Funky and Fowl smelling muzzle
 I have noticed that Asterisk's muzzle is smelling... well, downright disgusting. Asterisk has always been a messy eater/drinker. Her lower jaw is perpetually stained and can get pretty moist. For this reason, I keep her lower jaw shaved and let it get to an inch before I shave it again to keep her hygiene up. The last week or so I have noticed an overpowering smell when she comes to kiss me. I have been washing her face and it feels like I am drying her muzzle hair out a bit, but the odor seems to return. I am not entirely sure, but I think that she may have a yeast infection, maybe that's what the smell is? I think the smell may be originating from her genitals when she goes to clean them. I haven't noticed any behavior to support this though. There has been no inappropriate urination or heightened urgency to urinate. She doesn't seem to be chewing her fur or cleaning herself more than normal. Does anyone have any experience with this? I groom her and my others once monthly with spot washings (normally beards) as needed. I'm sure a vet visit may be in order, but I just feel foolish when she doesn't seem to be showing any symptoms other than that ungodly smell. Help! |
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| Are you sure it's not from the mouth? My sis's airdale had horrid breath, it would literaly knock you over. They took him for a vet check and he had a rotten tooth; supposedly very common. The vet removed the tooth and now his breath is great! |
| Constant licking of the privates would be reason for concern. Might have that checked out. You could always sniff back there  I won't tell. Yes, the smell from the privates can be transferred to the front. I always ask mine to kiss be first before going to the rear. I'm sure they understand. Rotten tooth, bacterial infection. Did you know dogs have tonsils? Tonsillitis shows itsself as a dog reluctant to eat or drink, eating grass (to scratch the swollen tonsils?), retching, etc. Granted the symptoms for tonsillitis don't mention bad breath, I say, ever smell someone with bad tonsils? A skin disease of the chin area? No, you are keeping it clean. How about hydrogren peroxide wipe under chin to "sanitize" the area. Really, plaque is the perfect medium for bacteria to grow, I'd be first looking at the teeth. |
| Somewhat related question: Hanks long beard and mustache was getting very crusty and foul from eating and drinking so I trimmed him up into a little doggie goatee and now hes eating a ton! He has always been a poor eater- just grazing now and then and its been concerning. Since the trim hes a food monster. Do you think his beard was getting in the way?? Is that even possible? |
| Guess he didn't like the stink either. Since posting above a very brown bearded OES girl just got herself a beard trim and wash. She's not happy with mom right now. I also took the thinning shears to her fall, she will not tolerate topknots, but some heavy duty thinning and we compromise, she can see and I have a dog with ........some......hair over the eyes. |
| Nelson had a yeast infection on his chin and it smelled really nasty. The vet gave us prescription shampoo and it worked well. I've also used Mal-A-Ket or MalAcetic shampoo purchased from Amazon.com. The have wipes that really help between shampoos, too. Keeping the beard and muzzle hair trimmed away from the mouth helps as well as wiping faces immediately after the dog drinks. Best to be sure to see the vet to see exactly what you're dealing with before wasting money on unnecessary products. As noted earlier, it could be something totally unrelated to the chin such as an ear infection, bad teeth or something lodged in the roof of the mouth. |
| I use cornstarch once a week on Howie's beard. I let it dry and brush it out. The smell goes away. He is typically really yucky smelling. The cornstarch is a quick & cheap fix between face washes. peg |
| This has happened with our Mastiff girl. We can't figure it out, either, and we've spent more than we care to admit on vets who look at us like we're crazy. If you find out anything or a solution, I'd love to know. |
kerrym wrote: This has happened with our Mastiff girl. We can't figure it out, either, and we've spent more than we care to admit on vets who look at us like we're crazy. If you find out anything or a solution, I'd love to know. Regarding your Mastiff - it may be a similar issue as bassets are prone to. Both have pretty deep and wet flews (the extra lip skin and folds on the lower jaw). I use dental wipes or a wet washrag and wipe out the crevices really well every few days. They get downright disgusting! I also give a wipe around all the teeth and gumline at the same time. All that food residue in a warm,moist environment - all rotty, nasty and bacteria can grow. Very important hygiene location for these dogs with extra folds in there! |
jcc9797 wrote: Are you sure it's not from the mouth? My sis's airdale had horrid breath, it would literaly knock you over. They took him for a vet check and he had a rotten tooth; supposedly very common. The vet removed the tooth and now his breath is great! Brick has awful breath, too, but it's not a bad tooth. As a matter of fact, he had his teeth cleaned in July and they said his teeth look great. Don't know why his breath is so bad. But when I was reading your post I began to think that it was a hallmark of the breed. Until I read the part about the tooth. |
CamVal1 wrote: jcc9797 wrote: Are you sure it's not from the mouth? My sis's airdale had horrid breath, it would literaly knock you over. They took him for a vet check and he had a rotten tooth; supposedly very common. The vet removed the tooth and now his breath is great! Brick has awful breath, too, but it's not a bad tooth. As a matter of fact, he had his teeth cleaned in July and they said his teeth look great. Don't know why his breath is so bad. But when I was reading your post I began to think that it was a hallmark of the breed. Until I read the part about the tooth. Well, I think it is actually quite common with airedales...due to their "skills" of being about to track dead and rotten things. My sister's dale can find a piece of moldy bread under a rock, under a tree, in a field of cut hay! Poor Oliver can't find a treat I dropped infront of his face! |
| I've given Asterisk a nice trim around her muzzle. I re-shaved under her chin and I have trimmed back the hair by her mouth till it is even with her jaw. She looks pretty cute, if I do say so myself! The smell is right by her nostrils on that part of the muzzle. It's usually the most chronically wet part of her since she drinks and eats messily. I'll see if the trim has done anything for the smell after I wash her again. It is the wildest thing, my boys are so prissy when it comes to food and drink. Levi is ALWAYS dry and Wendel hardly gets wet. Meanwhile Asterisk is like a bull in a china shop when it comes to eating/drinking. Maybe Asterisk is due for a sanitary cut, maybe that may be part of the issue to? If the smell doesn't improve by the weekend, we'll go in and speak with the vet and see what she thinks. |
| It could certainly be a yeast infection around her muzzle, as yeast thrives in warm, damp places. Could be bacterial as well. Oscar gets his face washed twice a week, or he starts to smell musty. Laurie and Oscar |
| I'm having this same issue with ru I'm so sick of him sticking his face in ... well... very nasty things when he is offleash and when he goes out to potty. We clear up his poop as soon as he's done, because he eats it otherwise (ewww) but he seems to have to stick his face right into where he peed last before he pees again & this makes him drool even more! It's a big problem that he constantly drools, but recently its been worse & i can't seem to shift the stench no matter what I use to clean his beard with. I was wondering if neutering him would help, maybe that would stop the obsession & drooling if that is caused by hormones? Let us know if you find a solution to the stinky beard! |
Cassie, Oscar is a drooler too. He also sniffs other dog's "pee trail", drooling all the while.  I think it's because Oscar has jowls more like a bloodhound than a sheepdog. (Our first sheepdog never drooled like this, but his skin around his jaws was much tighter than Oscar's.)Is Ru's drool like water, or more like mucous? Oscar's is like water, so it literally pours out of his mouth while I make his dinner. I always have to clean up his puddle.....  Oscar is neutered, so I don't think that will make a difference with Ru. The only thing I've found that works for us is frequent beard washes. I throw Oscar in the tub at least twice a week, sometimes more, just to wash his beard. It's quick, only takes me about 15-20 minutes to wash AND dry. (I make sure to dry thoroughly, to cut down on the chance of a yeast or mold problem.) Also, Oscar gets his beard wiped whenever he gets a drink of water, which helps keep him dry and mold free. So in the tub with you, Ru! Laurie and Oscar |
| Cassie if you get some snow let Ru really get a snowy face if he likes to, the other day, Archies beard whitened and cleaned up amazingly, as well as his snowbally legs and feet. As for the waste obsession - I couldn't help, Archie is Neutered and doesn't obsess over his toilet products but does sniff every calling post, he sniffs the occasional solid stuff but seems more interested by pee of other dogs. I would talk to your vet and see what they advise. Maybe it's diet connected? |
| i am getting the same thing with billy at the moment. its not the wet musty smell, its not his teeth, i have done the sniff test down there (ergh) but no. i have bathed his face in 3 shampoos when i bathed him last week, an antibacterial one, 1 i made up with tea tree in it then the ususal whitening and then conditioner after that, poor dog! but the day after he stunk again. his not normally a wee licker but.. my pomeranian is in season and i have noticed his just spending his day following her around licking her when she cocks her leg up for him, not a nice site and his attentively licking her wee then having a vibrating jaw for some reason. i am thinking that as this is a recent smell it could be pomeranian related. poor bill he really cant understand why i dont want his kisses! so for now he gets to stand at the side of our bath and have the shower on his face (does take a bit of leg locking to keep him there) so the rest doesnt get wet every other day, its helping but its not going. |
| Ru seems to be less smelly this week. I'm also washing his face over the bath, normal shampoo then white on white every 2 days, I'm going to try & do this every day. I just bought a much more powerful hairdryer for myself & can get ru's beard dry in 5 mins. It's really about getting into the routine, I need to get up earlier, or do it after dinner. We had 9 inches of snow last week, didn't seem to make his beard white but certainly upset his tummy as he obsessed over eating it |
Just a reminder - remember to keep the boy parts (or girl parts - which ever pertains) clean as well. It does no good to wash the face if they dive right in and start licking and cleaning down there after you've washed the face.  I follow the face wash done over the edge of the tub with a quick cleanup down there as well. I wet one end of the towel I used to dry the face/beard and wash, then dry with the other end. One small towel and less than 5 minutes time has everything clean  |
| Do you just use water to wash the undercarriage? I'm reluctant to use baby wipes, would that be a good idea or would they irritate? |
Hint of Mischief wrote: Do you just use water to wash the undercarriage? I'm reluctant to use baby wipes, would that be a good idea or would they irritate? most of the time it's just warm water, and get the towel pretty wet, then dry him. Other times I use a little shampoo if I think it needs more (or especially if we have an event to go to). Mine is in a mixer bottle, diluted; so it is barely bubbly. And then I do rinse with plain water on the towel, then dry. |
| Ahh thanks, I think I'll put him in the bath & use the shower attachment to do his beard, feet & undercarriage. |
| i found the ultimate was of just washing billies face tie a bin liner round him like a bib! no wet fur, i did stand him on a duck board too so his feet were dry too. sooooo much easier! |
Oh Karen that's clever!  I'm off to find one of those boards! |
| cassie, you can get them from argos. best £10 i ever spent, even bathing all my dogs there feet arnt soaking in the water. |
| OK, I have to ask - what's a duck board?? Must be a british thing....or phrase.... |
SlaveToTheBrush wrote: cassie, you can get them from argos. best £10 i ever spent, even bathing all my dogs there feet arnt soaking in the water. I got one in Argos! Used my £5 voucher too- Bargain! got sheep wrote: OK, I have to ask - what's a duck board?? Must be a british thing....or phrase.... It's a board made of wooden slats you stand on when you get out of the bath or shower. It is raised a little from the floor with rubber feet. |
| I top and tail Summer with baby wipes the unfragranced ones... |
Hint of Mischief wrote: SlaveToTheBrush wrote: cassie, you can get them from argos. best £10 i ever spent, even bathing all my dogs there feet arnt soaking in the water. I got one in Argos! Used my £5 voucher too- Bargain! got sheep wrote: OK, I have to ask - what's a duck board?? Must be a british thing....or phrase.... It's a board made of wooden slats you stand on when you get out of the bath or shower. It is raised a little from the floor with rubber feet. Ok, so really not that helpful, as you need to dry up the floor afterwards.  I think I'll just stick with having his head over the tub and it all goes in the tub. No bag or board to mess with.  |
| well its ment to go on the floor but i put it in the bath. i put a rubber bath mat over it to stop slipping too, plus as a groomer it helps with smaller dogs. some rubber mats you have to put your own holes in to help it drain. it keeps your dogs feet out of a mass of water, great at the end of the bath especially. |
| I have found a great explanation/solution. My dog Foster is a slob. Always has a wet beard/chin and can smell like mildew from time to time. I also trim it short and use stainless bowls which I rinse each day to reduce bacteria. (Plus I wipe his face when I see him drink otherwise he spreads slober from one end of the house to the other. Eghads!) Seems to help. I've done a ton of reading on this and this seems to be the most reliable info: (link is below) ""Those nasty stains on his beard could be caused by the oxidation of his saliva, artificial coloration within his food and treats, or a yeast infection called Ptyrosporin or “red yeast,” the very same culprit that causes unsightly tear stains in many breeds. Dog food that is heavy in grains and cereals also contributes to this problem, so feeding a diet with low or no grains or cereals may help, as will using stainless steel or crockery dog dishes instead of plastic and keeping them scrupulously clean. That said, the best solution I have found for facial stains in dogs is a product called Angels’ Eyes. I am not a chemist, but somehow it ties up the circulating compounds in the pet’s system that react with light to produce those ugly stains. In other words, it changes his chemistry. A more technical explanation is available on their website."" http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-information/dog-groomer-salzberg/cleaning-a-dogs-beard-stains.aspx Hope this helps. |
| angel eyes is a fantastic product. it is banned here in the uk because it containes antibiotics. we have to use a version called angels delight. alot of bichons and shihtzus i groom use it with amazing results. i would dread to think how much it costs for an old english though! more details of it on www.bichonhotel.com i use cider vinigar in the water, i read it somewhere a few months ago. its really helping with my oes stain and also the pomeranians tear stains. i think its all down to general hygine and good food |
| Another thing you can try is a Tums a day. It is thought to work by changing the pH of body fluids, and really cuts down on the stains. It works on the saliva stains, also the red stains some dogs get from the ear and eye areas. It won't get rid of existing stains, but as the new hair grows out it is whiter. Chewie always was wet around the mouth - he gets hot, drinks and pants alot. LeAnne had a dog with lots of eye and ear staining - worked great too on that. We use the assorted fruit variety in extra strength - that's Chewie's favorite flavor. He really doesn't like the mint ones...lol. LeAnne's dogs did fine with the mint though |
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