Why Does Augie Stink?

[Guest avadogner]

Hi Greytalk Friends,

For the last 9 yrs we have had only 1 grey my darling princess Ava and she has always been extremely well groomed. We adopted out second hound Augie a little over 2 months ago. I don't know what it is but he smells like a musky urine smell all the time. He has had 3 baths in 2 months and he just had one this evening. He already stinks again:yikes . Is it just a male grey thing? He eats a healthy diet but has had an issue with urinating like Ava (squatting and getting backsplashed on his front legs). He is a beta boy who takes doing everything like his Alpha literally. I just don't get how he has managed to reek of urine in just a few hours. I wipe his legs down with neutalizing wet wipes when he comes in but he really stinks. Has anyone had issues like this? Or is it just the ways male greys are? Don't even get me started on his gas issues.

-ava and augie's mum (holding her nose)

[Guest Greytluv]

If he has bad gas it might be the food he's eating. Maybe try changing that

[Guest avadogner]

Hi everyone,

I need to clarify that the smell issue is not a gas issue but he does have gas too. I smell musky scent all over him even on his head. It's like major dog B.O. Our girl Ava has never had stinky smell issues. He has smelled musky since day 1. We are Blue Buffalo Salmon Grain free and do fish oil supplements but still smelled when he was on the Costco Premium Chicken dry food. He also gets cooked meats like venison, ground beef, turkey etc as add in with his meals. He also eats PB in his Kong and shredded cheese in his kibble. I'm just not used to having a grey that you can smell. I am very smell sensitive due to kidney failure and need to figure this out. Our vet has fully checked him out and he's a very healthy 90lb sweet boy but has serious B.O. I supervise outdoor activity and know he's not rubbing in feces or anything like that. It's just a strong doggie smell.

-ava and augie's mum

 

 

[tbhounds]

Check his anal glands--- they could be very full and are leaking.

[DocsDoctor]

Could it be his anal glands?

[GreyTzu]

Yup, could be butt juice. Also what are his teeth like? If he has bad dentition, he will transfer the smell to his fur when he licks himself.

[riverbosun]

I was wondering about a skin allergy.

Edited November 21, 2010 by riverbosun

[Guest Energy11]

I, too, am thinking anal glands. Curfew had that "odor," and it was his anals. Good luck with "stinky!"

[GeorgeofNE]

That's not normal.

 

I'm in agreement with his anal glands or possible even a sheath infection.

 

A greyhound should not (does not!) normally need to be bathed more than once or twice a year.

[DesiRayMom]

Definitely not just a "male Greyhound thing" I'm thinking maybe anal glands, too. If that is the case, pop into your vet's & ask that they "express"

them....my vet does this on a walk-in basis, no apptmt needed. Vet tech can do it & tell you if they are very full, or even infected. You can do it yourself

if you know what you're doing, but it grosses me out so bad, I leave it to the professionals.

 

Good luck.

[Guest Sweetreba]

Hi I have a problem with my Petey. What he does is lifts his leg on weeds and low branches then when he lowers his leg it gets on him. Also I found when his breath knocks me out and he needs a dental or brushing he licks himself and it reeks. Even their stuffies stink from mouth. When I smell barn everytime he walks in a room I know it is time to have him bathed. I take him to a groomer cause it is very hard for me to bathe my dogs living in a condo. It will last and they will do ok for six months then you know it is time again. I do wipe his inner leg if it needs it inbetween.

[Guest PhillyPups]

Yep check the anal glands and teeth. Greyhounds usually do not smell unless they find something dead to roll in or get skunked.

 

As for gas - I have 5 and no gas - mine eat Kirkland Chicken and get a tablespoon of yogurt (live culture) and fish oil on their food - no gas from any of them.

[HoundHeavenAZ]

I have fostered males and been around a quite a few and have never discerned a greater odor on them, even if they do pee on their own feet. So I'd probably have the vet check for a sheath or anal gland issue too. But I'd have to hold off until I could keep a straight face when I consider "BUTT JUICE"!!!! LMAO!

[Guest ellieb]

Max only has a discernible odor when he first comes inside. Like a little kid who has been playing out of doors. Indigo always has a bit of smell. Her bedding smells sort of musky after only a few days. She does have horrid teeth & breath. All her stuffies are super stinky. This musky smell is more of something that oozes out of her pores. It is not unpleasant, just strong.

 

Both hounds eat the exact same diet. They get baths 3-4 times per year. I vacuum their beds weekly & Febreeze them. I wash their blankies weekly.

[Guest Energy11]

I also give mine canned pumpkin and plain unflavored yogurt in their food. We have very little gas here. You CAN give a generic Gax X with the food if you'd like. Like some of the others have mentioned though, a lot of times, the gas comes from the food.

 

Good luck!

[Guest TeddysMom]

The musky, mildewy smell is probably a skin issue like a yeast infection. I have 2 that I have to fight this with all the time. If I were you, I would have a skin scrape done. He probably just needs a medicated shampoo and spray to keep it under control. Mine(non-greys) took a RX called Ketaconizole to get it under control but it keeps coming back. Now I spray them with a Listerine/water mix which works just as well as the expensive sprays. Good Luck

[greyhead]

When we had this issue with Spencer, it was because of an undiagnosed SIBO issue. It is really weird when the top of their head stinks, isn't it?! There was also gas and very smelly poops that got softer, yellower, and more smelly over several months. He was our first grey and we tolerated all this way too long because we thought that "that's how greyhounds are sometimes."

 

If you have these other symptoms too, don't waste time on home remedies and food changes like we did; go to the vet and get him tested! Hopefully, it's not SIBO, it's something much simpler. But I feel obliged to share our experience so that other's dogs have better outcomes than we did. (Our outcome was IBD, which can be worse than you might think, espcially if they have already been exposed to all the main proteins through food changes and then you have to find one they've never had before, like venison or kangaroo.) I mean no disrespect to the suggestion of changing food, though; please just don't keep doing it and doing it if it isn't working.

[Hubcitypam]

The musky, mildewy smell is probably a skin issue like a yeast infection. I have 2 that I have to fight this with all the time. If I were you, I would have a skin scrape done. He probably just needs a medicated shampoo and spray to keep it under control. Mine(non-greys) took a RX called Ketaconizole to get it under control but it keeps coming back. Now I spray them with a Listerine/water mix which works just as well as the expensive sprays. Good Luck

That would be my guess as well. When Elvis had the staph infection the vet just sniffed his chest and said "yep, it's a staph infection in his skin -- I can smell it." I could see yeast infections or something doing the same.

[cleptogrey]

first thing that came to mind is possibly a staph or yeast infection. hopefully NOT!

 

but this is something i would like to share, the more one baths a dog, the wierder thier odor becomes, lack of oils and often they smell sorta like stinky fish. this i learned w/ my welsh terrier, they need the oil to keep their broken coat in good shape. mmmm....we don't have a broken coat(wirey coat w/ a downy undercoat-THANK GOD- you can't imagine the hrs. of grooming) but we do have hounds who tend to have thin skin w/ very little oil. so...maybe the same type of syndrome.

 

i also have noticed that when felix runs hard he sweats and i smell it. no one else does, i just hose him down w/ water and that's it, he's nice and clean again, NO SOAP-just water. i limit baths to when they get into trouble...or when they are blowing coat. i used to even just rinse my welsh terrier and he came out sweet smelling.

 

do try brushing him, he should be blowing his kennel coat. this will help bring the necessary oils up. as to peeing on his leg, that really shouldn't stink that much, too many of my dogs piss on their front leg or get it on the head when they sniff during a piss. plain water should take care of that.

 

if it is overbathing, it takes a while to get out of the cycle.

good luck.

[Guest avadogner]

Hi Greytalk Friends,

I am not familiar what SIBO stands for. Could someone please explain that to me. I will take him by the vet to check his anal gland. His teeth are in good shape for a grey and he just had a dental cleaning when he was neutered 3 months ago. We took him for a visit to vet about 6 wks ago to be checked out and he got a good report. I don't think he had his anal gland expressed and we are the only ones who have bathed him since his adoption. He had a tough time adjusting to his new diet coming home. He had the big D for the first 2 wks. We gave him yogurt but it made it worse so we stopped. He is very active and a good eater. I brush him every other day and he gets a fish oil capsule in his kibble and is on a Blue Buffalo Salmon grain free. His coat is getting softer and more glossy. It's still in the 60s here in Alabama so him and Ava haven't dropped their summer coats yet. She usually drops hers around the beginning of Dec but it's unseasonably warm this year. I appreciate the imput and will have my vet check him out again.

Thanks,

ava and augie's mum

[Guest Greytluv]

Do you think it's the Salmon that's making him smell?

[Guest avadogner]

I looked up SIBO and I don't think Augie has it. He has gained weight well since coming home. He is the largest male grey I have ever seen. He came home weighing 84 lbs but is up to 90 now. He eats well occasionally has loose stools but those are more related to seperation anxiety. I don't get out much due to kidney failure so he is not accustomed to being on his own. He is very active and happily goes on a daily 1 mile walk and plays in our fenced back yard. Our senior girl Ava isn't very playful due to arthritis. He came home with a scabbed area on his belly where his belly rubbed the crate at the track. It is almost completely healed. He doesn't seem to put off dander like Ava has when her skin is dry. I have noticed that he produces more earwax than Ava has and I clean his ears with sterile cotton wipes once every couple weeks or so. He seem to have a more coarse coat texture than Ava. He is our second hound so I don't have much to compare to. He is fawn with black markings and Ava is solid black with lovely silver beard accents.Do different color greys have different textured coats?

-ava and augie's mum

[Guest TeddysMom]

Hi Greytalk Friends,

I am not familiar what SIBO stands for. Could someone please explain that to me. I will take him by the vet to check his anal gland. His teeth are in good shape for a grey and he just had a dental cleaning when he was neutered 3 months ago. We took him for a visit to vet about 6 wks ago to be checked out and he got a good report. I don't think he had his anal gland expressed and we are the only ones who have bathed him since his adoption. He had a tough time adjusting to his new diet coming home. He had the big D for the first 2 wks. We gave him yogurt but it made it worse so we stopped. He is very active and a good eater. I brush him every other day and he gets a fish oil capsule in his kibble and is on a Blue Buffalo Salmon grain free. His coat is getting softer and more glossy. It's still in the 60s here in Alabama so him and Ava haven't dropped their summer coats yet. She usually drops hers around the beginning of Dec but it's unseasonably warm this year. I appreciate the imput and will have my vet check him out again.

Thanks,

ava and augie's mum

 

I wouldn't bathe him before you go to the vet. They can usually smell the yeast or staph infection.

[Guest Adrianne]

I know the smell you're talking about, and it's horrible. I would almost definitely say it's the anal glands. Ollie used to get this smell all the time. If she'd get in our laps, we'd have the smell on us, and it's almost impossible to get rid of. Our groomer expresses the gland whenever she goes there to be groomed. It's helped tremendously, and she very rarely ever gets that smell anymore.

 

I'm sure your vet could do it, but it's a whole lot cheaper for us to just have the groomer do it.

 

 

[Guest irongrl]

Hi Greytalk Friends,

I am not familiar what SIBO stands for. Could someone please explain that to me. I will take him by the vet to check his anal gland. His teeth are in good shape for a grey and he just had a dental cleaning when he was neutered 3 months ago. We took him for a visit to vet about 6 wks ago to be checked out and he got a good report. I don't think he had his anal gland expressed and we are the only ones who have bathed him since his adoption. He had a tough time adjusting to his new diet coming home. He had the big D for the first 2 wks. We gave him yogurt but it made it worse so we stopped. He is very active and a good eater. I brush him every other day and he gets a fish oil capsule in his kibble and is on a Blue Buffalo Salmon grain free. His coat is getting softer and more glossy. It's still in the 60s here in Alabama so him and Ava haven't dropped their summer coats yet. She usually drops hers around the beginning of Dec but it's unseasonably warm this year. I appreciate the imput and will have my vet check him out again.

Thanks,

ava and augie's mum

 

 

Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth. People can have this also, and it's not very pleasant

 

You can ask your vet to test for this, and it should be easy to treat if this is what is going on.

Edited November 22, 2010 by irongrl