Why does my senior dog smell bad? What causes new odors in old dogs?

Could it be that the smell you are smelling is something other than urine? Or maybe Sassy has urinary incontinence? It is common in older female dogs that have been spayed. It can be a slow trickle, wet spots seen when she stands up, or mysterious wet spots around the house. You might want to have Sassy examined by a vet that can try to smell what you are smelling. There are some smells in dogs that are characteristic for some issues, such as a fritos smell means yeast and a fruity smell may mean the dog is in ketosis from unregulated diabetes. Urine smell generally means there is urine present.

A foul smell could still be related to a tooth infection or other oral disease even though her mouth looks normal. Sometimes stomach upset can cause foul breath or a skin infection or anal gland infection or inflammation could be another source. You may want to have Molly examined by your veterinarian - they could check her anal glands or potentially perform a more complete oral exam. If everything seems okay they might recommend trying a probiotic or changing her diet.

Grundy, what a cool name! He may be experiencing a secondary skin and/or ear infection which for sure could be due to yeast. Those are 2 possible body parts that can be commonly affected with infections that may result in bad odor. This could be secondary to allergies. Have him examined by your veterinarian so the source of the smell can be found on examination which will help determine the best diagnostic and therapeutic approach for Grundy! Best of luck and thanks for entrusting us with your boy's health!

Poor Asra. It sounds like she has a lot going on. She could be urinating or defecating on herself causing the severe smell. She could also have a wound from not being able to move very well which has necrotic (rotting) flesh which could cause her to smell despite a bath. It sounds like she needs to be seen by a vet to determine where the smell is coming from and if it can be helped. Also, with everything going on, I would talk to them about assess her quality of life. Unfortunately, dogs with DM can decline very slowly and can develop a poor quality of life before they are able to pass away on their own. In those cases, sometimes it is better to humanely euthanize them if they are suffering. I am so sorry that Asra and you are having to go through this. Hang in there.

It could be that Big Ben has impacted anal sacs, which would lead to his rear end stinking badly. It could also be that he has a skin infection causing the smell. I would have him seen by a vet tomorrow. The vet can diagnose the cause of his smell, and can treat him for it. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

It could be Precious has a skin infection caused by yeast leading to that smell. The only way to know for sure is to have her seen by a vet. The vet can diagnose the cause of the smell, and can treat her for it. Since the smell is so bad, I'd take her into a vet today or tomorrow. Best of luck.

There are various causes for the bad smell and they will need to be investigated by a veterinarian. 1) your dog (I am assuming it is a dog, you do not say anywhere what type of animal he is) may have a particularly stinky type of bacteria in his anal sacs. This could be remedied by emptying them and flushing them with an antibitic that kills off all bacteria and then hopefully a new type of bacteria will take up residence. 2) Your dog may have particularly smelly bacteria in his skin that emit a bad smell. Certain antibacterial shampoos can alleviate that 3) your dog may have a mite infection. Sarcoptes mite infections have a typical sweet smell. Sarcoptes mites can be killed with avermectins or a Bravecto chew. 4) He could have a fungal infection (treatable with fungicidal shampoo and/or tablets) 5) If you have other dogs in your house he may have a particular pack smell. 6) He may have a skin condition such as seborrhea which invites certain bacteria who can cause a bad smell. I suggest yu make an appointment with your vet who should then examine your dog and check for the various causes and treat accordingly. Don't forget to do flea control.