Why Does Dog Poop Smell So Bad? A Vet Explains the Smell

You know what? My dog’s poop smells really, really bad sometimes, and it’s been bugging me. So, I did a little experiment to figure out why.

First off, I started paying more attention to what my dog was eating. I noticed that when he ate certain foods, especially those cheap, filler-heavy kibbles, his poop smelled worse. So, I switched him to a higher-quality food with more natural ingredients. I made sure it had good stuff like real meat and fewer additives.

• Tried different dog food brands.
• Checked the ingredients list carefully.
• Avoided foods with lots of by-products and fillers.

After a week or so on the new food, I noticed a bit of a difference, but it still wasn’t great. I then remembered reading somewhere that raw food diets can sometimes cause stinkier poop because they take longer to digest. My dog wasn’t on a raw diet, but it got me thinking about his digestion.

So, I decided to add some probiotics and digestive enzymes to his meals. I figured it couldn’t hurt to give his gut some extra support. I just sprinkled them on top of his food, easy peasy. I also made sure he was drinking enough water, as dehydration can mess with digestion too.

Honestly, it took a few days, but I started to notice an improvement. His poop still smelled like, well, poop, but it wasn’t as overwhelmingly awful as before. It was definitely more tolerable, let’s put it that way.

During this whole thing, I also kept an eye out for other changes in his bowel movements, like if they were too hard, too soft, or a weird color. Thankfully, everything else seemed normal, so I didn’t think it was anything serious. If I had seen anything really off, I definitely would have taken him to the vet.

From what I gathered, the smell of dog poop can come from a bunch of things – amino acids, bile, and even anal sac secretions. It reminded me a bit of the smell of rotting meat, which makes sense when you think about all the bacteria breaking things down in there. It made sense that the smell could be like that.

What I Learned

This whole experience taught me that a dog’s diet plays a big role in how bad their poop smells. Switching to a better quality food and adding some digestive support really helped in my case. But I also realized that if the smell had been consistently super strong or if there were other worrying signs, it could indicate a bigger problem like an infection or parasites. Luckily, for my pup, it seemed to be mostly a diet thing, and we got it sorted out. But now, every time I clean his poop, I remember this experiment.