How To Get Rid of Fishy Smell From a Dog: 7 Vet-Approved Expert Tips
By Beth Crane
Updated on
We love our dogs, but sometimes they absolutely stink! Of course, occasional bad smells are part of pet ownership, but the distinctive fishy aroma that sometimes follows your dog around doesn’t have to be tolerated. The key to getting rid of a fishy funk is to find out what’s causing it and deal with the issue at the source. We rounded up the best tips and tricks to help you get your dog smelling great again (or as great as a dog can smell) with no fuss needed.
Before You Begin: Why Does Your Dog Smell?
The first thing you need to do when getting rid of a fishy smell on your dog is to find out what’s causing the smell. For example, the most common reason a dog might seem to permanently smell like fish is due to a problem with their anal glands.
You can wash, bathe, brush, and spray a dog all day, but if they have a problem with their anal glands, they will smell foul no matter what you do. Unless the cause is obvious (such as rolling in dead fish at the beach), a trip to the vet to discover what’s causing the aroma is recommended. Once you know the cause, you can treat the problem and eliminate any bad odors.
How To Get Rid of Fishy Smell From a Dog
1. Take Them to the Vet
If your dog smells fishy, take them to see your vet. In most cases, a dog that smells like fish for a non-obvious reason will have a problem with its anal glands. The anal glands are two secreting glands that sit on either side just inside the anus. They contain a strong-smelling liquid used for marking territories.
Most of the time, the smelly fluid is expressed when a dog defecates and causes no issues. However, if a dog cannot express the fluid effectively, it causes a buildup in the glands and some can leak out at other times leading to a potent, foul, fishy odor. Blocked anal glands can become infected and form abscesses.
Dogs with impacted or infected anal glands are usually in discomfort or pain and might turn to bite at their bottoms or scoot along the floor to relieve themselves. A vet can examine your dog to see if it needs help emptying the glands manually (called expressing) or further treatment, such as antibiotics. Once treated, a dog will usually stop smelling like fish in a day or two.
2. Keep an Eye Out for Other Symptoms
If your dog is exhibiting any other signs besides being stinky, it’s imperative to take them to the vet and get checked. There are other medical reasons why your dog might smell like fish which can be very serious if not treated. For example, if your dog is a female that hasn’t been spayed, a severe uterine infection called pyometra can cause a fishy odor. With pyometra, a dog will usually have a strong-smelling, pus-filled discharge alongside being lethargic, not wanting to eat, hunching in pain, and having a high temperature. The usual treatment for pyometra is spaying to remove the infected uterus.
Another possible medical reason for a dog smelling like fish is if they have a urinary tract infection (UTI). UTIs can occur in dogs of either gender but are more common in females.
A UTI can make urinating very uncomfortable and challenging, and the pee often smells foul. If you notice your dog peeing (or trying to pee) frequently, and the urine smells fishy, you should take them to the vet for an exam. Antibiotics to treat the infection are usually the only treatment needed, but other conditions, such as diabetes or bladder stones, can also cause frequent UTIs and may need investigating.
3. Feed a High Fiber Diet
If your dog has had problems with their anal glands in the past and frequently smells fishy because of them, a change in diet may help. Providing your dog with a fiber-rich diet can keep its stools formed, firm, and regular.
This, in turn, can put the pressure needed on the anal glands to help them express, meaning they don’t build up the fluid that causes a fishy smell. Plain, canned pumpkin is a great and healthy ingredient to add more fiber to your dog’s diet, and it can also be used as a treat to help with training.
Also, keep your dog well hydrated so they do not end up back up! The regular, natural expression of the anal glands when your dog poops should be enough to keep the foul fishy smell at bay.
4. Give Them a Bath
Dogs get into all sorts of nasty things. If your dog has managed to roll around in something that smells awful, giving them a good bath might be enough to get rid of it. Of course, you should always ensure the vet has given them a clean bill of health before you bathe them.
However, if they’re healthy (but stinky), washing them in a cleansing shampoo with odor-neutralizing properties can remove any dirt and oils stuck to their hair and keep them smelling fresh.
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5. Make Sure They’re Well Hydrated
Dogs with very concentrated urine can give off a fishy smell. If your dog is dehydrated, it will have less water in its urine. A strong odor can develop due to more ammonia in the urine than usual, which is a sign that your dog urgently needs water. There are usually other signs that your dog is dehydrated alongside smelly urine, including:
- Lethargy
- Vomiting
- Thick saliva
- Collapse
- Dry gums and nose
- Panting
- Sunken eyes
If you suspect your dog is mildly dehydrated, immediately give them water to drink. If they exhibit any of the signs above, then contact your vet. They may need fluid therapy and investigation to determine any underlying health issues that have caused the dehydration.
6. Avoid Beaches
This is obvious, but if your dog loves to frolic and roll in bunches of beached seaweed and finds the most rotten fish on the shore, it may be worth keeping the ocean visits to a minimum. Dogs have extraordinary senses of smell and explore the world with their noses.
So, if there is a fascinating, very smelly fish on the beach to be found and rolled in, you can be sure your dog will smell it a long time before you do! There are a few theories as to why dogs do this, and the most popular is that they either try to mask their own scents with the overpowering smell of a dead animal or simply like the smell. So, if your dog always wants to roll in dead fish, keep them off the beach!
7. Check Their Teeth
Dog breath will never smell sweet, but a foul, fishy odor emanating from your dog’s chops often means something is happening with their teeth. Good oral hygiene is really important for dogs, as tooth decay, cavities, and abscesses can cause significant pain and chronic bad breath.
If your dog has fishy breath, it might have a rotten tooth that needs treatment; taking them to the vet to get it fixed is the best way to rid them of disgusting dog breath and keep them healthy.
Final Thoughts
When eliminating the fishy smell on your dog, treating the cause is the best course of action. A dog cologne can only go so far when masking a fishy stink, and your dog could suffer discomfort or pain in the meantime.
Usually, the causes of a suspicious odor are easy to treat, and getting them treated by your vet should resolve the problem quickly. If nothing is wrong, but your dog smells funky, giving them a deodorizing bath can help clear the air.
Featured Image Credit: san4ezz, Shutterstock
