important. Keeping the hair clipped short often (like every 2 weeks) in front of the eyes helps too.

doggone6 · 05-05-2008, 09:17 PM

If the ears are clean, it's probably a problem with red yeast. You can try a teaspoon-full of apple cider vinegar per quart of water as drinking water, but the only thing I know of that seems to work 99% of the time is Angel's Eyes.

jakl · 05-06-2008, 01:02 AM

yougurt can help with yeasty type infections, or acidofilis(sp?) powder. add it to his food, just make sure there's not alot of sugar in the yougurt.

flipgirl · 05-06-2008, 09:55 PM

My dog had bad tear stains so I got desperate and tried Angels' Eyes but I realized it was an antibiotic so I stopped it. However, I've been feeding her Canine Life which is a mix to which you add meat, veggies, fruit, eggs and oil and bake into muffins. Her tear stains aren't 100% gone but they are reduced by 95%. I'm not sure if the Angels Eyes did something as they did not reduce the stains while she was on it. So I believe that her food is the reason. Your dog's smelly face could be due an allergy. giving your dog a probiotic (lactobacillus acidophollus being one) may help with yeast. Udo has a probiotic formula specially made for yeast problems. You can get it at an health store in the fridge.

poodleholic · 05-08-2008, 05:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OoflowerbudoO

So my shih tzu has a smelly face. And for a while during the winter, he did not have this problem. He had it last autumn and it's starting now again. I do'nt think it's an infection bc he's not in any distress, there's no goo or pus around that area. It just seems like his tears stain his fur around his face, and it gives off this sour odor. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to take care of this other than washing his face everyday? I read somewhere that a solution of baking soda and water may help. I thought this may work bc his face smelled so sour that it was acidic, so the baking soda may counteract that nicely. so today I mixed up a very very dilute solution of baking soda and water, and dipped a little paint brush in the solution and dabbed it at his face. But the solution gave his face fur a light orange color!! Isn't that strange?! Do you guys have any thoughts or suggestions? I'd really appreciate it!

Shih Tzus have folds, so you need to not only cleanse any tear stains, you need to cleanse the face with a warm washcloth, getting those folds clean. Some need the under eye area and face done twice a day. For tearing, Sterile Saline Solution helps a lot (even in lifting the stain).

Adding Apple Cider Vinegar to the drinking water can be very helpful to prevent yeast overgrowth.

Probiotics, in pill form or adding plain, live culture yogurt to the diet can also be helpful.

Diet plays a role here as well. When Luc came to me as a foster, his owner had been feeding him a lot of fast food and Beneful (ugh!), so his coat was greasy, and his skin was a mess from allergies, not to mention yeast and bacterial infection in his ears. Stinky dog, and only smelled good after a bath for about half a day. I put him on EVO, put ACV in his water, Added plain, live culture yogurt, Omega 3 Fatty Acid caps, used the Gentian Violet solution ear cleanser, and after a shampoo, rinsed him in vinegar and water. His ears cleared up, his coat improved dramatically, and he didn't stink! Definite odor to Tzus, though, compared to Poodles, who don't have an odor at all.