Why does my dog smell so bad?

Bad breath can be caused by dental diseases and shouldn't be taken lightly as it can be painful or eventually life-threatening to the dog. Dental treats such as whimzees or brush-less can help improve bad breath - but you definitely want to make sure that it is not caused by an underlying dental disease.

Skin diseases and ear infections are two other possible causes of bad dog odor that you shouldn't take lightly. If you are regularly washing your dog (careful not to over bathe as you can strip their coat of its natural oils) and you still are having problems with smell its best to see a vet and make sure they are not experiencing any type of bacterial or yeast infections.

There are several ways that can cause dogs to smell.

Breath can be one cause of a dog not smelling well which is caused by build up of bacteria and tartar. Your dog may need to have a routine dental from your veterinary clinic. To prevent this or prolong the tartar build up, you can by dental treats such as Virbac Dental chews, which has a enzymatic reaction to decrease the build up of plaque.

Anal Glands are a dogs scent glands and can be released during defecation or nervousness. They are located near the anus at 4 and 8 o'clock.

Allergic reactions cause dogs to smell bad (Pollen, dust, yeast overgrowth and fleas)

Dogs that swim in dirty water, wet dog, or dirty in general.

Bad breath i've seen is a very large reason, make sure they have frequent cleanings and baths just to keep everything clean and pristine.

There are a lot of different reasons that an animal could smell terrible - things they're eating, something they've rolled around in, you aren't bathing them enough, etc.

If you've checked whether it is something physically attached to them that stinks, or whether it is just their breath from not drinking enough water/eating something they shouldn't (aka their own feces), yet haven't found anything, make sure you are feeding them the right diet for their skin and coat.

Something else you could check, is their collar.

I used to think one of our dogs had really bad breath, until I discovered she had been rolling in bunny poo and it was all over her collar. Gross huh?!

The other thing that can make their collars smell bad, is swimming in a lake. Smelly fish water is gross too!

So whenever they get their baths, I always check their collars and give them a good wash if needed.

Anal Glands- this is perhaps the most common cause of doggie odor that won't go away. When a dog has a bowel movement, these sacs are squeezed, and a very smelly, oily secretion is released with the feces. If these sacs become infected or impacted problems result.