# Awful smell after swimming



## rradovitch

Hello all. So this has happened in the past and I just dealt with it but need advice now to see if I can get it to stop. After swimming for a few days and not drying out real well between swims, zoe has an awful smell that I can't get off of her. I bathed her and she still smells...like strong, smelly cheese. Is there something I can do to make this go away or not happen again? Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks-Ryan


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## nixietink

Is the smell coming from a specific spot on Zoe?


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## rradovitch

I would have to say "no." It seems that it is all over....and bad.


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## missmarstar

Could be a yeast infection, or some bacteria.. which can easily start if not dried off thoroughly... bacteria love moist environments to grow! Do you notice any rash-like areas on her skin anywhere? Look in the "crevices" like in the armpits and ears, specifically.. but bacterial or fungal infections can start anywhere really.


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## Oaklys Dad

Could even be something as easy as a thorough undercoat raking and brushing before the swimming may help. Most "wet dog" smell is from dead hair.


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## Tahnee GR

The best thing is to make sure she gets throughly dried off. The smell could be a bacterial or fungal infection due to being constantly damp.


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## rradovitch

Any suggestions on how to treat it? If I recall correctly I washed her with a medicated shampoo (oxydex) and dried her thoroughly.


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## nixietink

rradovitch said:


> Any suggestions on how to treat it? If I recall correctly I washed her with a medicated shampoo (oxydex) and dried her thoroughly.


A trip to the vet would be in order.


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## dronning

nixietink said:


> A trip to the vet would be in order.



Agreed trip to the vet.

A strong odor like you describe usually is from an infection. Hot spots have that smelly cheese like odor even before they start to become visible.

Ears are the first thing I check. On the body if you don't find a traditional hot spot what you might see on very close inspection are small bumps almost like goose bumps or pimples this would be an infection or allergy these bumps are emitting the smell and can be so small you might not even see them.

One of our friends complained that their GR had oily skin - it turned out to be an infection that for several years never got any worse than having "oily skin". Then it started smelling and when they brought him to the vet it was determined he was getting infections from something in their lake.

Another thought is what are you feeding Zoe? The reason I ask is it could be like when you eat a ton of garlic - you smell like garlic.

Dave


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## Pointgold

Have you checked ears? That smell, like a brined cheese, is often yeast and when dogs swim regularly, it can be ears - both in, and behind/under.

My dogs swim regularly and are rinsed thoroughly with clean, fresh water and dried afterwards. No matter how clear the lakes or rivers they swim in, there are live bacterias in them which can wreck havoc with skin and coat.


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## rradovitch

It seems like it is coming from her "bib" region. I am beginning to wonder if she rolled in something. I feed her wellness fish and sweet potato food. 

It doesn't seem to be her ears. That was the first thing I checked too. Talked to my vet and she suggested the medicated shampoo first. If that doesn't work then we will do medication.

Thanks. I guess I will have to be more diligent with drying her between swims but when you spend the whole weekend at the lake it's tough.


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## Pointgold

rradovitch said:


> It seems like it is coming from her "bib" region. I am beginning to wonder if she rolled in something. I feed her wellness fish and sweet potato food.
> 
> It doesn't seem to be her ears. That was the first thing I checked too. Talked to my vet and she suggested the medicated shampoo first. If that doesn't work then we will do medication.
> 
> Thanks. I guess I will have to be more diligent with drying her between swims but when you spend the whole weekend at the lake it's tough.


Rinsing her off with clean, fresh water is really the key.


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## Maxs Mom

Just another thought. Could it be her collar???? I went through the stinky dog swimming phase, we thought it was ears the whole nine yards. Then one day we realized it was the collar. We had nylon collars on that absorb the dog smell, get them wet and they REEK!!! We switched to plastic coated nylon for swimming and now if we have odor we can find it!! 

It could be all the stated above reasons too, but make sure it is not the collar, that can make the whole dog stink.


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## tippykayak

Sources of stink on our dogs throughout history:

Yeast in the ears.
Grease from a roll in rotting fish. This took multiple baths to get a handle on.
Grease from a roll in decomposing goose poop. The remnants of this smell haunted us even after several baths.
Horrible goo that got caught in the collar buckle during a roll in filth, so we missed it when we washed the dog. The collar was eventually retired.
Old summer collars harboring mildew.
Something evil and vile, rotting way back in the yard. We washed the dog, dried him, and he went and found it again. He reapplied the scent after baths for a week or two before we figured it out. He thought he was soooooo smart.

Multiple baths with towel drying and then a good long undercoat raking after the dog is dry has been the most reliable way to limit evil smells.


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## Ljilly28

tippykayak said:


> Sources of stink on our dogs throughout history:
> 
> Yeast in the ears.
> Grease from a roll in rotting fish. This took multiple baths to get a handle on.
> Grease from a roll in decomposing goose poop. The remnants of this smell haunted us even after several baths.
> Horrible goo that got caught in the collar buckle during a roll in filth, so we missed it when we washed the dog. The collar was eventually retired.
> Old summer collars harboring mildew.
> Something evil and vile, rotting way back in the yard. We washed the dog, dried him, and he went and found it again. He reapplied the scent after baths for a week or two before we figured it out. He thought he was soooooo smart.
> 
> Multiple baths with towel drying and then a good long undercoat raking after the dog is dry has been the most reliable way to limit evil smells.


Sympathies for the goose poop and rotting fish! 

I love the culture clash. I am sure Finn has comments like this about coco chanel perfume that I wear. Yesterday, Mrs. Meyer's had a new "smell" of cleaner out for spring- Snap Pea. I had a great time scrubbing the floors with it. When Finn came in, he stopped dead, sniffed, and gave a huge dramatic sneeze.


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## tippykayak

Ljilly28 said:


> Sympathies for the goose poop and rotting fish!


Yes, Comet is quite the connoisseur of strong, fetid smells. I've learned that when he puts his shoulder down for a good roll, 85% of the time it's to itch his back in the grass and leaves, and about 15% of the time it's to grind some kind of horrible filth into his coat.


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## moverking

Rotted pelican carcass stench is beyond any descriptive word....:yuck:


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## Ljilly28

moverking said:


> Rotted pelican carcass stench is beyond any descriptive word....:yuck:


That definitely wins. I hope never to smell a rotting pelican!


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## rradovitch

Funny posts. Zoe also loves rolling in anything that smells. She also rolls a lot after swimming to dry off but some of these rolls may be in some funk. I don't always check. I am happy to know that she isn't the only one.

I also use the plastic coated nylon collars for swimming and she doesn't wear them around the house so I don't think it's that.

I guess next time I will try hosing her off with fresh water at the end of each day to see if that helps. As of now I am going to pick her up and bathe her with the medicated shampoo. If that doesn't do it I will try meds.


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## AmbersDad

I've found Amber loves to roll after swimming as from what ive seen it's the "tickle" of the water droplets rolling down her back that causes her to roll in he grass or leaves to try to scratch the tickle. Unfortunately she too will roll in certain nastiness like groundhog poop, duck poop and of course the worst thus far decaying deer. Those are the only three things she'll roll in but I tell you, the decayed FAT from a deer carcass is by far and I do mean by FAAAAAARRRRRRR and away the single worst thing I have ever encounted and after spending a year working for "crime scene cleanup" doing body and fluids removal, there is just nothing worse then decaying body fat. It's one of the hardest substances to remove, let alone when it's ground into the pups hair. So far peroxide was the best at helping to remove the oils from the hair and then a few good solid bathes afterwards. Glad to hear I'm not the only one who's pup does this. Does anyone elses pup try to get the smell off afterwards as if to say "I don't know why in the world I had to do that but I just want it off me nowwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!".?


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## tippykayak

AmbersDad said:


> Does anyone elses pup try to get the smell off afterwards as if to say "I don't know why in the world I had to do that but I just want it off me nowwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!".?


I wish! When Comet's managed to acquire a streak of something truly horrific down his neck and shoulder, he prances back to us, tail waving proudly. "Dad, dad, look what I did! I totally found something way cooler smelling than that oatmeal shampoo! You want some? I'll totally smear some on you if you want. I've got plenty!"


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## RitadG

*Don't panic*

I wouldn't run to the vet, personally. All my dogs have historically smelled like sour cheese in the summer (we swim every day). Many years and dogs of this have shown that this is just their "Summer Punk". I would keep an eye on it, but personally, I don't think it's a reason to panic. A rinse with apple cider solution should help restore Ph levels. If it were to happen in the winter, I would say, try to locate where the smell is coming from and keep an eye on it.


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