My puppy stinks

[turbodx]

My 3 month old puppy smells ( strong dog smell) . Ok so my guy is raw fed 90% chicken at the moment. I brush him atleast 3-4 times a week very shiny coat , he is crated . The crate is located in my finished basement where I have 4 tiny windows which are always open , the floors are tile and I mop with bleach and soap every other day . Puppy spends allot of time in the basement or the crate.
I'm investing in burning incense , automatic air fresheners,febreeze , but it still smells and now the weather is getting hot and the smell is traveling upstairs . What can I do to neutralize this smell . I know I'm not supposed to bathe him more than once or twice a year but , the wife is really getting on my case and I don't know what else I can do , except to make a dog house and keep him out doors , somebody help be neutralize my stinky dog :( .

[AngelBunny]

Are you sure your puppy is healthy? That he doesn't have impacted anal glands?

I ask because when I fed kibble our three adult Rotties (foster and two personal bitches) literally had no odor. The only time they had even the faintest odor was when we got home from a walk in the rain and they had a trace odor of that wet dog smell. (They also smell of swamp mud when we go thru the swamps on our walks, but that's a different issue).

Now they all eat raw, and again, virtually zero odor.

If you puppy stinks to the degree you're burning incense and using automtic air fresheners and chemical odor maskers like Febreeze, I question the health of your puppy. Maybe a trip to the vet is in order.

Also, exactly how much time does your 4 mo old puppy spend crated in your basement w/o human interaction??

[turbodx]

lately he's been crated 6hrs ( about 3 weeks now) I wonder if that's why ? before that I used to take him to the office with me and he didn't smell !!!!!!!

impacted anal glands ? he doesn't smell like poop or anything , just a strong dog smell

[AngelBunny]

Structure and Function of the Anal Glands in Dogs

If your puppy had trouble with his anal glands, you'd probably know. This has never been a problem for any of my dogs, but I hear anal gland secretions stink to high heaven--which makes sense, based on their purpose.

I'm scratching my head on how crating him in a clean crate is causing your puppy to stink.

I think you got me. Maybe other RDNs have insight.

[Nishasmom]

Why is your puppy living in the basement?

I think you need to research Raw diets. From what I have understood variety is the best...eating chicken every day may not be so healthy.

I would not be surrounding your dog with harsh chemicals such as incense and febreeze. It sounds like your basement is not very well ventelated...this would not be good for your puppy to be breathing in.

You have four small windows for ventilation...I doubt this is enough to allow for proper air flow. Perhaps your dog stinks because he is living in the same dingy air? Heat combined with stale air and feces/urine is not a good combo. The heat bakes the waste smell into the air. Does your dog go outside to potty? Maybe you could get an air conditioning unit to help bring fresh air in.

I doubt its anal glands...you would know !! The smell would make you want to vomit.

[debbiej]

I too think that sounds like an isolated existence. does your wife complain about the dog, or just the smell?

do you move the crate? wash the pan? is there bedding?

give the pup a good going over. sniff his ears, his breath, his body, his feet. he may have a yeast infection. impacted anal glands smell pretty bad..like rotten fish.

I would think more exercise, training and attention would be good.

and yes, have a good vet check him out.

my dogs are quite odor free.

[Nishasmom]

Does your dog smell when he is out of the basement? Or is it the basement that smells? Oh...and you CAN bathe your dog more than twice a year . If he smells that bad, bathe him to see if that helps.

[brunie's mom]

I have a feeling it's a combination of crate placement, and spending too much time in the crate. You say that he is in the crate for 6 hours during the day? and then how much time at night?
The basement is not the place for a crate.
It's too isolated, and often basements are humid and damp. I know that ours needs a dehumidifier going at this time of the year or it gets damp and stinky.

Bring the crate upstairs, give him a bath, wash out the crate and any bedding you keep in it and then see what happens with the smell.

Gina

[turbodx]

hmmmm , he goes to the bathroom outside , once in a while he might pee in the house and thats only when no one is paying attention to him. his crate gets cleaned everyother day. I live in a one family home and once he is out of the crate he wonders throught the house (with proper supervision) but because all the entertainment stuff is in the basement ( tv,video games etc.) that is where he and the kids are mostly.

Wife complains about the smell , not the dog.

As I said before he doesn't smell like pooop , just that kind of raw dog smell . Think I'm going to start bringing him to work with me again & relocate the crate , he's due for his rabies shot next week so I'll also have the vet check him out .

[mamamia1]

I keep my pup in the basement as well, but we all live down there right now because we're doing renos. We're "Cellar Dwellers"! It may just be the fact that the area is much closer and damper quarters with lower ceilings than the rest of the house, so the smell is much more concentrated. I know I've walked into the room and been wafted with a good hit of "eau d' chien", but there is no other option at this point. In the OP's defense, I can say that basement does not equal isolation, it's just a different level of the house.

I have yet to meet a dog with "zero smell". I think as owners, we get used to the smell of our pets and notice the smell less and less.

It sounds like you're being crazy meticulous with the bleach cleaning and air fresheners. A rottie will never smell like a rose.

I would be tempted to take a closer look at your pups diet. I'm by no means and expert on raw but I though that variety was of some importance. Different cuts and varieties of meat, bones etc. veggies or supplements?

I'll be curious to see the outcome of this thread.

[Nishasmom]

Originally Posted by turbodx

As I said before he doesn't smell like pooop , just that kind of raw dog smell . Think I'm going to start bringing him to work with me again & relocate the crate , he's due for his rabies shot next week so I'll also have the vet check him out .

I think this will help tremendously...! Plus...he will love coming to work with you; great time for socialization!

[brutus'mother]

Maybe I am missing something but in one post you state cleaning the tile floor with bleach and soap everyother day and in another state "once in a while he might pee in the house". I don't understand the frequent cleaning with bleach and soap. I am a clean freak and I would'nt clean like that for no reason.
Is the pup crated for 6 straight hours? I would think that is too long for a 12 week old pup to hold his bladder. Regardless, it sounds like taking the little guy to work with you is a great idea.
I assume you have just started feeding raw and that is why you are only feeding chicken?

[turbodx]

I've been feeding raw for 1 1/2 months now hence the chicken/organ meats . I clean that often because I thought the fact that he runs around and rolls around on the floor amplifies the smell , he only pees on the floor when he attempts to go out (sniffing/goes up the stairs to the bk door) and noone is paying attention . he seems to hold his water very well when he has to .
I'll start bringing him to work with me as of tomorrow , think I'll take his cage outside and give it a good washing, also relocate it upstairs until i can figure out some better ventilation for the basement. To be continued :)

[QuietDaze]

I can't stand that 'dog' smell myself so I understand your wife's issue. However - a 12 week old puppy shouldn't be funking up a whole basement. And especially so much so that it's wafting upstairs. I know people say not to over bathe your dog but if he stinks give him a bath.

Having the vet check him out is good too but in the meantime, wash him. Unless you want to take him to the vet while he's funky so the vet can tell you if it could be an infection of some sort or if he's just dirty. Also, the Home Depot or Lowe's has some air fresher spray called 'smoke out', it's great with odor. Also, get a fan down there and get the air moving around.

Also, what's he laying on in the crate? How often are you washing it? What is your crate made of and what do you wash it down with?

This may not be popular but I've always sprayed my dogs with doggie perfume. I just don't like the smell of dog (shrug)

[turbodx]

no doggie bed in the crate , he lays on the plastic , i wash it every 2-3 days since I started smelling him . Crate is black metal with plastic tray , I wash it with dish washing liquid/detergent and I cut some lime in 2 and rub the plastic before rinsing . I'm not a clean freak I'm just trying to kill the smell or atleast reduce it .

As for the fan , I'm going to go to Lowe's this evening and get 2 exhaust fans hopefully that will get the air moving down there. I just gave him a bath this past weekend ( oatmeal doggie shampoo ) then towel dried and let him stay outside till he dried completely.

Yep I went and got him and he does smell RAW , not like poooop but like a raw dog :(