Face Odor

[Mari B]

I'm a new Biewer mommy and my 6 month old has the stinkiest face, it's so foul that I almost gag from it - I have a really weak stomach and can get sick just riding in the car, so this is bad. She's just seen the vet, she is super healthy, well-bred, etc. It's either her tearing or teething, it's hard for me to tell because she's got a tiny face and figuring out where exactly it's coming from is pretty hard - plus, I literally almost hurl from it.

I am using wipes, washing her muzzle, combing it out, etc, but both my husband and I are freaked out that this will be her smell forever and I don't know if I could stand it. My husband walks in the house from work and is like "ugh, that smell." Our other dogs have shaved faces, so we've never dealt with a hairy face so this is really OUR problem and not hers.

Will it ever go away, what can we do to make it more bearable? Help?

Thank you very much.

[Bizzymammabee]

Your baby is teething and that is what is causing the stinky breath. I suggest giveing her lot to chew to help those teeth come out and also to clean them. Be sure to brush her teeth at bath time as well.

[hartygirl]

I hope you can find a solution. Maybe it is something about diet, you might try a grain free food in case it is an allergy. My boys have runny eyes and we have seen a dramatic difference in discharge since they have been on Natures Variety and Taste of the Wild.

Hope this helps! And I hope you avoided that bad weather up there! My mom is in the cities and she said it is crazy in MN right now!

[JeanieK]

I'm sorry, I have never had that problem. Did you mention it to the vet? You could also take her to a groomer and get her face trimmed and ask the groomer what to do.

Maybe it is her food.

[Mari B]

Okay, so just came up from my grooming room. Hubby and I looked at her teeth - she has some babies teeth still and the vet is waiting for the adults to come in so he can spay her and extract the teeth during one anestethia. But the odor is definitely the eye drainage - you can see teh lines down each side of her muzzle and you can clearly smell it. We brushed her teeth - not easy - and I washed her face with Aveeno Baby shampoo and combed it thru really good with a flea comb and then gently dried with warm/low air. The stench is about 80% better.

Could the tears be more pronounced because of teething?

I may have to have her face trimmed and then if it goes away, I can grow it back out.

Let me just say, she is a wonderful little dog and we love her. She's a pistol to groom and wash, but she's a really good girl in every other way.
I had no idea there'd be this smell and it's so powerful & pervasive. Right now I'm washing all the bedding trying to get it out.

[Wrenee4]

It is odd that there is a strong odor from the face. Tear staining/eye buggers many dogs have, but not a horrific smell. Did the vet examine her eyes to make sure there was no infection? Here is a site that helps for tear staining and perhaps just all the wetness is causing the smell?? Angel eyes can help and might be a good option as it has a small amount of antibiotic in it.

Factors to eliminate Tear Staining - by Tonia Holibaugh - Rhapsody Maltese

[Mari B]

Yes, he examined her eyes and did a thorough exam. She also had a thorough exam at her home vet the week we got her, including a Bile Acid Test and all points check up.

I do think it's the wetness sitting there and making a bacteria odor.

Could it be that because I have CC Powderpuffs with shaved faces that have never been wet, I'm just not used to it. I've never had fur faced dog.

[bchgirl]

I own several....fur faced dogs....I have never experienced what you are describing. One of my yorkie's tears and he has never had any over whelming odor. Teething does cause more tearing through.

Are you sure it's her face...and not her ears? Infected ears will smell...or if the hair in her ear canel wasn't removed...wax makes it smell too.

I know you don't like the smell...but I'd exam all options before shaving her nose. Growing out a shaved nose is a long slow process.

[Mari B]

No, her ears were examined yesterday morning. It is the moisture from the tear staining. Maybe it's not what others would consider "over-powering" and we're just not used to it because we have dogs that have NO facial hair at all - zero and that have cottony, no-odor coats.
I wash my dogs once a week and have had dogs for 11 years, so even thought I sound nutty, I'm pretty knowledgable about grooming and such. But I've never had a Yorkie or Terrier or any fur-faced pups.

I got her Sat, we were noticing the odor very strongly by Sunday. I gave her a full wash and groom on Monday. Took her to the Vet yesterday morning. By mid-day yesterday she was getting stinky again. Last night I went out and got two big things of eye wipes and used them several times, but no help. My husband said the odor is keeping him up at night.

I know this sounds weird and maybe we are ultra sensitive, but even after thoroughly washing her face with baby shampoo and flea comb and brushing her teeth, my husband said that if our dogs smelled like she does right now, he'd be giving them a bath. I can't be shampooing her every day - it wouldn't be good or nice for her and a big hassle.

[Wrenee4]

If you click the link that I posted it may give you additional ideas you can try.

[bchgirl]

Originally Posted by Mari B

No, her ears were examined yesterday morning. It is the moisture from the tear staining. Maybe it's not what others would consider "over-powering" and we're just not used to it because we have dogs that have NO facial hair at all - zero and that have cottony, no-odor coats.
I wash my dogs once a week and have had dogs for 11 years, so even thought I sound nutty, I'm pretty knowledgable about grooming and such. But I've never had a Yorkie or Terrier or any fur-faced pups.

I got her Sat, we were noticing the odor very strongly by Sunday. I gave her a full wash and groom on Monday. Took her to the Vet yesterday morning. By mid-day yesterday she was getting stinky again. Last night I went out and got two big things of eye wipes and used them several times, but no help. My husband said the odor is keeping him up at night.

I know this sounds weird and maybe we are ultra sensitive, but even after thoroughly washing her face with baby shampoo and flea comb and brushing her teeth, my husband said that if our dogs smelled like she does right now, he'd be giving them a bath. I can't be shampooing her every day - it wouldn't be good or nice for her and a big hassle.

I didn't think you are nutty. It shouldn't smell like that. Tearing is one thing...an odor is another.

Tears can cause bacteria and/or yeast to grow....did you tell your vet how badly it smells? He can prescribe something to help with a bacterial or yeast infection. That should eliminate the odor...then you can work on trying to reduce the tearing.

Food allergies can cause tearing....I'd suggest feeding her a grain free food. Some people report great results from giving only bottled water to drink. I've also read positive results from people who put white vinegar in the water. Then there is angel eyes....it actually contains an anti biotic

Wendy's link can give you some additional ideas to try.

Some dogs do tear more than others...you may never eliminate it entirely.

[sdnylz]

Originally Posted by bchgirl

I didn't think you are nutty. It shouldn't smell like that. Tearing is one thing...an odor is another.

Tears can cause bacteria and/or yeast to grow....did you tell your vet how badly it smells? He can prescribe something to help with a bacterial or yeast infection. That should eliminate the odor...then you can work on trying to reduce the tearing.

Food allergies can cause tearing....I'd suggest feeding her a grain free food. Some people report great results from giving only bottled water to drink. I've also read positive results from people who put white vinegar in the water. Then there is angel eyes....it actually contains an anti biotic

Wendy's link can give you some additional ideas to try.

Some dogs do tear more than others...you may never eliminate it entirely.

Mari B: have you use the pet dental mouthwash. I got mine at petsmart and you add it to the water ur baby drinks. it might help. My baby is not teething but I use it and her breath always smells good.

are you using premiunm food? before I was using regular commercial dog food and her breath and face smelled well, like the food not good. Now that she is on premium food I don't have that problem.

[Carl]

My little one's eye junky use to smell when he was younger but we wipe it away everyday and don't notice anything at all anymore.

[Wylie's Mom]

This is really not normal. If they smell this bad -- and this fast after a bath...why did the vet not take a smear and grow a fungal culture for yeast? A dog's eyes will also smell w/ conjunctivitis or other eye infections. Are they gunky? Is the gunk greenish? If greenish, it could very likely be an infection.

What does it smell like exactly?

And yes, she could be tearing more while teething.

[scrapindee]

Mari,

I have always had fur faced dogs. I have never had a face odor problem. Bad infection in the ears smell...had that experience.

I think you need to go to another specialist....this doesn't sound right.