[Animals]Why do dogs smell so much and how to avoid it?

[#Wittels-]

The smell of dog generates rejection towards the most noble and wonderful animal companion. The causes can be from health problems to hygiene issues. The details

The smell of dog is responsible, on many occasions, for humans to leave aside one of their main animal companions (Getty Images)
Dogs are surely one of our best companies. They are always with us, they are our welcome when we get home, they get sad when we are absent or when we leave and many accompany us to the bathroom. But, and in every relationship there is always a but, everything good that this four-legged animal gives us also has something bad, such as smells.

Although we spend many hours a day cleaning the house with the best products, there is always that particular smell of dogs, which is unpleasant most of the time.

Much of this can be avoided by following some tips on how to sanitize dogs and their bedding, visit your trusted veterinarian beforehand to rule out any organic cause of disease. Here are some points to keep in mind:

The smell can be a health alert for our four-legged companions (Getty Images)
dog's health
A timely consultation with your trusted veterinarian can detect diseases early that can cause unpleasant odors in our dog.

These diseases range from dental tartar (odontolithiasis), otitis, tumors in the mouth, skin ulcers and skin infections; to states of general compromise that descend to the skin, such as hypothyroidism and many others with a secondary infectious or dry or wet seborrheic consequence.

 

Brushing our dogs is a way to avoid bad odors (Getty Images)
Brushing: an undisputed ally
A dog with long or semi-long hair requires weekly brushing with a suitable brush to remove dead hair and, in addition to the aesthetic effect, restore health to its appearance and support the skin and hair. Short-haired dogs can be brushed with a rubber horse scraper, removing dead hair with this action. Doing it weekly can be a healthy habit.

Keeping them well brushed is an important discipline since, unlike cats that clean themselves, dogs do not, thus avoiding dead or matted hair that constitutes the famous "stone wool". It's important to remember that dogs have two seasonal sheds of undercoat that we can help with this behavior.

When is it advisable to bathe our dog? Depends on how long your hair is
The bathroom: the importance of doing it periodically
If one had to generalize advice on the periodicity of bathing, dogs would have to be divided into several categories:

- Those with long or semi-long hair should be bathed every 15 to 21 days, as needed.

- Those with short hair, on the other hand, must be bathed every 21 days or more, being able to avoid the bath with a previous brushing and a hard bristle brush sprinkled with cornstarch. This "dry bath" procedure will drag dead hair electrically attached to the starch particles. If we then pass a flannel over the body, by the same phenomenon of electrical adsorption, we will take away the hairs that remained attached to the body surface.

If we bathe our dog at home, it is essential to choose the best possible shampoo, which must be special for dogs, since human shampoos or white soaps have a different acidity, which is harmful to animals.

 

Cleaning beds and blankets is essential to avoid bad odors in our dogs (Getty Images)
The washing of the bed and its blankets
This is very important, since it is what can generate the most odor and that is why we must periodically wash their bed and frequently change the blankets or bedspreads they use.

However, many breeds of dogs have an intense odor of their own that will be very difficult to avoid. This occurs especially in hunting dogs (Cocker Spaniel, Beagle, Basset Hound, etc.) that have this characteristic to differentiate themselves from the scent of the prey and recognize their pack or pack mates in action.

 

Link: https://www.infobae.com/america/perrosygatos/2022/07/11/por-que-huelen-tanto-los-perros-y-como-evitarlo/