Have you ever bent over to give your dog some lovin' only to be greeted by a foul smelling, though cheerful, dog face? What's actually causing "stinky dog face"? To find out, you'll need to take a closer look at your dog's mouth, ears and eyes.
Bad Breath
Upon closer examination, you may discover it's not really your dog's face that stinks, but rather, the problem is bad breath. What can you do to fix the problem? Good dental hygiene is key. If your dog is young and has plenty of things to chew on, he may be taking pretty good care of his teeth on his own but in most cases, you'll need to implement a good oral care routine. The best way to keep your pet's teeth and breath clean, healthy and stench-free is to brush his teeth once a day. Simply purchase some toothpaste formulated for dogs (never use the human kind) and a cheap toothbrush and you have everything you need to keep those pearly whites shining. Let your dog taste the paste first (usually, it's pretty delicious) and then introduce a little more on your brush and scrub away! Even though younger dogs might not need regular tooth brushing as much as older dogs, it is still a good idea to start the routine early in life. That way, when your pet really needs the cleaning, they will be used to the process.
Have you brushed your pet's teeth, but still notice a bad smell coming from their mouth? If so, you should probably schedule a trip to the vet. Just like humans, dogs teeth can accumulate tartar build up, their teeth can decay and they can even develop painful, smelly abscesses in their mouth. These problems can worsen quickly and lead to serious health problems, like heart disease. You'll definitely need some advanced veterinary care to resolve this kind of issue.
Stinky Ear Infections
There's no denying that dog ears are amazing, but if your pet develops an ear infection, it can cause a very strong, very unpleasant odor to come from his ear canal. You might also notice redness, discharge or you may see your pet constantly shaking his head or scratching his ears. Ear infections can cause a lot of pain and discomfort and left untreated, they can even cause deafness. In addition, ear infections have several different causes, for example ear mites, yeast or bacteria. If you suspect your pet has this problem, you'll need to see a veterinarian to receive the proper medications. What can you do to prevent an ear infection from developing in the first place?
Preventative care is very easy and is especially worthwhile if you have a floppy eared dog that is predisposed to develop ear infections (cocker spaniels come to mind, as an example). Simply take a cotton ball and a general ear cleaner for dogs and wipe out your pet's ears a few times a week. Make sure you do so any time your dog takes a swim or bath too. This kind of regular ear cleaning will keep your dog's ears clean, dry, and yes - odor free!
Smelly Eye Boogers
Doggy tears, if not cleaned up can turn into slimy eye boogers that are pretty stinky. What's worse is that they can even crust over and mat fur, causing irritation to the sensitive skin around the eyes. When left untouched they can even cause infections. How can you prevent stinky dog face caused by eye boogers? Simply take a warm, damp washcloth and wipe under your dog's eyes daily. It's as easy as that!
If your dog's face is stinky, take a few moments to identify the source of the smell, plan a trip to the vet if necessary, and implement some preventative care measures. Doing so can eliminate the problems that contribute to stinky dog face.
