[Sophie1]

My basset stays outside mostly, however I bathe her often. Is there a good shampoo that someone could reccomend to help control that odor. I am looking for something good for her coat and has a longlasting scent. Please help!

 

[Emma and Doris]

There is no reason your basset should smell more than other dogs, even though they are a bit like us, some have a stronger BO than other
I normally don't bath my dogs, and they don't smell. (Or I'm used to it...)

The reasons for smell could be:

Ear infections,
fongus - especially in the wrinkles,
anal glands,
bad teeth,
food.
(Some kibble are sprayed with used frying oil to gain 20% weight, no wonder the dog will smell like McDonalds...)

 

[Guest]

Oatmeal shampoo works for us. We...or should I say my DH bathes Byron once every two weeks. He can get stinky. The oatmeal shampoo seems to help.

 

[Mikey T]

IMHO a dog that develops a noticable odor and requires bathing more fequently than once a month has a medical problem that needs treatment.

those can be but not limited to
the list steiner mentioned

Seborrhea

Yeast infection often between the toes, arm pits and skin folds.


Skin Fold Pyoderma
Often the lip fold in basset hounds

Often time the treatment for these conditions requires "shampoo therapy" not just any shampoo but one for the specific condition. Without a correct diagnoses then it is unlikily frequent shampooing will help. Often these condition are secondary in nature, they occur as a result of an underly condition like an allergy. Unless the underlying condition is treated the secondary condition will keep reappearing. If your regular vet is unable to find a solution to the problem I strongly recommend cunsulting with a vet that specializes in dermatology

see Find a dermatologist to find a vet dermatologist near you.

[ February 13, 2006, 01:11 PM: Message edited by: Mikey T ]

 

[GASouthernBassetGuy]

This may sound a bit strange, or a bit obvious, but You probably need to look into the matter a bit more closely, so to speak.

Smell your hound, they may be confused at the reversal of roles, but it will be worth it. Smell your hound all over until you find if where the smell is coming from. If it is in one of the folds, mentioned by Mikey, then yes find a dermatologist, however if it seems to be coming from their ears, which is what happens with Buckley, then you may be able to bathe her a bit less often, and just clean the ears.

If it is the ears, cotton balls are the best way to get at the inside of the ears, using either a commercial product, I don't know of any because we've always used the homemade vinegar/water mixture.

 

[Guest]

Ruby is a real stinkpot but she sweats a lot. Even when we lived in cold climates.

If it's yeast, then the vet needs to be consulted for rx doggy shampoo.

Some bassets have a very strong houndy smell. Ruby is one of those. You'll get used to it.

 

[Lina]

I bathed my hounds once a month.
And every Sunday, I clean their ears and teeth (with listerine) and wipe their whole body with wet towel.
So far so good.

 

[Guest]

Be careful of the cotton balls as the fuzz can get caught in the ears. But the cotton pads (they're flat) work real well. Ruby and I share them...for her ears and for me to take off my makeup. Not at the same time tho.

 

[xtineebee]

As others said, do check to see if the odor has a specfic source. When Sebi arrived, he had a yeast infection in his ears which had quite a pong on it. We took care of that with the vet, and now he does fine with a monthly bath using the niece & nephew's baby shampoo (also okayed by the vet). And if you come in from a particularly long hike and your hound is a bit mucky, there are doggie baby-wipes that are great for a between bath cleanup.