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Post by harleysmommy on Sept 8, 2011 20:44:57 GMT -5
Not sure where to put this but here is as good a place as any.
Harley seems to stink.. a lot!! My cousin who has dobes refers to it as the "dirty frito" smell. Hers get it too.
Does anyone have a tried and true method other than weekly bathing to keep them from smelling so much??
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Post by Shadowlands on Sept 8, 2011 22:19:51 GMT -5
What food is he on and what treats is he usually fed (daily)?
Sometimes what they eat can have an affect on how they smell...that may be what is going on here.
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Post by damasyn on Sept 9, 2011 1:26:47 GMT -5
I know how this may sound counter productive, but I would NOT...yes NOT bathe once a week. I would bathe once a month and in between the real honest to goodness baths, I would just use a wet wash cloth ( and I think someone said add a bit of Listerine to the water) I could be wrong about the listerine....hmm. and that should freshen him up a bit in between the baths.
You over bathe and you are causing more harm than good. How is his skin and coat? Dry, flaky or other? It looks like he is a black boy am I right?
Dogs have glands that put oil into the hair . And as Shadowlands said above, diet can play a big part into how your dog smells. It can also be an indication of other health issues.
Could it be anal glands? Have you had them checked or expressed?
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Post by breesmom on Sept 9, 2011 7:18:35 GMT -5
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Post by harleysmommy on Sept 9, 2011 12:09:23 GMT -5
Just to clarify I do not bathe him weekly... I know that is not good but it doesn't mean I wouldn't like to  He has been on the same food since he was born and it has been since he hit about 10 months old that it started... almost like he hit the "teen" years and is now stinky. Anal glands the vet has done when they are needed. |
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Post by Shadowlands on Sept 9, 2011 12:20:38 GMT -5
It can still be his food. As a pup they don't tend to smell unless they have been into something they shouldn't have. Ewww. Once the hormones kick in, they get their adult coat etc and that can account for the change in odor now vs when he was younger.
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Post by doberdelight on Sept 9, 2011 14:43:10 GMT -5
i know that Harley is still young but have his teeth been checked. Is it maybe his mouth that is stinking?
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Post by harleysmommy on Sept 9, 2011 15:53:49 GMT -5
i know that Harley is still young but have his teeth been checked. Is it maybe his mouth that is stinking? I know it isn't his teeth. He just had them cleaned and we brush them. I am thinking that it may be the food. I know that we are planning on starting to switch him from puppy to adult food within the next couple of months. No matter how stinky he is I still love him to pieces and can't imagine a day without his sweet little face. |
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Post by Shadowlands on Sept 9, 2011 16:47:59 GMT -5
i know that Harley is still young but have his teeth been checked. Is it maybe his mouth that is stinking? I know it isn't his teeth. He just had them cleaned and we brush them. I am thinking that it may be the food. I know that we are planning on starting to switch him from puppy to adult food within the next couple of months. No matter how stinky he is I still love him to pieces and can't imagine a day without his sweet little face. I just wanted to address the two highlighted areas. The first one: You have already had his teeth cleaned? Was this done by the vet? Was there an issue with his teeth that you would have them cleaned at such a young age? Two: At over a year old, he should no longer be on puppy food. In fact, he probably should have been switched at about 8 months of age. Could you please share what brand of food you are feeding him? Maybe we can help solve this problem for you. |
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Post by 4Dobies on Sept 9, 2011 16:58:59 GMT -5
Just to throw this out there as a last check, only one of our Dobermans was ever stinky, our rescue boy Dex always seemed to stink. It turned out he had a low thyroid, once he was on his medication the stink as well as a few other problems went away.
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Post by breesmom on Sept 9, 2011 18:33:13 GMT -5
Bree also had a body odor when her thyroid was out of whack.
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Post by damasyn on Sept 9, 2011 21:24:03 GMT -5
Definately get him OFF puppy food. Waaayyyy to rich for him. At the base of your dogs hair is oil glands that generally coat the hair and keep it healthy.
I had a friend many years ago with a German Shep with allergies and would develop a skin/fungal infection and she swore up and down he smelled like Fritos.
Let me just say IF you are just dealing with a food issue, look at it this way. IF you were to go out and eat food with a bum load of Garlic in it... it would be coming out your pores.... thru the soles of your feet, sweat etc etc.
If I were you and Harley is NOT showing signs of a illness or severe skin rash etc etc. Start a check list . Everything YOU can do to help at home that will save you money before going to the vet.
start with changing food. You dont have to try expensive stuff, but at least mid grade ...read read read the labels of the bags.
Think of it this way... what you put in is what you get out. bad quality/ingred = bad smells/side effects
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Post by von Cosack on Sept 9, 2011 21:58:05 GMT -5
He is way overdue to come off puppy foods, we change at about 5 months old now because the puppy contents are to high in everything for a Dobermann. The Thyroid IS a good guess and its not expensive ask your vet about doing a T4, 3T4,T3 they are very conclusive and will give you some resolve. I've found that Dobermanns will often have slightly below average scores on the Tyroid tests so keep that in mind.
As for his teeth you'd be much better off using a raw/frozen Knuckle bone (beef) once every two weeks for healthy teeth. The Knuc is also a healthy intact for its fat, meat, marrow and bone there isn't alot on them but your dog will love them. I use them quartered and give Pudg a piece every night or every other night. Clean white and sharp teeth, the Knuc is also a great time out from the dog if you need some time off.
As for a good rinse the Listerine works well but you need to use the original product (brown liquid) not the newer solutions. I use ACV apple cidar vinegar (Braggs Organic) in a 16 to 20 oz. spray bottle and add about 2 to 3 oz. of ACV in. Spray the dog all over (cover the eyes) and let set on him for a minute or so and towel pad the dog dry. ACV is great for the skin and if you can get him to drink his water with a few caps of ACV in it you will be helping his immune system. A great product thats very inexpensive and has a few helpfull uses.
Get him OFF the puppy on to an adult mix, no more than 26% protein and around 16% fat. The calories depend on his weight and overall condition. The number listed ingrediant on the bag should be a meat, not a by-product, a clean human grade meat.
Theres lots of good foods out there so start with some smaller bags mix about 50/50 with the old food and make sure he likes the new offering. Good luck and let us know whats goin on. Von
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Post by HEXE- TINA on Sept 10, 2011 8:25:34 GMT -5
Ok here it comes...teethcleaning and that young of age isn't nessary, why would you have let done that ? I have a GSd here who is 7 and never had his teethcleaning nor did he gets his teeth brushed, Raw frozen bones do a very great job. Seconds i have 3 dogs here and none of them stink. So it might be the ffod you been feeding him or like anybody else said a medical , thyroid problem, would let it check out from a vet and even the thing with the analclans makes me wonder, not one of my dogs ever had that done or even need that. So what about the food, what kind of food are you feeding him  I remember we been asking you that before and you never gave us an answer of that question and by the way, get that dog of the puppyfood, he should been of that a long time ago. You want our advise , then you should might answer some of the question, we been asking you, so we can help better.  |
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I remember we been asking you that before and you never gave us an answer of that question and by the way, get that dog of the puppyfood, he should been of that a long time ago. You want our advise , then you should might answer some of the question, we been asking you, so we can help better. 
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