# MOses smells. Acrid-BITTER



## zoeythewonderdog (Mar 18, 2017)

Hi - I don't want to be alarmist, but this could be associated with some serious medical conditions. Anything else seem not-quite-right?


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I'm actually scared of what the vinegar has been doing to his fur and skin... if you put too much vinegar in and did not rinse it out...


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## MosesPutnam (Sep 11, 2013)

What kind of conditions please? He seems ok otherwise.he is eating and drinking well. Energy is good. What might I be watching for? Thanks!


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## MosesPutnam (Sep 11, 2013)

Megora said:


> I'm actually scared of what the vinegar has been doing to his fur and skin... if you put too much vinegar in and did not rinse it out...


We try to rinse it really well..we just did this once when he was really yeasty funky smelling and it seemed to take care of it. His last bath we just used a special doggy soap with tea tree oil and other natural ingredients. The groomer recommended DAWN with a good rinse but I am afraid that will make him itch.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

I don't think it is the vinegar, some show people use vinegar to rinse out the shampoo, especially if you are using dawn.

Look under his collar and very think fur to make sure he doesn't have a hot spot. I remember years ago my Brady getting smelling like fish for a few days, I kept bathing him and could not get the smell out, little did I know he had a huge hot spot growing, and all the wet baths, and putting his collar back on wet, was making it worse.


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## zoeythewonderdog (Mar 18, 2017)

my girl Zoey developed a pungent, acrid smell that wouldn't wash out. Was lessened a bit with a bath, but would come back within a day or two. I didn't know at the time she was slowly succumbing to hemangiosarcoma. The smell was one of a bunch of little things that made me think "huh, that's strange", but were not, by themselves, anything that would have me calling a vet. Dogs can smell awful for countless reasons, none of which I thought needed a vet's attention. looking back, of course, I am kicking myself for not connecting the dots. But good to rule out medical stuff, especially things that can be successfully treated, like the hot spots that cubbysan mentioned.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

MosesPutnam said:


> We try to rinse it really well..we just did this once when he was really yeasty funky smelling and it seemed to take care of it. His last bath we just used a special doggy soap with tea tree oil and other natural ingredients. The groomer recommended DAWN with a good rinse but I am afraid that will make him itch.


The description "acrid" to me sounds like vinegar in the coat. Which I think has to be really harsh on the skin and coat. I mean - I use vinegar to clean gunk out of the coffeemaker and it's a great replacement for bleach when it comes to breaking down and stripping mildew, rust, gunk and mold off stuff... 

Making sure the vinegar is really watered down and rinsed out well is very important. 

The other thing is if my dog has a skin infection brewing, I would keep him out of the water. And try to avoid getting him wet if you can't dry him that same day. Don't let them sleep with wet coats and they shouldn't develop hot spots. Try to get his skin healthy before you take him swimming again.

IF your dog is not drying on his own - you might want to consider ordering a dryer and using that. If letting your dog swim frequently is a big deal to you (and it is for me), having a good enough quality dog dryer is a lifesaver. You get to give your dog more frequent baths + he gets to swim more frequently without dire consequences like skin infections.

*** My little guy just got a bath today. Actually, he is heading in to the vet to take care of an ear infection since I'm out of ear ointment. Going back years ago, I would probably have not considered giving him a bath at 7PM in the evening because when the dogs are lying around the house and waiting to dry - they do develop yeasty spots in their coats. Especially up in their necks and under their ears. Drying your dog completely to make sure he's not going to bed at night with a damp undercoat is the key to keeping their skin healthy. 

Does not prevent ear infections, mind you... :wink2:

For bathing the dogs - I use cowboy magic rosewater shampoo (like I did today), or I have a gallon of other stuff I use for show prep. 

My dogs swim every other day in summer. And usually get to swim year round. They do get ear infections, yes. But knock on wood have not had any skin infections or hot spots. Worst of it was my older boy used to get yeasty gunk in his coat (probably what your dog was dealing with originally), and that cleared up with me investing in a dryer and just making sure I'm rinsing out his coat after he goes swimming in rivers or dirtier water spots and I'm blasting that with a dryer.


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## Goldens&Friesians (May 31, 2014)

I agree with Megora. I would never use vinegar or dawn as a regular bathing shampoo. Way too harsh on the skin. And a good dryer is an investment, but you will wonder how you ever lived without one, trust me!


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## murphy1 (Jun 21, 2012)

I have to say I'm horrified at rinsing you dog with vinegar or shampooing with Dawn. My God can you imagine doing this to you own scalp, never mind you whole body!!!!


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

murphy1 said:


> I have to say I'm horrified at rinsing you dog with vinegar or shampooing with Dawn. My God can you imagine doing this to you own scalp, never mind you whole body!!!!


It's not that "bad".....?

People use Dawn all the time. I see it at dog shows. I don't personally use Dawn, but there's people who swear by it. It's apparently good at removing "product" from the coat. I don't use too much "product" so it's never been something I've looked into. 

Vinegar rinse - I used it with my Jacks a few years ago when I was having problems with yeasty coat around his neck. The instructions I was given by my vet was about 1/2 to 1 cup of vinegar to 4 cups water. I'm fairly sure 1/2 cup was what I used. It's great at clearing up yeasty coat. <- But I also used a medicated shampoo (Malaseb Shampoo) in addition to the vinegar rinse. The vinegar rinse was not left in the coat. It was washed out. My dog's coat condition cleared up within the first couple days of this treatment. 

Using vinegar though is not that crazy. The concern is using too much vinegar if your dog's coat is smelling rank from the vinegar. It's a pretty harsh treatment, as I said... my family can't use bleach products when washing the shower or whatever to prevent mildew and rust because it's bad for the septic field.... Vinegar is a pretty good replacement. That's using straight vinegar, not broken down too much by water...


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## kellyguy (Mar 5, 2014)

murphy1 said:


> I have to say I'm horrified at rinsing you dog with vinegar or shampooing with Dawn. My God can you imagine doing this to you own scalp, never mind you whole body!!!!


Dawn is actually quite gentle. It's great for killing fleas on puppies and kittens and in conjunction with baking soda and peroxide the only effective product I've found for removing skunk spray. I would and do always follow it with a tea tree oil dog shampoo and conditioner and a thorough rinse to make sure that the skin isn't left overly dried out.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

I wonder if you own a dryer. It seems to me a diluted vinegar rinse, then water, then drying completely - COMPLETELY- would remove all odors and would also give you a way to see the skin itself. Dryers are wonderful for spreading coat open and giving you a view to what's going on below the abundant hair. Expect if your dog has abundant coat that drying completely will take you close to an hour.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

murphy1 said:


> I have to say I'm horrified at rinsing you dog with vinegar or shampooing with Dawn. My God can you imagine doing this to you own scalp, never mind you whole body!!!!


To be fair, our scalps are nothing like a dog's body. We have hair, Goldens have fur. They also have different oils in their skin, and a double coat. 

Dawn is what is used to clean birds and other water life after oil spills. It is gentle, but cuts through oil. It's also one of the ingredients in the best (I speak from experience) skunk solution (Dawn, peroxide, baking soda). 

Vinegar rinses are also not uncommon. 50-50 solution of white or apple cider vinegar can do wonder with a musty smelling coat. It's not a daily thing, just an occasional.


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## Brinkleythegolden (Jun 18, 2012)

I agree about hotspots. They have a way of hiding, and boy do they smell if you don't get at them right away. Our first golden got them everytime we went to the lake. I'd be giving him a good once-over.


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