Undoubtedly, the Golden Retrievers are the best family dog and the perfect cuddling body. After a long and hectic workday, cuddling and playing with your pet relaxes you. But will you cuddle with them if they stink? What is the reason that causes your Golden Retriever to smell bad?
However, there are many reasons why your Golden Retriever has a foul smell. And most of it is due to skin issues like allergies, pyoderma, canine atopic dermatitis, and cancer. Furthermore, your pet may have a stinky skin coat due to the lack of grooming, ear infection, bacterial infection, yeast infection, wet skin coat, and unhealthy diet.
Besides this, the germs and bacteria that the Golden Retriever carries in the fur may be harmful to your kids. Thus, a Golden Retriever with a foul smell can longer be a companion for your kids.
Apart from this, a smelly coat also indicates the prevalence of several diseases that may decrease the lifespan of your Golden Retriever. Therefore, you should be conscious of when your pet start smelling. And use remedy to neutralize the smell.
Does your pet smell?
What do you do to prevent the smell?
What Are The Areas Were Your Golden Retriever Smell?
Like humans, the foul odor originates from a specific area and transfers throughout the body. As a result, the entire body of your Golden Retriever has a disgusting smell.
But do you know what areas generate the disgusting order?
Moreover, the areas creating the smell with the cause are as follows.
- Armpit due to yeast infection
- Coat of fir because of incomplete drying
- Skin due to scratching or sore development
- Groin area because of yeast (peri-vulvar infection, is most common in female Golden Retriever)
- The tail area is due to anal gland infection or improper diet.
- Mouth due to parasitic infections or sores resulting from gum disease
Did you observe such odors in your pet?
What do you think might be the cause behind the odor?
Why Does Your Golden Retriever Smell?
Generally, the double-layered coat of your Golden Retriever has an abnormal odor due to various reasons. And among them, diseases are the fatal ones.
However, some of the reasons with a brief description are as follows.
Skin Conditions
Although the Golden Retrievers is immensely popular due to the appealing skin, the thick double-layered coats can attract various germs and allergens. So, these dog breeds are susceptible to several skin problems.
As a result, the coat of your Golden Retrievers becomes nasty and smell. However, some disease that induces your Golden Retriever to smell are:
- Pyoderma
- Allergies
- Autoimmune disorders
- CancerThyroid diseases
- Liver disease
Furthermore, the symptoms that prove that your Golden Retriever smell due to diseases is:
- Pustules
- Itchiness
- Fur loss
- Bad odor from fur
- Scaly patches in the skin
Canine Atopic Dermatitis
Canine Atopic Dermatitis is the most common health condition in the Golden Retrievers that affects their skin coat. Generally, it is an allergic reaction that occurs when your pet inhales air-borne substances. Thus, the symptoms of this disease are similar to that of allergies.
However, the symptoms include:
- Lesions in skin
- Hair loss around eyes and nose
- Itchiness and irritation
Although the prominent cause of this condition is air-borne substances, some other influencing factors are:
- Flea bites
- Allergens (pollens, house dust, etc.)
- Food intolerance
Your Golden Retriever May Smell Due To Gas In Stomach
Since Golden Retrievers love food, they eat any and everything. However, the digestive system of the pet is different from humans. Therefore, this dog breed cannot tolerate human foods.
As a result, your pet suffers from constipation and flatulence. Thus, your Golden Retriever may smell bad. Furthermore, the foods that the pet cannot tolerate are:
- Milk
- Mushroom
- Coffee
- Chocolate
- Sodas
Therefore, you should restrict such foods from the diet of your pet.
Anal Sac Infection Cause Your Golden Retriever To Smell Bad
Generally, all canine dog breeds have some scent sacs on their bottom. Furthermore, the sacs have a small secretory gland on each side of the rectum that gives the dog its peculiar smell for mating. However, if this gland is impact, it induces pain in your pet with a fishy odor.
As a result of which your Golden Retriever has a disgusting smell.
Ear Infections
Since the ears of Golden Retrievers are droopy, it promotes germs, bacteria, and yeast growth. Thus, that leads to an ear infection. Moreover, the moisture captured in the top or inside of the ear canal produces a foul smell of ears if you fail to clean the ears.
Furthermore, the ear infection has a strong, sickening, and stinky odor. As a consequence, your Golden Retriever also smells.
Bacterial Infections
Since Golden Retrievers are playful while returning from the playground, they bring bacteria into the skin coat. Furthermore, your ignorance gives the bacteria a suitable environment in the thick double-layered coat to grow. Thus, due to bacterial infection, your pet suffers from hair loss and pus-filled swellings and lesions.
Since all these degrade the skin coat, your Golden Retrievers get a foul smell.
Lack Of Grooming Causes Your Golden Retriever To Smell
Although Golden Retrievers’ appealing features attract everyone, owning the pet is not as easy as it seems. However, since these dog breeds are more susceptible to illnesses, you should be cautious. Besides this, the thick coat of the pet stores various foreign particles and infections that lead to foul smells and odors.
Therefore, your failure in giving proper care causes your Golden Retriever to smell bad.
Incomplete Drying Of Skin Coat
Despite your regular grooming and washing, sometimes you note that your Golden Retriever has a stinky smell. And this might be due to the wet skin coat of your pet. Since the Golden Retriever has a double-layered skin coat, it requires more time to dry.
Furthermore, if you fail to dry the skin coat, it may facilitate various bacteria and germs growth. However, though you remove the microorganisms with proper care, their fecal matter stays behind. As a result, your Golden Retriever gets an unpleasant smell.
Unhealthy Diet
Owing to the beautiful features and generous attributes of Golden Retriever, they are good at pleasing their owners. Therefore, they lure their owners and get what they want food or toys.
However, unhealthy food habits develop several health issues in the pet like allergies, constipation, skin infections, etc.
Furthermore, the imbalanced diet deteriorates the healthy coat of your pet. So, your Golden Retriever gets a stinky smell.
Your Golden Retriever May Smell Due To Yeast Infection
Since the ears of the Golden Retriever plunges downward and away from the ear opening, the yeast gets a favorable environment to grow. Furthermore, the trapped water or debris in the ear canal promotes yeast growth in the ears.
Thus, due to the yeast infection, the ears of your pet releases foul discharge. And it makes your Golden Retriever smell disgusting. However, some of the symptoms of yeast infections are:
- Red and crusty ears
- Debris in the ear lobes
- The cheesy odor from ears
Dental Problems
Just like humans, the cause of bad breath in the Golden Retrievers is tartar or plaque buildup in their teeth. Moreover, since this dog breed likes exploring everything by chewing, they are prone to gum disease and gingival hyperplasia.
As a result, the gums grow excessively and store bits of food. And eventually, your Golden Retriever will have a rotten smell.
Urinary Tract Infection
The Golden Retrievers that smell like urine have a urinary tract infection. However, other symptoms of urinary tract infections are:
- Frequent urination (your pet goes out frequently)
- Abnormal urine odor
- Blood in urine
- Vocalization due to pain while urinating
- The intense color of urine
Although urinary tract infection is not unusual in the Golden Retriever, the most common causes are:
- Kidney stones
- Diabetes
- Fungal infection
After you know about the cause of the smell, I guess it will be easier to eliminate it.
However, I am going to disclose some ways to prevent the smell. I hope it will be helpful for your pet also.
How To Prevent Your Golden Retriever Smell?
After you bring a Golden Retriever to your house, it brings a part of the family. Thus, you would want to play, cuddle and enjoy yourself with your beautiful pal. Do not you?
However, if your Golden Retriever starts to smell, you should not find it appealing to play with your pet. Furthermore, since a smelly pet carries several diseases, it might be contagious for your pet.
Therefore, if you want a happier and peaceful life with your pet, it is essential to prevent your pet from smelling. Thus, here are some ideas that could help you to eliminate the undesirable smell from your pet.
Maintain A Healthy Diet
Food plays a vital role in the health of your pet. Furthermore, the skin coat of your Golden Retrievers reflects what you feed your pet.
Thus, if you feed your pal nutritious food, its skin and hair become glamorous. But if you give your pet an unhealthy meal, your pal suffers from hair loss and a foul-smelling coat. Therefore, you should give your pet a healthy and balanced diet that includes all the nutrients.
However, you can give omega-rich foods and nutritional supplements to improve the skin coat of your pet. But avoid human foods like milk, mushrooms, sodas, raisins, garlic, onions, etc., because these foods are harmful to your pet.
Proper Drying
Since the wet skin coat has a favorable environment for the growth of germs, you must dry the fur of your Golden Retriever completely. Moreover, you can use a dog-specific blow dryer for this purpose. However, here are some tips for using a blow-dryer in the hair of your pet.
- Use a dog-specific blow dryer that makes less or no sound.
- Start drying by making a partition of the hair of your pet.
- Gently start drying the portion using a comb.
- Avoid pulling off the hair. Also, avoid blowing in the ears and eyes of your Golden Retriever.
- Once you are sure that the part is dry, switch to the next portion.
- Repeat it until the body coat is dry.
Dental Hygiene
As the Golden Retriever likes exploring things by chewing, this dog is prone to gum infections. Therefore, you should frequently check the teeth and gums of your pet.
However, brushing the teeth of your once a day is beneficial. But if you suspect bad breath, brush the teeth of your pet more than once. Moreover, you can train your pet to prevent it from chewing every approaching thing.
Daily Brushing
However, if you brush the skin coat of your pet once a day, it is the best way to prevent bacterial and fungal infections. As a result, it eliminates the possibility of a foul smell in your Golden Retriever. Moreover, you can follow the following tips while brushing:
- Thoroughly comb the skin coat of your pet with a natural bristle brush. And manage the tangles using a wire bristle or greyhound comb.
- Observe the skin coat. Also, check for the presence of redness, cysts, and bumps.
- See the ear and skin. And seek the help of the Veterinarian if you find fleas and ticks.
Routine Bathing
Although the Golden Retrievers have a double-layered dust-repellant coat, bathing once a month is essential for them. However, you can increase the frequency of bathing in an emergency condition. But since too much bathing dries out the coat of your pet, you should not overdo it.
Furthermore, bathing removes the undesirable odor from the fur of your pet. Thus, it prevents your Golden Retriever from bad smell. In addition, bathing tips for your pal are:
- Use a dog-based oatmeal shampoo and conditioner.
- Brush the skin coat of your pet before and after the bath.
- Soak the skin coat of your Golden Retriever in lukewarm water and apply shampoo. Furthermore, you can use dog baths to make the bathing experience convenient and comfortable.
- Massage the pet while applying and rinsing the shampoo.
- Make sure that you rinse the shampoo. Also, clean the ears and eyes of your pet with a damp cotton cloth.
- Spray the mixture of white vinegar and water in the skin coat of your pal to deodorize it.
- Dry the skin coat of your pet with a clean cotton shampoo. Moreover, you can also use a blow-dryer to dry the dense fur of your pal.
Seek Help From The Veterinarian
Since veterinarians are professionals, they give the best suggestion for grooming your pet. Apart from this, the Vet also gives treatment advice after the diagnosis of your pet. Thus, it eliminates different types of illnesses and diseases that could lead to a foul smell in your pet.
In addition, the suggestions about diet plans from the Vet are helpful for a healthy and active life for your Golden Retriever. Therefore, you should consult with the Vet immediately if you observe any abnormality in your pet.
How often do you visit the Vet?
If you have a smelly pet, what are you doing to manage the foul odor?
What Are The Treatments To Neutralize Golden Retriever Smell?
After the diagnosis of your pet, the Vet follows different treatment procedures according to the cause. And they are:
- Yeast infection– use oral or topical antifungal agents after getting the prescription.
- Allergies due to food– change the food of your pet.
- Bacterial infection– use antibiotics or antibacterial medication prescribed by the Vet.
- Ear infection– use topical medication like ear mite solution.
- Anal sac infection– consult with the Vet to express engorged or infected glands.
- Hot spots – use oral antibiotics and topical medication.
After you are familiar with all the causes and treatments for your Golden Retriever’s foul smell, I will now give you quick tips to manage the odor.
What Are The Quick Tips To Manage Golden Retriever Smell?
Since the foul smell in your Golden Retriever also indicates several fatal health issues, its management is essential. Therefore, here are some quick tips for eliminating the disgusting smell.:
- First, find the source of the problem( i.e., where the odor is coming from). However, it may be from ears, skin, armpits, anal reason, etc.
- Clean the area with oatmeal dog-based shampoos.
- Increase the time for grooming. Furthermore, when you brush the skin coat, observe the ear, skin, toes, paws, and teeth.
- Dry your Golden Retriever completely with a dog-specific drying after bathing or washing its limbs.
- Change the diet plan of your pet. Also, include nutritious food with healthy natural snacks as treats.
- Frequently clean the beddings and crate of your pet.
- Wipe and investigate the ear of your pet more often after swimming and playing.
- Use the air deodorizer to clean the odor of the house. Hence, the pet gets a better environment.
- Keep the dog-house or crate outside the house where there is more air and more space.
- Change the crate size as your Golden Retriever gets older to give them more room.
Do you think all these tips are helpful for you?
Did you learn more about your beautiful companion through this article?
What do you want to add up to this list?
Please share your suggestion in the comments.
