# My first post! Help w/ smelly puppy!



## jhlsea (Mar 17, 2012)

Hello! This is my first post on this forum. I'm looking for help as to why my puppy smells so much. Since I've gotten him at 8 weeks old, he's had 3 baths so far. I bathe him once a week, but he usually becomes smelly again before the 7 days are up. I know Havanese are supposed to be mostly odorless, so I'm wondering if there's any health issues I should look out for that could be causing this. Does anyone have any similar experience? Some more details are as follows:

1. His head is usually the stinkiest part of him. Especially his ear and eye area. I clean his ears daily w/ alcohol pads and his eye area with water. He gets bad eye gunk.
2. When he drinks, he usually gets the bottom half of his face entirely wet. Could this be contributing to the smell?
3. I live in IL. He goes out daily to potty and run around. Could the humidity be causing the smell? 
4. I'm currently slowly switching him from the breeder's formula (Diamond) to Blue Buffalo Grain Free. Could his food be causing this? I know Blue Buffalo is supposed to be good quality, but I'm thinking of switching again once this bag runs out. It might be too rich for him. He poops ~5-7 times each day, and the poops are really smelly.

Any advice anyone could give me would be great! I wouldn't mind the smell so much if it wasn't so noticeable and stuck to all the furniture and clothes. Please help!

Here's some pictures of the pup! His name's BoBo. He's super cute!


----------



## AckTivity (Mar 28, 2012)

He is adorable! I don't have any ideas about the smell as I am new to Havanese love as well. However I read about using water bottles (like for rabbits) for Havs because of their beards. My baby took right to hers when we got her home after I put a little bit of peanut butter on the tip.

So, if the water is the issue, that might be a good fix for you.


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

My first guess is that he has a yeast infection in his ears. I would take him to the vet to find out for sure. If he does, they will give his ears a "deep cleaning" and then will send you home with special drops to put in his ears daily until the infection is cleared up.


----------



## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

I agree with Karen's suggestion, could be an infection of some sorts. When you give him a bath do you put cotton balls in his ears, or use a solution to dry his ears up inside after the bath??

Congratulations on your baby and hope he is stink free SOON!!!


----------



## Beau's mom (Oct 6, 2011)

I'm thinking yeast infection, too. The ears are the first place to look -- and it is _really_ smelly!! I think you should make a vet appointment ASAP (I'd call 1st thing Tuesday morning -- for your sake)!


----------



## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

Blue Buffalo puppy food is too rich for some puppies. We switched to Organix, and didn't have any problems. Is there hair sticking in his eyes?


----------



## whimsy (Apr 3, 2010)

Yep...I agree with what the others said. Yeast infections can be really stinky. A vet appointment should be your first step. Hope you can get things turned around quickly..such a sweet baby!!


----------



## Kathie (Jul 31, 2008)

There is something I noticed about McGee. When he was a puppy his poop smelled really horrible and I've noticed that it doesn't stink so bad now. I believe it might just be puppy poop that smells so strong. My crazy idea - easier to find it when you're working on potty training.......haha Just follow the smell!!!

Welcome to the forum!


----------



## jhlsea (Mar 17, 2012)

Thanks for the responses everyone! Does anyone know what a yeast infection looks like? If I look in his ears, would I be able to tell (discoloration, buildup, etc) or is it just by smell? 

I actually went to the vet's office 2 days ago for his 10 week shots. Argh! I should've asked about the yeast infection then. The vet shaved near his eyes, so there's no hair poking him anymore. I'll give him a call on Tuesday.

I'll try the water bottle tip and cotton balls in his ears. I'll also look into Organix. I guess the smelly poops aren't too bad since he poops outside, but 7 times is too much!

If anyone else has advice, please let me know! I'll keep you updated hopefully when I've solved his smell issues!


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

jhlsea said:


> Thanks for the responses everyone! Does anyone know what a yeast infection looks like? If I look in his ears, would I be able to tell (discoloration, buildup, etc) or is it just by smell?
> 
> I actually went to the vet's office 2 days ago for his 10 week shots. Argh! I should've asked about the yeast infection then. The vet shaved near his eyes, so there's no hair poking him anymore. I'll give him a call on Tuesday.
> 
> ...


When Kodi had a yeast infection in one ear as a puppy, I don't remember seeing anything... There was gunk, but it was WAY down, where the vet had to get it out with those long handled cotton swabs. But the smell was pretty nasty!

I had one other thought about the frequency of his poops. Do you ahve him on a schedule for feeding or are tou letting him free-feed. Free-fed puppies poop a lot more often, and are a lot more unpredictable. Just a thought, since you hadn't mentioned it.


----------



## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

My first thought was ear infection as well. Augie had one as a puppy, and I could smell him from several feet away. In his case, there was a dark brownish gunk in his outer ear. Finn has had recurrent ear infections with the brownish gunk in the outer ear. His haven't been nearly as smelly as Augie's was.

P.S. Welcome to the forum. BoBo is adorable!


----------



## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

Karen is right, 

my two pups came 'free fed' but they never pooped that much! are they good poops? solid?


----------



## jhlsea (Mar 17, 2012)

I do feed him on a schedule, which is why the poop situation is a little weird. I used to feed him 1/4 a cup 3 times a day (8AM, 2PM, 6PM). The vet thought he might be eating too much, so for the past 2 days I've scaled back to 1/4 a cup 2 times a day (8AM, 6PM). In these past 2 days, the number of poops has dropped from about 7 to 5.

I'm not sure, but 5 times still seems a little much for how little he eats. The poops are mostly solid, but every once in awhile they're a little soft. The vet also suggested that I switch to the adult version of Blue Buffalo as the puppy one might be too rich for him. 

If the number of poops don't decrease, I might either switch to the adult version or find another brand of puppy food to buy.


----------



## misstray (Feb 6, 2011)

Brody pooped that much as a puppy. He still poops on average 3 times a day (very occasionally 2 and occasionally 4), but as a pup he went 6-8 times per day. He was a total poop machine and I swear he had more output than input. He was healthy and gaining weight as expected so I didn't worry too much about it other than wishing he wouldn't because it's a pain to have to clean it up. It was also pretty smelly poop when he was a pup (but solid). I think his poop still stinks, but not nearly as bad as his puppy poop did.


----------



## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

Did Vet look into his ears with an medical instrument?


----------



## Tuss (Apr 22, 2012)

I have a stinky little pup as well. She pooped about 8 times a day when she was little; really wet stinky poos. The poo issue has improved with age. I used pumpkin puree in her food and also gave her "slippery elm" which is an herbal suppliment that is supposed to help runny poos.

She also tends to dribble pee down her leg when she goes as she hasn't mastered the squat; sometimes I'd like to teach her to wipe! I've been bathing her at least once a week which seems to help. 

The head thing sounds suspicious for an ear infection and definitely a vet visit is in order. 

My girl is 5 months old now and the poo issue has improved but the smelly puppy hasn't. I think a big part of it is that she is so close to the ground she just collects a lot of dirt!


----------



## HalleBerry (Feb 22, 2012)

Halle has never smelled like anything other than shampoo - tho she did have smelly poops when she was younger (she's 6 months old today). Even when she's played in the dirt and is filthy - she doesn't have an odor.

I'd wonder about yeast also - and/or something about the saliva smelling, so when they wash themselves they carry it over their bodies? So maybe a tooth infection?


----------



## angiern2004 (Apr 24, 2011)

Certainly make an appt to have the ears checked. Though, they can have a funny stink whenever they are teething. So now for your puppy's first set, and then again later when he/she loses the baby teeth and cuts in the adult ones.


----------



## Flynn Gentry-Taylor (Jan 17, 2008)

krandall said:


> When Kodi had a yeast infection in one ear as a puppy, I don't remember seeing anything... There was gunk, but it was WAY down, where the vet had to get it out with those long handled cotton swabs. But the smell was pretty nasty!
> 
> I had one other thought about the frequency of his poops. Do you ahve him on a schedule for feeding or are tou letting him free-feed. Free-fed puppies poop a lot more often, and are a lot more unpredictable. Just a thought, since you hadn't mentioned it.


Just a word of caution..don't YOU try to use those cotton swabs to clean or check his ears, you can do so much serious damage..
I am surprised if the vet did not check his ears with a medical instrument/light, unless you were just there for shots. How old is your puppy now? I don't know if he is old enough to go on an adult diet..there is a huge difference in what a puppy needs and what an adult needs. 
Sometmes there is hair and infection in the ear and sometimes it does smell awful, I think the ear mites are a possibility if this has been going on since you got him. I also wondered are his ears red inside? Does he scratch?? The alcohol is sometimes not the best thing to clean the ear with...really check with your vet...
Let us know...he is darling by the way.. I love those eyes!!! Oh yes, did you check with the breeder about this? Good luck with Bobo, you came to the right place..lol..we love Havs..


----------



## Tom King (Aug 2, 2006)

1/4 cup 3 times a day is not too much for a young puppy.


----------



## angiern2004 (Apr 24, 2011)

Ear infections can crop up in 8 hours...

I had taken Trooper to the vet for something non-ear related and he got a full check over while we were there. We were right back there in Wednesday for an ear infection. As much as I SWORE the vet MUST have missed it, they swore it was not there and that it really can crop up super fast. I feel you about multiple vet bills in a week. Timing sucks sometimes. 

Hope ya get it sorted out soon.  Keep us posted!


----------



## Kalico (Jan 11, 2012)

Jasmine pooped about 5-6 times a day as a young pup and boy did they stink! (Didn't stop her from gobbling them up, though - thank goodness she grew out of that habit). Now she's about 7 months old and I'd say poops up to 4 times a day. They're often big, too. I think it depends on the food. Premium foods have less filler and so may create less poops. But pooping a lot is certainly better than not pooping enough!


----------



## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

I would think the vet would have checked the ears at the exam. the smell should be just around the ears if it is an ear infection. Zoey used to miss a lot while she tinkled  she has white legs so it was easy to see but I didn't find it smelly . Mine both had bad breath at about four mo old while teething.


----------



## jhlsea (Mar 17, 2012)

Hope everyone's having a great Memorial Day weekend! To answer some questions:

No. The vet never actually checked his ears. We were there primarily for vaccinations. I'm kicking myself a little for not mentioning it more. I mentioned he just had a smelly head. The vet thought it had to do with eye gunk, so he shaved around BoBo's eyes. 

On another note, even though his eye area is shaved, he still gets quite a lot of eye gunk. It also smells. Not as much as the ears though. I clean it off w/ warm water every day and let him drink filtered water. Does anyone have any tips for this? Could this also be caused by the yeast infection?

His ears do smell. It's pretty noticeable. I included a picture at the bottom of this post. There is hair sticking out, but it is not red and he does not scratch there. As krandall mentioned in an earlier post, maybe the infection is just too deep down for me to see.

He's 10 weeks old. He is currently teething. I'm not sure if that is contributing to the smell though since the inside of his mouth does not actually smell bad.

Thanks again for everyone's contributions! If anyone has anymore insights let me know! I'll contact the vet and the breeder tomorrow and ask what's up. I'll also include a pic of a freshly groomed BoBo. Stinky again after 1 day. Ahhhh.


----------



## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

Bo Bo is adorable. Does he have hazel eyes? His ears do look red. but you say he is not scratching? Teething absolutely can contribute to a smell. But my guess is he has an ear infection. 

Is this your first dog? I know havanese are not supposed to smell, and compared to big drooly dogs they do not. But they are living things and they do have odors... and they pick up things outside. If the grass is wet and their paws seem to always be wet.. Jasper and Cash are my first dogs ever and there are times when they do smell like dog...but then when I go into another dog house, I think we are lucky. 

eyes tearing can be an allergy-- My Jasper's tearing got so much better when we went wheat free. But I think it can just be a puppy thing too.


----------



## angiern2004 (Apr 24, 2011)

Trooper had a funky smell while teething at that age, so much so that I had the vet check his ears every time we were there at that age. Now that he's losing his baby teeth and teething all over again he has the funk again. 

Still would be good diligence to have the ears checked. Since you were just there, and really just want the ears looked at, ask if they have a recheck visit fee or a brief visit fee that you could pay instead of the full visit. Some do that, some don't, but it never hurts to ask. 

Like I said before, ear infections can pop up REALLY quick, so don't beat yourself up for not saying more the other day. If it is an infection, it may not have been there the other day.


----------



## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

Cutie!

Puppies usually smell so sweet, lol. IDK, the eye gunk does stink, but if you are cleaning it off everyday, it shouldn't be a problem.

Keep dabbing some corn starch right there under the eyes, that will help keep the fur dry, and you can also put it on the muzzle if the muzzle is staining from the water/yeast. It helps keep the fur dry.

Could you pup be bringing in the stink from outside? I notice after certain walks that gucci stinks and smells like a 'stinky outdoor' smell, can't really describe it better than that, but their coats can pick up lots of odors, much like human hair can.

For the most part, havs are generally less smelly than other dogs of course, that depends on grooming and other things. Gucci gets a bath every 6-7 days. Never had a yeast infection of the ears, but rumor has it they smell pretty gnarly.

Kara


----------



## Carefulove (Mar 20, 2009)

Bobo is an absolute cutie! Beautiful eyes and coloring! Congrats on your pup, even though you are having issues now, things will stabilize soon enough! 

Have you seen the Vet yet about the ear problem? I am not familiar with this since mine have never had infections there but I would also venture to say that it could be an infection of sorts. My Toby (the black one in my Avatar) got horrible breath during his teething stage. I mean, Horrible horrible breath, like something died inside his mouth and set camp there...Yuck...Thankfully, it went away as soon as the last Baby tooth was out.
The poop can be smelly, depending on the food they eat, especially commercial food (Kibble/Wet canned). Raw fed dogs' poop barely smell at all.


----------



## kawboy (Dec 5, 2007)

Agree with most, an ear infection can smell bad. We've been dealing with it with Tasha for some time now.

As for the pooping, we fed both dogs Wellness with normal pooping. We switched to Taste of the Wild for awhile and Tasha started pooping 1 or 2 extra times a day. Back to Wellness and back to normal. My vet told me you really don't need to feed puppies puppy food. He never uses it with puppies because he said it has too much of something (can't remember) and they poop more and often have softer and messier poops. I think food choice also can play a part in eye staining and maybe even the ear issues. You might want to try both a different brand food and the adult version. We feed Wellness Core and don't have any reason not to suggest it if you want to try something else. I believe a lot of folks here feed Wellness also so it's worth consideration. Good luck with your new pup.


----------



## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

Jack, still has TERRIBLE breath! I have resorted to using an additive in the drinking water and it helps a 100% with that potty mouth.


----------



## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

HavaneseSoon said:


> Jack, still has TERRIBLE breath! I have resorted to using an additive in the drinking water and it helps a 100% with that potty mouth.


??? what do you use?


----------

