[Lovemytoypoodle]

Hello everybody. I am new here so forgive me if I am posting in the wrong thread. We have just got our toy poodle puppy few days ago and I am kind of new to this. I have a problem with my cute pup, that she is smelling very much. The smell is mostly coming from her mouth. Extremely smelly breath, that is making me sick. The puppy is only 9 weeks old. Is this normal? Is it going to go away. I started brushing her teeth and got some mouthwash that we mix into her water. Do you know what it can be that makes her smell so much? My husband finds it strange too that she is so tiny but smells so much. We love her dearly. Please help. Thank you.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Hi! Congrats on your new poodle!

I loathe puppy smell. Like, my stomach feels funny just thinking about it. Their breath literally smells like poop to me. Actually makes it very tough for me to bond.

But (in my experience) it's normal.

She's been to the vet? All is well?

I wouldn't mess around with things like mouthwash, especially of the antibacterial sort. Let the puppy bacteria do its thing. I imagine it's quite important to their health.

At around 4 months, Peggy's puppy smell was replaced with a lovely toasty dog smell, with just occasional returns to the putrid stink when she was intensely teething.

Now at 7.5 months, she smells so good I just want to chomp on her!

Note: We did have Peggy on Thorne canine probiotics for her first few months. Not sure how beneficial they were, but her digestion is super so far. I don't imagine they could hurt.

 

[Dechi]

This is very abnormal. Puppy breath shouldn’t smell bad at all (unless you find any puppy breath smells...). Since he is so young, I doubt it’s a dental hygiene probelm. It coud be an intestinal or gastric problem, such as parasites or other. The other possibility is that he eats poop, but that’s easy to rule out, just watch him carefully when he goes potty. Or, that he regurgitates and eats it (but usually vomits doesn’t smell so strong, so this is more unlikely).

I would make a vet appointment as soon as possible and run some tests.

 

[lily cd re]

Stinky breath to the point of you feeling sick is not normal. Between that and size I think a vet visit is in order. Nine weeks old is very young for a toy poodle pup to have been separated from mom. Where did you get your pup? At this age you need to be very aware of the possibility of hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia Requires Quick Intervention in Toy Breeds

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Maybe it's like cilantro and some people have a scientific aversion to it? All I know is that in 30+ years of dogs, all my puppies had breath that smelled like (literal) poop except the one I got at 4 months.

And I'm not alone. I found lots of company on Reddit, and teething breath is well documented.

But yes, of course puppy needs a full checkup. I just assumed she had received a clean bill of health.

 

[lily cd re]

Could be like cilantro. We know so little about how olfaction works since our olfaction is so poor compared to that of our dogs. I was concerned that a 9 week old tpoo had already gone to her forever home.

PTP I am sorry you haven't been able to enjoy baby dog smell to the point of interfering with bonding as you noted. I think they smell divine!

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Could be like cilantro. We know so little about how olfaction works since our olfaction is so poor compared to that of our dogs. I was concerned that a 9 week old tpoo had already gone to her forever home.

PTP I am sorry you haven't been able to enjoy baby dog smell to the point of interfering with bonding as you noted. I think they smell divine!

I have an extremely sensitive sense of smell for a human. It's linked to health issues, which isn't much fun. But the upside is that Peggy's sweet adolescent scent is extra sweet to me! Now just sitting next to her, it feels like my heart will swell straight out of my chest. Just pure olfactory joy. And don't even get me started on her sleepy smell.

Biology is fascinating.

P.S. At what age do toys typically go home? Is the issue that they're so small?

 

[vanydog]

P.S. At what age do toys typically go home? Is the issue that they're so small?

I believe that most toy breeders let their puppies go home at 12 weeks. If they are smaller then the breeders will keep them longer maybe to even 16 weeks. This is because they are more prone to hypoglycemia so they need to be watched more carefully by the breeder.

 

[PeggyTheParti]

I believe that most toy breeders let their puppies go home at 12 weeks. If they are smaller then the breeders will keep them longer maybe to even 16 weeks. This is because they are more prone to hypoglycemia so they need to be watched more carefully by the breeder.

Thank you! I had no idea!

 

[Lovemytoypoodle]

Thank you all so much for your replies, it is helpful and comforting. She comes from a Kennel Club Breeder, a proper one. He said she will be ready between 8-10 weeks, he said normally 10 weeks, but he said she is so advanced and confident that she could go earlier. So we collected her. In UK I think the law is 8 weeks, most breeders do that. But not quite sure as I am new to this. Puppy seems healthy, she had all her vaccination and check ups and dna testing done by the breeder, she just needs one more at 10 weeks old, which she will have next week. She is going to have her check ups next week too. She doesn’t eat her poop, because we constantly watch her, as soon as she finishes her business we remove the potty pad and clean the puppy gently with recommended puppy wipes because she licks herself all the time. Her fur doesn’t smell, just the mouth. She is the cutest thing ever and very smart for her age. My husband can take the smell better than me, but he agrees that her breath is very unusually smelly. I am going to look into all the advises you gave me. I just hope it will get better. Thank you so much.

 

[Dechi]

She doesn’t eat her poop, because we constantly watch her, as soon as she finishes her business we remove the potty pad and clean the puppy gently with recommended puppy wipes because she licks herself all the time.

I would not recommend using wipes on her behind every time she goes. It might dry her skin even f it’s a gentle wipe. Also probably not a good idea to lick this stuff. It’s not necessary to wipe a dog’s behind but if you feel you really need to, just use regular water. Have your groomer shave the anal area very close, so there is no hair around it, for better hygiene.

The fact that she constantly licks herself (I assume you mean her behind) might mean she has impacted anal glands or vaginal discharge. Or allergies. There definitely is something going on and she needs to see the vet.

Dogs should not be constantly licking themselves.

 

[Lovemytoypoodle]

No, not yet, she will see the groomer in 2 weeks, it has to be a week after her vaccination. But she will have shaved.
Oh I didn’t know the puppy bottom wipes are bad for her. She was licking herself lots and her bottom was not clean after poop so that’s why we bought the wipes. Maybe we’ll use just water.

 

[fjm]

Anal glands could definitely cause smelly breath if she is licking them. And Poppy once had horrible breath when some fur got stuck between her teeth and it took me ages to find it.

Teeth cleaning is a good habit to get into early, in any case. A small, soft brush, an enzymatic dog toothpaste your pup likes the taste of, and very small, gentle steps, starting with a lick from your finger, then a rub of the teeth with your finger, building up to cleaning the teeth with the brush. It is really worth doing, and especially with toy dogs whose teeth are so close together. Keep it up every day and she may never need an anaesthetic for a dental for her whole life!

 

[Lovemytoypoodle]

Anal glands could definitely cause smelly breath if she is licking them. And Poppy once had horrible breath when some fur got stuck between her teeth and it took me ages to find it.

Teeth cleaning is a good habit to get into early, in any case. A small, soft brush, an enzymatic dog toothpaste your pup likes the taste of, and very small, gentle steps, starting with a lick from your finger, then a rub of the teeth with your finger, building up to cleaning the teeth with the brush. It is really worth doing, and especially with toy dogs whose teeth are so close together. Keep it up every day and she may never need an anaesthetic for a dental for her whole life!

We have to take her to the vet it seems, she was going there next week anyway, she is booked. She seems like a happy puppy. Very playful. We brush her teeth and she loves it so far. She thinks it’s a game.

 

[fjm]

I would certainly ask your vet - she sounds sheer delight apart from the pongy breath!

 

[Vita]

Bring a fresh stool sample when you see the vet. They may be able rule out worms and giardiasis. Gardia infections can cause horrid smelling poop, but also bad breath.