# Dog smells of ammonia after laying in his crate



## winstonandmaizeesmommy (Feb 8, 2007)

Help ... I mentioned this to the vet, but she didn't know what it was..

When Winston is laying in his crate - usually it is for a couple of hours or more, but it could be for less, when he gets up, he smells like ammonia.

He hasn't peed in his crate at all, and he isn't wet - so I can't figure out
why he smells. My girl doesn't do that.

This only happens inside, when he is in his crate. Not on our bed, the floor or the couch. I can't figure it out, but,boy, does it smell :yuck: .

I have to open the windows to let it out. BTW, it isn't that he has to go and we aren't letting him out. He is either sleeping or whatever, and we notice it. We usually don't notice it in the morning because he switches from crate, to couch, to floor, to bed, and back.

Help... Any ideas?

Thanks,

Laura

Winston and Maizee's mommy


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## monomer (Apr 21, 2005)

Does the crate ever smell like ammonia? Are there towels or blankets or any foam padding in his crate? Exactly which part(s) of him smells of ammonia? How old is he?


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## RickGibbs (Dec 16, 2005)

Is it actually ammonia? Or something that reminds you of ammonia? What about the crate? Does it smell? I've smelled some pretty nasty smelling new plastic....


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## Nala's Mom (Apr 8, 2007)

I don't want to alarm you, and hopefully this is not the case, but I had a friend (human) who had a liver transplant when she was young and it never functioned quite right. Her body would go into rejection and the liver wasn't functioning. Her body could not detoxify ammonia into urea which gets turned into urine before excretion. She always smelled like ammonia. You may want to have her liver tested??? If something is wrong with her liver, maybe you only smell it in the crate because she stays in the same place for awhile and her blankets soak up the smell? Like I said, this probably isn't the case but the ammonia smell just reminded me of my friend and I couldn't not tell you about her. Hope you figure it out!
Mary


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## Nala's Mom (Apr 8, 2007)

I am so sorry! When I re-read your post I realized Winston is a he - not a she! So sorry.


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## bluebomberx (May 23, 2007)

Have any cats in the house? When the litter box gets funky, it smells of ammonia. Perhaps they are peeing in the crate?


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## Lexie's Mom (Dec 14, 2005)

How long is he in his crate? How old is he? Puppies sometimes will drink (ewwww) their pee after urinating if they are not getting enough water and spending too much time in their crate. Is his coat wet?


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## Cathy B (Feb 26, 2007)

*was ammonia ever used*

was ammonia ever used to clean the crate? Have you tried deodorizing the crate and contents but the smell remains? My crate is borrowed and I cleaned it thoroughly before my first use and routinely during housebreaking. I cleaned it again before I lent it to a friend and again when I got it back and before each subsequent use. It's plastic and I agree that it smells, even though I know it's clean. I wonder, if ammonia ever was used on the crate and the crate was not thoroughly rinsed and the ammonia dried, would the smell return when exposed to the heat from your dog's body?


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## Jazzys Mom (Mar 13, 2007)

If he is a young puppy he may be just dribbling urine a little as he sleeps. Maybe not enough for you to notice but enough to smell like ammonia. Also, an ammonia smell indicates that the urine is too strong. Does he drink enough water?

Jazzys Mom


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## winstonandmaizeesmommy (Feb 8, 2007)

We got the crate when we got Winston, and he is about 3 1/2 years old. I never use anything harsh to clean the crate with, just usually soap and water.

He has a pillow and a couple of sheets, and I wash those regularly. And, no cats in the house. Just the furkids.

His coat isn't wet when I smell this ammonia smell, because when he gets up I check him over. I usually will then send him outside to pee, but not before putting a little dry shampoo on him to kind of kill the smell. 

He usually is in the crate for maybe an hour or two before I start smelling the "ammonia" smell. As soon as I smell it, I make him come out of his crate, check him and his bedding over (his bedding isn't wet either) and take him downstairs to go to the bathroom. He is a good dog, he lets me know if he has to go, and he is in his crate because he went in there by himself or because it is cold outside, we will be late and I don't want them outside in the cold. Either way, he goes to the bathroom before he comes inside too, and this dog can hold his urine for a while. Never an accident in the house since he was a puppy.

It just doggone confuses me. Maybe I need to have the liver function tests done on him. He drinks enough water so I can't figure it out.


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## AquaClaraCanines (Mar 5, 2006)

I hope your sweet baby boy is okay! This is a strange case!!!

BTW we'd love to see some bigger pics of your cuties- have you posted and I missed it? They sound very loved


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## Jazzys Mom (Mar 13, 2007)

It is confusing! I think I would make a vet appt. and have him checked, if only for peace of mind. Let us know how it is going

Jazzys Mom


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

It might be an unecessary expense, but how about buying a new crate and see if it still does that?


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## Wrigleysmom (Dec 30, 2006)

What kind of crate is it? Is it the metal kind with a black hard plastic liner in the bottom, maybe just buy a replacement liner, I got one for 20 bucks and it is alot sturdier than the old liner. See if the smell goes away with a new liner, also, i read somewhere to clean the crate to cut out ammonia smell to use vinegar and water mix to get the ammonia smell out. It could be some old pee in there and it soaked into the plastic good, or the plastic my just have the smell itself, I would try a new liner or a new crate, if it doesn't help then I would have the liver test.


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## So Cal Kat (Jul 20, 2005)

I am thinking maybe Anal Glands... They do have a very potent smell that personally I would compare to "ammonia"ish for lack of a better descriptive word, the smell is just plain nasty... I have one that has a problem with it, and the other doesn't. 

Kat


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## winstonandmaizeesmommy (Feb 8, 2007)

I may have him checked out. It doesn't happen all the time, the crate doesn't smell of ammonia - in fact, he is outside right now and I can't smell it in my room anywhere. So it is more of a once in a while kinda thing. 

I even tried smelling the plastic liner on the crate (it is one of those metal crates with the plastic liners - no smell. 

He was inside today and no smell. It only happens when my husband is around - Hey - maybe it is the hubby LOL!!!


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## Jazzys Mom (Mar 13, 2007)

Is he neutered? If not, he may be marking a bit. That has a distinctive smell - very strong ammonia/urine smell. Maybe when he sees your hubby he marks.

Jazzys Mom


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## winstonandmaizeesmommy (Feb 8, 2007)

He is neutered - actually, he was neutered at 5 1/2 mos and he was cryptorchid (did I spell that right??).

Winston doesn't mark and for that matter, squats like a girl . He isn't wet when he gets up so I don't know what is going on with the boy. He hasn't done it for a few days - actually, the last time he did it was when my SIL (who dislikes animals) was out - on the 17th.


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## Jazzys Mom (Mar 13, 2007)

Hmmmmm, getting more and more complicated! I think the only thing you can do at this point is give him lessons in human language so we can ask him what's going on!  

Jazzys Mom


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