I think we have adopted the worlds stinkiest dog!

[JustlookingNotbuying]

This weekend we adopted a lovely rescue.
He suffers from anxiety and we are letting him slowly get used to us and his new surroundings.
He has a few issues we will work on but something which is bothering me is just how stinky he is.
I have had 3 dogs in my life and was a dog walker so know that they are never going to smell like a Lush store but this is something else. Today on our walk we got caught in the rain and oh my days the whiff 🤢, he is obviously a Gremlin and must never get wet!
I can not put him through the stress of a bath just yet and am keeping my fingers crossed that a good hose down will help. The rescue centre did reek and he does seem to have taken on some of the odour of the place. They had him groomed a day before we collected him and he’s been shaved to an inch of his life, just hope they didn’t do that because he’s the worlds whiffiest mutt!
My last little doggo didn’t smell much at all.
I am starting to think I will never be able to have people round now, they will run a mile lol. I’ve dug out all my wax melts and air fresheners for when the kids mates or my friends come round.
Does anyone else have a stinky dog? What do you do to keep the smell down?

My ddog whiffs !!!
sweaty / yeasty boy smell 🤣
I use pet bed febreeze on his bed (and him !)

Pawfume might help.
My rescue has chronic gingivitis and the worst breath ever. It's grim and nothing helps.

Some dogs just smell unfortunately. Lots of regular grooming and a drying coat to pop them in when wet so they don't stink out your house.

I disagree that some dogs just smell. A healthy dog should not be smelly - yes have a slight odour and when wet their coat will smell more but no they should not smell horrible.

It could be a combination of kennel smell and just a new dog smell to which is novel to you and so more noticeable or that your dog is stressed and this will also cause him to smell more. Keep an eye on his health too as that can cause issues with smell.

(A yeasty smell does need looking at by a vet)

Thanks everyone.
Ivedonethisthreetimesalready I am hoping that it’s all these things. I’ll get him checked over with the vet.

What breed/mix is he? I find whippets and sight hounds don't seem to smell. Overweight labradors seem to be the worse. We rescued a lurcher and she definitely had an odour of the kennels, not bad and only noticeable close up. It slowly faded and I gave her a bath during the heatwave that helped. Keeping a correct weight and good exercise seems to help the circulation and healthy skin.

A bath once he is settled as well, I always mix the water and shampoo into one bucket and pour straight on and use a scrubby scalp brush that he may like? Then rinse with a separate jug and bucket as its quicker and no sound of running water or slippery bath that might scare him.

Op congrats on your adoption!

I disagree that some dogs whiff naturally, except those Chinese crested ones with the oily skin! They will all have a bit of a whiff but it shouldn't be as offensive as you are describing op. Poor dog! He must be able to smell it worst of all!

I would check out:

• teeth
• ears
• area immediately behind ears
• anal glands
• armpits
• paws and claws
• diet

And tbh if he came from a smelly rescue centre I wouldn't place much reliance on what they are saying and I would get him checked out with a vet anyway. It's a good idea to establish that relationship straight away and check out that all his jabs and worming etc is up to date. Worth checking out as a bad smell can be a sign of an underlying health problem.

You may find it is the cheap food that the rescue centre have fed him on and once you change that, things improve naturally. Some cheap feed at rescue centres is equivalent to eatingfast food exclusively every day and we would all smell a bit if we did that! But obvs don't change his diet too suddenly but start introducing some good quality kibble and maybe some plain minced beef with gravy and maybe a few veggies like carrots. Good luck!

My dog stinks too. I despair tbh. He's only 2 but an intact male, so maybe hormones play a part. Yeast infections can also make them smell musty. Itchy skin, licking toes and smelly ears are all symptoms. You have to get to the root cause to fix it. Mine is on grain free, no chicken/potatoes/peas. Carnilove, Butchers and Edgard & Cooper mainly. I've got drops for his ears (vets drops and Stinky Stuff). He has a bath once a week in itchy skin shampoo, which is left on for 10 minutes. Ostrich bones for teeth. Then windows open, baby powder deodoriser and candles!

Stress also makes some dogs smell IME, no clue why, but it definitely can.

I’d get a check up done, make sure he’s on ok food and use a spray on him, a dog deodorant type thing till you’re happy bathing him and see how he goes.

both our rescue dogs were very smelly when they arrived! After a bath (we had to put up with the smell till they were settled enough to inflict this on them!) and a few weeks of decent food, as someone said upthread, they smelt much nicer.

My shih tzu is quite whiffy but just had vet check and all is fine. What can I do? He has regular baths.

Without a pic we don't even believe you have any ddog at all op.

Thanks all.
Haha Creepymanonagoatfarm there you go!

A week on he is starting to smell a little better.

OMG who cares what he smells like when he’s that cute?? 🥰. My lab is pretty stinky, especially his feet 🙈.

Our rescue smelt the same until he had a few baths.
Some centres can whiff x

@OhMerde - please can I ask what itchy skin shampoo you use for your dog?

I dont think I've got it quite right tbh but I use a neem shampoo, Dermoline shampoo and T Gel shampoo.

I think it can be diet. We’ve switched our dog from Kibble to a fresh diet. She doesn’t smell at all anymore, even up close (we used to call her Smelly Dog to the tune of Smelly Cat from Friends). The difference is massive! And it was fancy kibble too.

Agree with those who suggest looking at diet. People I know who feed raw diet and/or good quality meat meant for humans have found that previously stinky dogs just don’t smell offensive any more. I must say that if I am away from home and eating a less than healthy diet I start to smell too—starting with breath and then spreading to whole body. Uggh.

Awwww he’s so cute!! 🥺🥺

My dog stinks when he’s wet too 😂 he’s a working Cocker. I just try to stay away from him after baths until he’s dry haha. And open the windows if we’re in the car!

His paws usually smell like cheesy Doritos. And his ears will smell a bit yeasty when he’s due for a general clean. Nothing too wild, I can just tell when he needs a bath or ear clean.

On the plus side, the way his neck / back of ears smell is the most comforting thing in the world and I’m constantly shoving my face on him to smell him haha.

I read once that kibble and high carb wet food can increase yeast infections and ear problems, which can affect smell. Also if he smells fishy at all, check the anal glands. But you probably know these things since since already dog experienced :)

Enjoy your new stinky pup!

Thanks everyone. He is on high protein kibble but perhaps I’ll look into a raw diet.
I haven’t yet washed him as I didn’t want to stress him but he keeps jumping in the bath! Maybe he’s hinting that he actually wants a bath lol!

OP your little man is beautiful! 😍😍😍

He definitely is bathbombaholic
Thank you all. Poor Bear has been so badly let down by his first human family that a little bit of stinkiness isn’t really a huge issue for us lol, we just want him to know he’s loved now and always will be, smelly or otherwise 😊