My Puppy Stinks! What Do I Do?

There is no denying that you love your dog. Yet as cute and charming as your four-legged friend can be, there are times when he also comes equipped with an unpleasant odor that can fill up - and clear out - any room. And let’s face it: Those times need to be put to a stop. So what can you do?

Sometimes, dogs just have stinky breath. On some occasions, the source of this stink has to do with what your pooch is putting in his mouth, which could range from seemingly innocuous materials like grass and dirt to much more nefarious stuff like poop.

This could especially be true if you’re dealing with a puppy, as the curiosity that comes from having a lack of life experience could translate into exploring his surroundings one jaw scoop at a time.

If those glands are not able to empty properly or get infected, they may release the stinky secretion on the surrounding fur whenever your pup is overly excited or scared. If this is the case, you’ll probably know it.

The good news is that most groomers will empty your pup’s booty bags for a small fee, provided that it is allowed for them to do so in the state they practice.

With that being said, there are some vets that feel that squeezing a dog’s anal sac when the glands appear normal is a bad idea. If you fall into that category yet still insist on taking your pup to the groomers, you may want to have a discussion with the groomer to let him or her know that you don’t want the procedure done.

You never want to assume that anal sac pinching is not part of the grooming process unless it’s not permitted by the state.

And yes, a dog’s natural cleaning of his anal sac may cause an occasional bout of bad breath. While this act may make us recoil in horror because of our human sensibilities, to your pooch, biting his bum to release the glands is part of his natural grooming instinct. He’s merely doing what his intuition is telling him what should be done.

Puppies and Teething

If you own a relatively newborn puppy, you should also prepare yourself for bad breath once your little guy starts teething. This particular stink is due to the presence of bacteria that collects along the gum line as the baby teeth break through, and eventually get replaced by permanent choppers. The tell-tale sign of this issue is breath that tends to smell a little fishy.

You can expect the teething process to last for around four weeks. Because this is a natural process that essentially clears itself up, you can get away with stepping back, holding your nose, and letting nature take its course. If you do insist on brushing your pooch’s teeth during this time, proceed with caution - newly formed puppy teeth can be surprisingly sharp.

Flatulence is another name for “gas” - or a nice way to say farts. This nasty odor often catches us by surprise, because dog farts fall into the “silent but deadly” category.

This is largely due to your pooch’s physiology; because the horizontal positioning of your dog’s rectum tends to make their sphincter looser than a human’s, gas tends to pass with a lot more ease and a lot less sound.

This often isn’t a big deal unless your pup’s toots are really smelly. Some dogs are just gassy. That said, if your pooch farts enough that you think it’s a problem (believe me; I’ve been there), talk to a vet—it could be due to a dietary or intestinal problem.

If your puppy isn’t eating a healthy and natural diet, then flatulence might be the reason behind the unpleasant odor. To combat this, make sure the food you’re feeding your pup doesn’t contain any fillers that cause bad breath, dulled coat, or unpleasant odors. That said, the cause of your dog’s farts may be due to a specific type of food insensitivity on his end (no pun intended).

For instance, your dog could suffer from lactose or gluten intolerant in a manner that’s not too dissimilar to us humans. In that vein, veggies and legumes that are known for causing gas in people have the same effect on our four-legged friends, like asparagus, cabbage, and of course beans. Oatmeal also has a rather notorious reputation for causing gas to develop in pooches.

Other ways you can reduce your puppy’s farts.

Be sure to keep an eye on your puppy and make sure she’s not eating the trash, since it’s a really good way to get digestive problems. Remember, your pup is curious and will have a tendency to indulge that curiosity by picking things up with her mouth. This could include garbage, and if it’s even remotely edible, it may get devoured - much to your eventual chagrin.

If you believe the source of your dog’s odor is stemming from an impacted anal gland, you could express them yourself to potentially alleviate the problem. If this grosses you out, you could have your vet examine your pup, where he or she may prescribe medication to help alleviate the problem. Your vet may also teach you how to do the trick at home if you decide that you think you may have the stomach to do so in the future.

 Could over-the-counter drugs help reduce a dog's stink?

While your vet may write up a prescription for a gas-reducing medication for your pooch, there are also several over-the-counter, or OTC, drugs that can alleviate the problem. A lot of these items can readily be found in a local drug store, so you won’t necessarily have to worry about having to make an out of the way trip to the local pet shop to help out your pooch. Others may not really strike you as a flatulence minimization aid.

Some of the more obvious OTCs are items specifically built to target gas and the digestive materials that cause the toots to occur, such as Gas-X or Beano!. Other substances designed to promote digestive system health, such as zinc or various probiotics, could be effective allies in the fight against farts. And there are some naturopathic substances, such as yucca, that are known to naturally reduce gas.

The right way to exercise.

Lastly, if your puppy is leaving behind an odor, make sure she’s getting enough exercise, whether it’s from playing, running, or walking. Dogs need to move, and lazy dogs tend to be more prone to tummy troubles. It doesn’t have to be strenuous - just a routine, low-impact moderate exercise regiment will do.

And keeping things on the down-low is pretty important. You especially don’t want to push the exercise envelope too far right after your little buddy just downed a large meal. If you wonder why is the case, all you have to do is think about how uncomfortable you may feel trying to exercise when you’d rather be loosening your belt in a post-feast celebration.

And just because farts are funny.

A stinky pup can be a nuisance that can wreak a bunch of havoc with the odor in your home, and it may drive you crazy. If the stink is coming from your dog’s derriere due to breaking wind, however, it can be rather humorous if it’s delivered in the right context.