The stools of our dogs can give us a lot of information about their he alth. On a daily basis, it is recommended that we monitor its appearance, its consistency and also its smell, which is the point that we will develop in detail below.
In general, a particularly unpleasant and unusual smell indicates a digestive problem that can be due to multiple causes. Offering the dog a quality diet, deworming it, vaccinating it and taking it for regular veterinary check-ups help to avoid many of the problems related to the bad smell of feces. If you've noticed an unusual odor and you're wondering why your dog's feces smell really bad, in this article on our site we tell you the most common reasons.
Nutrition problems
Regardless of the diet chosen, the essential thing is that it meets the quality criteria and adapts to the life stage and characteristics of each dogIn this way, we not only cover their nutritional needs, but also facilitate the use of the ingredients and good digestion. Thus, in addition to a he althy dog, with a shiny coat, we will notice the quality of its stools. With a good feed, these will be smaller, consistent and have a slightly marked odor. For this reason, we can point to diet as a very common cause of unpleasant-smelling stools.
A poor diet produces voluminous stools, of a softer consistency and that are normally eliminated more often. For this reason, sometimes the problem subsides only with a change in food or, if it is good, with the suppression of extra human food that some caregivers give and may not be recommended for dogs. In the specialized courses, the Veterinary Technical Assistants (ATV) receive training on nutrition, so they have basic knowledge about it. Therefore, if you have doubts about the best diet for your dog, you can start by contacting the ATV of your reference veterinary clinic. Likewise, if you are interested in expanding your own knowledge or even becoming an ATV, at VETFORMACIÓN you can take the Veterinary Technical Assistant Course, a course online at the hands of qualified professionals, with a personal tutor and 300 hours of internship at a veterinary clinic of your choice.
Apart from the quality of the food, there are other issues to take into account in our dog's diet:
- The sudden changes in it may be behind a rapid digestive transit that affects the stool. Hence, it is always advised that any modification be introduced gradually and over several transition days, precisely to avoid digestive disturbances.
- A food intolerance to meat, fish, eggs, cereals, etc., also triggers rapid transit. A food that very commonly affects transit is milk. Dogs that are no longer puppies lack the enzyme necessary to digest lactose and this is precisely what can cause digestive disorders.
- Sometimes stool has a rancid or foul odor that can be associated with problems with digestion and fermentation processes. Indigestible ingredients that require a greater effort of the digestive system and spend more time in it can lead to poor digestion with fermentation, noise, flatulence and foul-smelling stools.
- In addition, bacterial overgrowths may occur. In these cases, not only will the diet have to be modified in terms of quality and administration schedule, but pharmacological treatment prescribed by the veterinarian may be necessary.
Regarding the bad odor in the feces of puppies, it is also important to note that a smell of food or like sour milk can be explained by overfeedingIn these cases, the stools are also abundant and shapeless. It should be fixed simply by adjusting the rations to the manufacturer's recommendations.
Parvovirus
If our dog is a puppy, especially in his first months of life when he is most vulnerable, any change in his stool should be reported to the vet. Specifically, there is a disease that causes stools with an unmistakable smell: it is canine parvovirus, a pathology of viral origin, very contagious and serious
In addition to this bad smell, the stool will be diarrheal and, very often, hemorrhagic. It is an emergency that the veterinarian must attend to immediately. There is no specific treatment against the virus, but a support treatment is prescribed, which usually consists of fluid therapy, antibiotic therapy and other drugs to control clinical signs. Given the seriousness, it is best to prevent it by vaccinating the puppy as indicated by the veterinarian.
Other infections can also occur. Diagnosis can only be determined by a veterinarian.
Parasites
Some infestations caused by intestinal parasites, such as hookworms, can also cause bloody diarrhoea, with a different smell than usual. In addition, giardia and coccidia are other pathogens that are related to more frequent, mucous and foul-smelling stools Parasites are more frequent in puppies or in weakened adults, but they can affect all kinds of dogs. Hence the importance of regular deworming and that, if clinical signs appear, the veterinarian identifies the parasite to treat it specifically.
Absorption problems
Sometimes dogs are eating a quality diet, but their stools are especially smelly. Many times they have that sour milk or food odor that we have already mentioned and that can be related to problems in absorption, normally originating in the small intestine or in the pancreasThese dogs are thin and malnourished, although they show an increased appetite, as if they were always hungry, and the feces, in addition to smelling bad, are copious and greasy, sometimes staining the hair around the anus.
In these cases, the dog cannot absorb the nutrients that come with the food. It is a malabsorption syndrome that will need to be diagnosed and treated by a vet. Intestinal biopsies are usually required, in addition to fecal analysis. Treatment depends on finding the cause.
Rapid Transit
Any disturbance in the digestive system can cause unpleasant-smelling stools. In dogs, this situation is not uncommon because they have a tendency to ingest any minimally edible substance they come across, such as household or street garbage, any leftover food even if it is in the process of decomposition, plastics, herbs or even dead animals.. Although your stomach is well prepared to digest this type of material, irritations may occur that end up causing rapid transit and, as a consequence, diarrhea, since it hasn't had time to remove the water, with a bad smell.
Many times, it is a mild problem that is solved with a day of soft diet The problem is that if the diarrhea is profuse and the dog does not replace the fluids it loses, it could become dehydrated. It is a point of special attention in puppies, in adults weakened for some reason or in older specimens. In these cases, you should go to the vet and not risk waiting for it to resolve spontaneously.
Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency
The pancreas plays an important role in digestion, so when it stops producing its enzymes, the dog will not be able to absorb all the nutrients it needs. In this way, as in malabsorption syndrome, the dog will be thin, even though he feels a ravenous appetite and eats more than normal. His feces will be diarrheic, large, grayish in color and musty smelling. The hair around the anus will be oily. This type of stool guides the veterinarian towards this diagnosis. Treatment includes enzymes to replace those that are missing and control of feeding.
Because of all the above, if your dog's stool smells very bad and the problem is not a poor quality diet, don't hesitate and go to the veterinary clinic as soon as possible.
