Help! Dog smell

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

Stupid problem, I know.  My sense of smell is extremely distorted since having Covid.  Things that used to smell good, like coffee, smell terrible now. Mostly I can’t smell at all, but when I can smell something it’s terrible.  Right now my sense of smelling my dogs has come back, and it’s horrid. I can’t stand them near me. I can’t deal with the smell on my kids or in my house.  We have two acres and an invisible fence, but it’s cold and since moving they’ve become strangely destructive(I think because we have now have no outside structures to climb on like we did at the old house—a multi level deck, piles of wood, and a trampoline, all of which they used to spend hours using as an obstacle course).

We’ve tried increasing grooming appointments and spraying dog deodorant, but they don’t really smell bad to anyone but me.  And it’s not just them—suddenly I can smell all dogs and they all smell terrible to me.  Any other ideas??? We don’t have anyone who can take the dogs while I try to work on my sense of smell(which the ENT doctor was pessimistic about anyway).

Edited November 15, 2021 by Mrs Tiggywinkle

[ktgrok]

Daily wipes with a grooming wipe (like baby wipes) that smells okay to you?

[Katy]

My only idea is to add structures to the new backyard so hopefully they can spend more time outside, but idk how practical that is going into winter anyway.  I’m so sorry.

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

Also puppy photo just because I can.  My doctor strongly recommends rehoming.  The puppy—maybe if it was temporary. My 8-year-old golden? she’d be so traumatized. There’s also a 2 year old golden who’s very bonded with the older one.

I think rehoming is a horrid idea, but it was all the ENT could come up with. 
I hate Covid.

[kbutton]

Not a stupid problem. I hate dog smell, and I don't have dogs or Covid-related smell issues.

I have no advice other than hygiene stuff you're like to already be doing as much as feasible...maybe a lot more doggy baths/brushing between grooming appointments (which you might already be doing as often as it's feasible). I have heard some people also gently vacuum their dogs. Possibly more floor cleaning?

That sounds miserable.

[Pawz4me]

An old trick for funky smelling dogs was to spray them with diluted original Listerine. I can't say for sure if it works or not, but I'd prefer it a thousand times over disgusting "dog deodorant."

Also make sure you're frequently washing dog beds, blankets, stuffie toys, etc.

[Mrs Tiggywinkle]

Now I think my kids found two ticks on the puppy.  I have to pull them right? DH won’t be home till tomorrow night, and the smell makes me want to vomit.  
Ugh. 

[MercyA]

Can you plunk them in the bathtub and bathe them once a week? You can install a handheld shower attachment with a hose easily and inexpensively. I personally think dogs get to be a little stinky starting at 1.5 to 2 weeks since they've been bathed.

Definitely wash all blankets, toys, etc. in hot water. 

Change your vacuum bag often, if your vacuum has bags. 

I'm so glad you think rehoming is a terrible idea, because it is. I feel for you! Will pray you find a solution and that this resolves quickly.

[MercyA]

(Yes, the ticks should come off. Sorry!)

[Laurie]

If they smell like corn chips to you, read this:  https://www.rd.com/article/why-dog-smells-like-corn-chips/

 Have you tried putting some scented cream under your nose?   Would it help you to chew peppermint gum to block the dog smell?  

Good luck!  

 

 

 

[Starr]

Oh my goodness, that puppy face is so sweet. I'm so sorry about the smell.

[itsheresomewhere]

Some of the shampoos we use for grooming have “redesigned” their formulas and are making the dogs smell quickly.  We have been having a huge issue with a brand doing this. Maybe have your groomer try another shampoo for the pups.

One of my clients uses a dry shampoo between grooms by dove.  She is very smell sensitive and this works for her.  
 

Do you have an air cleaner/purifier in your home? If not, maybe one in the main areas might help with the smell.  
 

Edited November 16, 2021 by itsheresomewhere

[prairiewindmomma]

Have you tried neuro training, like as if you are a stroke victim? Rose, lemon, eucalyptus, clove, coffee? 

[*****]

Fido has Frito feet! Explain those pronunciations to a foreigner🤣

Sorry about the bad joke, I imagine it must be very frustrating.  Would it help if you changed their food? Like, is there corn or something else in their food that is just a filler? Corn is not the best for some animals and it ferments in their colon (I think I read that someplace).  So I am wondering if the worst of it comes from within.  Maybe put the dogs on a probiotic or add plain yogurt to their food?  Also, add baking soda and vinegar rinse when bathing them?  Wish I lived close, I would have loved to foster that little guy for you!

[Tap]

My 23yo daughter has a reduced sense of smell *almost* always. She has for many years. She can't smell somethings and other things she smells wrong. Like garlic sometimes smells like sweet flower to her. LOL  The in-between times, are when it is the worst for her! She says the world smells horrible and would rather not smell, that to smell the world as is. Once she can smell again for a while, she gets used to it and can focus on the pleasant smells. But otherwise, she prefers to live in bliss with her blunted olfactory system. HAHA

I would suggest what others have said here. Bathe them more often and avoid scented products because it makes them smell worse. My dog smells the most 'doggy' when she has been playing outside. So, maybe keeping yours dry, will help too? Dog park dirt has a retched smell to me, so I try to avoid there on dusty days or muddy days. Can your golden be groomed shorter for now? My Goldendoodle definitely smells more when her fur is long.

Good luck!! I hate the smell of dogs too, so I can't imagine how horrible it is, if it is one of the few things you can smell!  

Edited November 16, 2021 by Tap

[Tanaqui]

I assume you're doing scent training with essential oils during this difficult time?

Otherwise - if you only spend a limited amount of time with the dogs, maybe nose clips like swimmers use?

[klmama]

Does wearing a mask help at all?  I have a Happy Mask, and it reduces odors a bit.  

[BusyMom5]

I am a "super smeller" and cannot stand a lot of smells- including indoor animals.   It doesn't matter what spray you use or how well you clean- if you have pets in your home I will smell them when I walk in, and I may even smell them on your clothes if we get close.  Same for smoking, or even if you walked into a convenient store, chances are I will smell it on you (or me if I have to go in one- I smell it the rest of the day,  and on the clothes-it lingers).   Since I've always been this way, there are lots of things we don't do- scented lotions, most candles, pets in the home, smoking- even outdoors, scented detergents,  softeners,  cleaners,  perfume or indoor pets.

I have one kid who is also a super smeller - since the age of 2, she would "pell sumping" the same time I would- and the rest of the family cannot.  Rehoming the dogs does seem extreme,  but if you cannot make them outdoor pets, you will be smelling them all the time.  Thats something you will have to decide.  If it were me, I'd make a nice doggy house outside, and make the rule no pets indoors.  I would let them into the garage in the cold,  but not in my home.  I just wouldn't be able to stand it.  I'd also have a hsndwashibg routine for when the kids get doggy and come back in.  

[Pawz4me]

8 hours ago, itsheresomewhere said:

Some of the shampoos we use for grooming have “redesigned” their formulas and are making the dogs smell quickly.  We have been having a huge issue with a brand doing this. Maybe have your groomer try another shampoo for the pups.

 

That is super interesting to me.

I groom Avatar Dog myself, but he's a very non-smelly dog. Not an issue.

Not Avatar Dog goes to a groomer when she needs clipping, and she tends to have oily, seborrhea prone skin that gets funky. I bathe her (both of them) every 10-12 days, but I've definitely noticed recently that she develops the funky smell much more quickly after a groomer trip than she does after I bathe her at home. When I bathe her at home I use either Pantene or a medicated people shampoo like TGel and she doesn't develop much of a smell at all before the next bath time rolls around.

[Carrie12345]

No additional suggestions, but I’m so sorry you’re going through this. I know how much I hate dog smell when it’s temporary and relatively easily fixable. I can’t imagine being unable to escape it.

[ktgrok]

So, this is going to sound counter intuitive, but what if each day you take some time and force yourself to sniff them, right up close, for a minute or so? We genreally get ofactory amnesia very quickly, so if you get a good snootful right away, then maybe you won't smell it after that? (idea comes from reading crime books - some characters would inhale really deeply when at an autopsy in order to get it over with, because after a minute or two their brain would stop smell it)