How Do I Put This Delicately - Girl Scent?

[Guest mmmberry]

I don't know how to ask this. I have a female grey and she's my first female dog ever. She has a really different odor. Is it because she's a girl and the odor is coming from her *ahem* girl bits?

 

For comparison, my male grey could go four or five weeks before I'd notice even a faint odor. She starts smelling weird after about 10 days and by day 20 it's strong enough that I insist on washing her. And her beds smell that way too. It's a somewhat funky smell. I don't know how to describe it. Like, not REALLY bad but not a nice clean smell like my male had. And it's sort of generally all over her body. And by day 20 it's just really STRONG. Like when one walks into a department store and the perfume department is just overwhelming.

 

Should I be worried? I'm taking her to the vet for her annual visit soon, should I not wash her beforehand so the vet can check it?

 

Am I just freaking out? I never noticed this while my male was alive (he died in August) but I think maybe it's because she gets more attention from me now.

 

She's not licking excessively.

 

Maybe I'm going crazy but I thought I'd ask just in case.

[tbhounds]

Is it her anal glands that you are smelling?

She may also have a yeasty smell?? How does her skin look?

Edited January 3, 2017 by tbhounds

[krissy]

Is it her anal glands that you are smelling?

She may also have a yeasty smell?? How does her skin look?

 

This. In addition, UTI or vaginitis, though wouldn't necessarily expect that to resolve with a bath.

 

I have a male and 2 females and I bath them *maybe* twice a year. The male is the oldest and most sensible and doesn't splash through mud puddles and such. I don't think I've bathed him in 2 years, maybe a little more actually. The girls are young and insane and they will roll in disgusting things, splash through mud puddles, etc. and one of them is white as well. The brindle doesn't show dirt so much, but I'm still actively showing her so I sometimes bath her before a show weekend even if she doesn't look dirty. But even so, the white girl usually only gets a bath if she gets REALLY dirty and it didn't all flake off in the car before we got home, or when she starts to look a little grey. And they never get baths because they actually smell. It's one of the things I love so much about greyhounds - the lack of dog odour. I have not found this any different between my male and my females.

[Roo]

Have you noticed any wet spots on her bedding? My incontinent terrier will get a musty and quite unpleasant odor if I forget to give her her pill too many days in a row. She leaks, sleeps in it, and smells. A bath and getting back on her pill schedule solves it (until I inevitably forget again )

[Scoutsmom]

To put in simple terms what every one is saying "No, females should not smell any more than the males. If they do, something is wrong." If she is not rolling in dead skunk, a trip to the vet is in order.

[GreyTzu]

Where, exactly, are you putting your nose to sniff?

[greysmom]

If she smells "doggy" all over, I might suspect something like dry skin, or maybe a bacterial or yeast infection. Your vet should be able to do a scraping of her skin and take a look at it in house to see if there are mites or other suspicious creatures. Dry skin is easily addressed by judiciously adding in salmon or pollack oil to her diet. It could also be she is laying in some leakage as suggested above. If the smell is coming from her vulval area she could have a UTI, a yeast or bacterial infection, a hooded vulva (which is a physical deformity that can be fixed with surgery), or some other sort of discharge.

 

In any of these cases your vet should be able to guide you adequately if she does have a physical issue. FWIW my girls have never smelled any different than my boys. Greyhounds as a breed are really quite neat and clean - mine groom themselves like cats all the time - and rarely *need* a bath unless they get into something particularly smelly. They get one bath a year at our adoption group's fundraiser whether they need it or not!

[cleptogrey]

along with the other suggestions i would start with something very easy, but time consuming. wash everything, bedding, blankets, coats, PJs, etc. add vinegar to the rinse water to ensure the soap is removed. if there is soap left in items washed they can have a strange musty smell. i have boarded some stinky dogs and successfully cleaned them up w/ allerpet d- it seems to neutralize odors with out a bath. but do get to the bottom of this. even when mine are in the sound they generally don't smell, i rinse the salt water off with plain water.

[racindog]

 

This. In addition, UTI or vaginitis, though wouldn't necessarily expect that to resolve with a bath.

 

I have a male and 2 females and I bath them *maybe* twice a year. The male is the oldest and most sensible and doesn't splash through mud puddles and such. I don't think I've bathed him in 2 years, maybe a little more actually. The girls are young and insane and they will roll in disgusting things, splash through mud puddles, etc. and one of them is white as well. The brindle doesn't show dirt so much, but I'm still actively showing her so I sometimes bath her before a show weekend even if she doesn't look dirty. But even so, the white girl usually only gets a bath if she gets REALLY dirty and it didn't all flake off in the car before we got home, or when she starts to look a little grey. And they never get baths because they actually smell. It's one of the things I love so much about greyhounds - the lack of dog odour. I have not found this any different between my male and my females.

Is it her anal glands that you are smelling?

She may also have a yeasty smell?? How does her skin look?

Edited by tbhounds, Yesterday, 06:06 PM.

 

Both of these above. I have had many greyhounds and many dogs-never had a single one that had unpleasant odor and that includes farm dogs that lived outside. There has to be something wrong. The sooner you identify and treat it the less problems you'll have down the road. JMO.

Edited January 4, 2017 by racindog

[GeorgeofNE]

She should be spayed, ergo there should be no "girly" anything emitting from her.

[cleptogrey]

i do know with terriers if they are bathed too much they stink like fish. it's a vicious cycle. the only way to break it is to brush,brush,brush get the natural oils up and out, the cycle is broken. the stench comes from the terriers natural oils being stripped from their skin. the brushing cleans them as well.

[krissy]

She should be spayed, ergo there should be no "girly" anything emitting from her.

 

This made me LOL for some reason. Comment of the day.

 

Back to the serious matter at hand.....

[Guest mmmberry]

Where, exactly, are you putting your nose to sniff?

 

LOL

I'm putting my nose on the fur along her neck/shoulder blades. Somewhere that shouldn't be smelly.

 

Her anal glands look ok but she's been having soft stool so it could be a developing problem.

 

Could it be her food? She gets Canidae (dry, not sure which variety) and we add nonfat plain yogurt and blueberries/strawberries in the morning. Most evenings she gets a little bit of human food added to the dry.

 

Yeasty smell? Hmm. She doesn't smell like a loaf of bread, but it's not that sweet smell that my male had.

 

She's shedding her normal amount. And there are several bumps on her skin that I can feel but she won't let me take a good look, she'll wiggle away from me and/or snap. The bumps are different sizes. the biggest one feels about as big as an eraser from the end of a pencil. There are at least three bumps.

 

Her skin is not flaky but there are patches of fur on both her shoulders that are a different color/texture.

 

Her bedding is not wet.

 

She just turned six.

 

Yes she is spayed.

 

We use John Paul Pet shampoo and conditioner, wash her about every three weeks. Wash all her bedding on her bath day too. Maybe I'm washing her too often or not rinsing off well? Or washing her bedding wrong? Wrong temperature water? She seems happiest when the water is pretty warm, even though I know I should use lukewarm water I'll raise the temperature because she starts to shiver. The SO washes bedding with scent beads (ug). Maybe we should stop the scent beads?

 

She never gets brushed. Should she?

 

Since August, we've been taking her hiking. Usually two or three miles on wood chip or fine crushed stone. Cedar chips, probably. Sometimes it is damp but never muddy. The rocks are limestone, I think. She's gotten WAY more muscular. Could it just be her metabolism changing? Dogs don't sweat, right? We go at least once per week. And her regular walks are in the neighborhood. Just sidewalks.

 

Wow I just told ya'll everything you didn't want to know about my dog. Can you tell I'm freaking out? LOL

 

Maybe it's me? I don't think anyone else is bothered by it. But *I* can smell it. I hate my sense of smell. We cook using our outdoor grill most days because that's easier than airing out the house. The last time we painted our house was in 2011 and I could still smell the paint (faintly) for years after. Especially after coming home from a vacation. It sucks. Half of my life I'm trying to describe smells to my SO because something's stinky and he doesn't smell it. Ug.

 

Except that my SO asked me to bathe her last week. So maybe she really does have a smell. Ug. I don't know!

 

Maybe I'm having a mental episode? I really miss my male. I got the reminder to make my female's appointment and cried all weekend. They used to go in together.

 

Thanks for the input everyone! She has her annual appointment on the 14th. Hoping it's nothing, or something easily remedied. I thought I'd better ask here just to be safe. Any other suggestions on what to ask the vet? You guys are the best

[PatricksMom]

I wouldn't bath her before her appointment so your vet can actually smell her, not just get a description. And on this forum, there's no need to be delicate, you wouldn't believe what gets discussed Also, did you add any new supplements, medicines, or change food?

Edited January 4, 2017 by PatricksMom

[ramonaghan]

I have a crazy sensitive sense of smell too, and occasionally I do get a whiff of not-so-fresh from Sweep. She can be a bit stinky after coming in from a walk (and they don't sweat like we do, so I don't know why!), but it dissipates quickly. I have also noticed if she gets too much fish oil I can smell it on her. Any chance that's the case for your girl? Other random thought: does she groom herself like a cat? Sweep has good teeth but somewhat funky breath, and sometimes when she's been licking I can smell it on her fur. She gets a bath every 2-3 months and that works for us. Every 3 weeks seems like a lot, so I'm glad you're seeing the vet soon to rule out anything medical.

 

In any event, you're not alone in the super-smeller club.

[greysmom]

Brushing helps remove dead skin and fur, and helps distribute body oils, so brushing could help. Definitely have your vet take a look at those mystery bumps. The doctor that they're sensitive is concerning.

[cleptogrey]

Take the cover off the bed and smell the bed itself???

Start the brushing,wash the brush after using. I use a soft is oval horse brush and soft oval rubber curry comb.wash the curry comb as well.

Can she be rolling in an animal's scent? My crazy terrier used to get into all sorts of weird animal urine/poop in the woods.

This is getting interesting, rename her Stinky?

[3greytjoys]

This seems odd to me and I have a sensitive nose, too. None of our hounds (male or female) have had a poor odor (as long as their food was agreeing with them). They get a wipe down before and after social events or Meet & Greets but rarely ever need a full bath. Paws get washed off after leashed hikes.

 

Does the kibble smell similarly to the hound's odor? If I recall correctly, Canidae ALS includes fish; could that be part of the odor? You didn't mention what people food she's eating at night, but perhaps she's having a negative reaction to those foods.

 

I would launder her bedding in perfume-free laundry soap/detergent, and eliminate any scent beads, etc. Depending on the outcome of your vet visit (ruling out infection, etc.), a limited ingredient diet might be worth a try. Natural Balance might be one option.

 

I use a soft, equine Oster finishing brush on our Greyhounds. If interested, I'd suggest buying one from your local equine store. (The quality of on-line brushes can be questionable.)

Edited January 10, 2017 by 3greytjoys

[tbhounds]

She should be spayed, ergo there should be no "girly" anything emitting from her.

Could have vaginitis -still has a vajayjay ;-)

[XTRAWLD]

Is she on any supplements, specifically Tumeric?

[Willowsmum]

We briefly had a female, she smelled better than either of our boys ever did. I am cursed with a super sniffer too, I feel your pain. I have learned if I can smell it, there is something going on somewhere.

 

My husband takes my word for it now if I smell something bad. Is your girl ever off leash in the yard? Could she be rubbing against any stinky trees or bushes? I wonder if she is having a reaction to the scent beads or soap? I'd try washing bedding with unscented detergent in hot water, no fabric softener, maybe with baking soda or vinegar, or give an extra rinse cycle. Maybe give her a bath with just water or an unscented hypoallergenic dog shampoo, in case she's getting some kind of reaction to the shampoo.

 

I've found my hounds get stinky all over if they are gassy or need their teeth brushed. Maybe cut out the people food scraps and give simethicone with meals.

 

I would def get a vet visit in while she is in full stink mode, and get bumps looked at (allergy? Infection?)

Let us know what happens! Good luck!

[GreytHoundPoet]

I have a house full of females (intact and spayed) and males and they don't smell any different. I'd ask your vet for peace of mind.

[KF_in_Georgia]

She might not handle your current food formula as well as the boy does. Is your food a fish-based food?

 

When I fed fish-based to one dog, he started smelling--fishy. I stopped, and he stopped.

 

And current boy can't have fish-based food, although he's fine with fish oil capsules. I guess it's a difference in the way they're processed, but fish-based foods (or treats) trigger horrendous gas from him. (He's bad greyhound PR at a meet and greet.)

 

If your vet doesn't see an obvious cause of your girl's problem, you might want to try a different food formula to see if that makes a difference.

[SanTanSnuggles]

Had four girls and two boys. The girls never smelled unless one of he boys lifted their leg and peed on them Or if the girl managed to rub their neck in the poo of another animal like a cat. One of my girls loved cat poo to roll in. That really smelled. My current girl love to groom herself. Very much a lady. They get krill as an omaga vitamin every day and that does not have a fishy smell. Does your vet notice the smell? Could be she is just sensitive to certain foods or detergents you wash her bed in? My mother in law had to use clear tide or she would break out.

Perhaps she has an allergy to some type of plant she is exposed to on her when you are taking her on her hikes? This is an interesting subject for sure.

[Guest mmmberry]

Ok we are back from the vet!

 

Turns out, my girl has a recessed vulva! Which is totally normal. Just doesn't air out enough.

 

However, her vulva was very slightly redder than normal and there was some -ahem- debris. Does not need medication. The vet showed me how to lift the overlying skin and clean it. She is probably discharging just a little on her bedding and that's what I'm smelling on her. Daddy was very embarrassed being in the room for her gyno exam LOL.

 

The vet says just to keep an eye out on the spots. Her teeth are in excellent condition.

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions!