Why does my dog smell like death? Heres how to deal with it!

Alright, so last week something really weird happened with my dog, Buster. I came home from work, and the house just smelled… off. Like, not just a little bit funky, but seriously, like something had crawled in there and died. I’m not kidding, it was that bad. I started to look around, thinking maybe a mouse or something got caught in a trap somewhere. But nope, I found nothing.

Then I saw Buster, and he was acting all normal, wagging his tail and happy to see me as always. But as he got closer, I realized, holy crap, he was the source of the smell. It was like death was following him around. I was seriously freaked out, not gonna lie.

First thing I did was check his mouth, because sometimes he gets bad breath, but this was way worse than usual. I looked at his teeth, thinking maybe something was stuck in there or infected. His teeth looked okay, some normal buildup, but nothing that screamed “death breath.”

• I felt around his body to see if he had rolled in something nasty outside.
• I gave him a good sniff all over, trying to pinpoint where the smell was strongest. (Yeah, it was gross, but I was desperate!)
• I checked his paws, his ears, everywhere – nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Then it hit me, I remembered reading something about anal glands and how they can get infected and smell terrible. So, I did the unpleasant task of checking his rear end. Bingo! They seemed a little swollen, and the smell was definitely coming from that area. I knew I couldn’t deal with that myself. That’s vet territory.

So off to the vet we went. Turns out, Buster had impacted anal glands. The vet expressed them, which, I won’t describe, but let’s just say it smelled even worse for a few minutes. He gave Buster some antibiotics to clear up any infection and told me to keep an eye on them in the future.

The vet also said that sometimes poor dental hygiene can contribute to bad smells, so I should make sure I’m brushing Buster’s teeth regularly. He recommended a doggy toothpaste and toothbrush, which I promptly bought.

What I learned from this experience:

• Bad smells from your dog can mean all sorts of things, from bad breath to more serious issues.
• Always check their teeth, but don’t forget about those sneaky anal glands!
• Regular vet checkups are important to catch things early.
• Keeping your dog clean is crucial, not just for their health but for your nose’s sake too!

It was a stinky and stressful experience, but we got through it. Now, Buster smells like a normal dog again, and I’m just grateful it wasn’t something more serious. I’m definitely going to be more vigilant about his hygiene from now on. No more death-smelling dogs in this house!