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  1. #1
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    Yellow Lab body odor, please help!

    Hi, I have a 2 year old yellow lab. This past month I noticed he has an odor about him. In researching the issue I found that it can be caused by such things as ear infections, anal gland, or too much bathing. He does get ear infections periodically but that is nothing new. We live on the lake so he swims every day. Therefore, I use an ear flush and at times have been given medicine from the vet. However, the odor seems to be coming more from his body. He does get a bath once a week because he swims in the lake and goes to "doggy daycare" once a week where he is in a big play area with many dogs that love to slime each other all day long. Since the odor I have switched shampoo to oatmeal with a bit of olive oil mixed in. Doesn't seem to help. We also took him to the Vet last week. The doctor seemed to believe it was his anal gland and he cleaned it out and said everything else looks great; but he still has that odor. We walk every morning and play ball where he does get pretty sweaty, then come home and go for a swim. Could it be he is just sweating and has body odor compared to that of a teenage boy?! LOL Any suggestions you have would be much appreciated! Beau is an inside family member and it is quite embarrassing when we have unexpected guests and I haven't had a chance to "de-odorize"!

    Thanks so much!
    Scarlett

  2. #2
    Senior Dog charliebbarkin's Avatar
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    Hi Scarlett! Welcome to the forum.

    My first thought is in agreement with what you have already stated, either ears or anal glands. Be sure to get in his ear and give it a sniff to see if you smell anything. It is important to clean your dog's ears after a swim so I am glad to hear you are doing that. Make sure you wipe them out too. Maybe after a swim you could hose Beau down quickly? What does he smell like? If he smells like concentrated poop then it probably is anal glands. If he smells like concentrated dog, then it could be that he is yeasty, maybe he doesn't dry off completely ever and the wetness under his coat is causing some funk. Maybe he's got yeasty paws. Some dogs stink just because of the kibble they eat. Maybe the shampoo you are using isn't completely rinsing out. I like to use one by Cloud Star called Buddy Wash. It's coconut based and makes my dogs shiny and smell delish. I don't use it often though. Perhaps your dog has a hormone imbalance, you'd need bloodwork done to check that. Sometimes a fish oil or coconut oil will help balance the body's fats. Yes dogs do sweat, I notice it mostly on their feet if they've been sweaty. We call it Frito Feet

    Since you went to the vet and everything checked out, I would start with a fresh bath or at least a hose down, and let him dry completely before going back in the water. Then always make sure he gets a chance to completely dry. It sounds to me like it coincides with the swimming? I do notice when my guys play with other dogs and get slimed up, they smell funky too. Might just be something you'll have to deal with by hosing Beau off after he's done playing.

    Good luck!
    Charlie and Burton


  3. #3
    Senior Dog Berna's Avatar
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    I hear you. Mine also swims every day. It's the water that stays in the fur. And holy stink! I haven't figured out how to get rid of it, so I've quit trying. Using wet wipes helps for a while.
    Cookie Black Snowflake
    July 12th, 2006. - May 25th, 2023.

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  4. #4
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    Thanks for reply. The smell is more of a body odor rather than poop smell. Yes, we are quite familiar with "frito feet"! More so from our Matiff/Rottweiler that has already gone on to doggie heaven. His were the worst. I bet you are correct in it has to do with the swimming and not drying off completely. We towel dry him but never to really completely dry him.

    Love Charlie and Burton!!

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  6. #5
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    Thanks for reply. The smell is more of a body odor rather than poop smell. Yes, we are quite familiar with "frito feet"! More so from our Matiff/Rottweiler that has already gone on to doggie heaven. His were the worst. I bet you are correct in it has to do with the swimming and not drying off completely. We towel dry him but never to really completely dry him.

    Love Charlie and Burton!!

  7. #6
    Senior Dog charliebbarkin's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Scarlett View Post
    Thanks for reply. The smell is more of a body odor rather than poop smell. Yes, we are quite familiar with "frito feet"! More so from our Matiff/Rottweiler that has already gone on to doggie heaven. His were the worst. I bet you are correct in it has to do with the swimming and not drying off completely. We towel dry him but never to really completely dry him.

    Love Charlie and Burton!!
    Thank you!

    I have this towel from Soggy Doggy, it's a shammy and it works really well. Maybe that will help absorb more than the average towel for you?

    Sorry about your Mastiff/Rottie. They never live long enough.

    I hope you stick around and post some pictures of Beau!

    Soggy Doggy Productions
    Charlie and Burton


  8. #7
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    Will definitely give them a try! Yes, I will be posting pics just as soon as I get this all figured out! LOL At work right now so no time to play around just yet.

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  10. #8
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    Lots of good ideas. I'll add, make sure to thoroughly wash all his bedding and places he's been lying. They might be holding odour that will just go back onto him.

    You know dogs don't sweat through their skin, right? So he can't have body odour like a teenage boy, only smelly feet like a teenage boy.

    Some other smells dogs can get are from Stud Tail and sebaceous cysts. Both might result in oily skin, or dandruff and maybe some hair loss too. But not always. My boy, for three summers, had a horrendous odour from a spot on his back which is where there is a large number of sebaceous cysts but no visible signs of anything going on there. It was enough to make us gag, literally. You say it's a body odour smell and I would not say that's what this is but maybe you would like to take a close look at those spots anyway.

  11. #9
    Senior Dog smartrock's Avatar
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    I guess you've checked his collar? I think their ears drain whatever water is in them from swimming and it gets absorbed into their collars, if they wear the kind that will absorb water.

    My older dog had a funky smell going on at one stage in his life and fortunately, once it went away, it has never come back. We could never pin it down, it seems like it emanated from his back in the area of his hips. No hot spots, no skin irritation, not anal glands, not poop, no evident source for the smell. I'd rinse him and do a rinse with plain water mixed 50/50 with white vinegar. That and making sure he was as dry as I could get him after a swim or rinse seemed to help. His coat is super thick and it seems to take his neck and his back over his hips a particularly long time to dry if I just let him dry on his own. He hates when I try to use a blow dryer on him, so thorough towel drying was the best I could do. I don't know whether it went away because of our actions or because summer faded into cooler autumn weather with less swimming and less wetness.
    Sue

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  12. #10
    Senior Dog windycanyon's Avatar
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    Google Yeast and N-zymes. It could be that he has a yeast overgrowth. The N-zymes.com folks have a yeast program that has worked for friends w/ the same sort of issue. They also accept phone calls and will help you to get on the right program.
    My other thought is a holistic vet who may be more familiar w/ yeast issues than a normal vet.

 



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