If you own or have ever owned a Basset Hound, you know that those dogs stink quite a bit. The unforgiving stench of your dog makes your wonder why do Basset Hounds stink.
Dogs are friendly, affectionate, and possessive towards their human masters. One such breed of canines is the Basset Hound. These soft, fuzzy, and cuddly creatures are a treat for your eyes.
With their in-built jumpiness, they try whatever it takes to make you feel loved when you are feeling down or alone. However, one thing that puts dog owners off about the Basset Hound is their stench. The foul odors they give off are the reason why people refrain from having them as their pets.
But, why do Basset Hounds stink? This question is frequently asked by their owners as well as by those who plan on adding them to the repertoire of pets.
Honestly speaking, there is no direct answer to this question. There are a variety of reasons why your Basset Hound smells so much. Sometimes it is due to the food they eat, while sometimes it is due to a health condition they are suffering from. And sometimes, it is plainly due to their dirty and smelly bedding that has not been changed or washed for a long time.
To make things easy for you, we have put together this article. It will give you an insight into why basset hounds stink, and what can be done to minimize their level of smelliness.
Let’s find out.
Why Are Basset Hounds So Stinky?
We are guessing that you are a responsible dog person who regularly bathes his or her Basset Hound. You make sure your dog is free from fleas and ticks, and you also seek medication for their health conditions. Furthermore, you are incredibly mindful of what your dog munches on.
The truth is that not all Basset Hounds stink. However, some of them do to the point that it becomes unbearable to have them around. Some people even say that Basset Hounds smell like corn chips. However, there are a variety of reasons why your Basset Hound smells a little weird, even if you ensure its proper hygiene and schedule regular visits to the vet.
Here are some of the many reasons why Basset Hounds stink.
Regardless of how clean or medicated they are, some dogs suffer from ear infections. If left unchecked and untreated, these infections can worsen and turn into vicious bacteria buildups. Basset hounds and similar breeds with big floppy ears are more prone to ear infections, despite medical care and cleanliness.
Not only are these ear infections terrible on your nose, but if left unattended can affect your dog’s ability to hear. A prolonged ear infection can even deprive your dog of its sense of hearing. The good news is that through regular ear cleaning, you can minimize the chances of your dog developing infections of the ear.
However, when cleaning your dog’s ears, try to stay as careful as possible. Make sure not to go too deep into the ear canal, or you will damage the eardrum or hurt your dog in some way.
The best cleaning products to clean your hound’s ear is either a high-quality apple cider vinegar or a good dog ear rinse. Soak a cotton ball or some tissue paper in either of these products and clean the outer parts of your dog’s ears.
In case your dog has already developed an ear infection, don’t waste time and rush them to the vet to start treatment before the infection spreads further. Some Basset Hounds suffer from chronic ear infections.
The reason behind such ear infections is them being prone to allergies. Before getting your dog treated, make sure to have a word with the vet regarding these allergies.
On each side of a dog’s anus, there are two sacs located, which are known as anal sacs. These anal sacs are one of the primary contributors to your dog’s smelliness. Every time your dog takes a dump, these sacs fill up with a nasty substance, which is unbearable on the nose.
In some cases, these sacs fill up to the point that they start to leak. As a result, your dog starts to sprinkle droplets of this substance wherever they go, thus making it unbearable for you to breathe through the nose.
But, how can you identify whether or not your dog is struggling with infected and leaky anal sacs? One of the most common signs of infected anal sacs is itchiness in the anal region. In its quest to break free from the itchiness, your dog would rub its bottom on the floor, hoping that doing so will get rid of the annoying itch.
Also, the dog would constantly lick the anal region to get rid of the uneasy feeling. In this process, the dog will unintentionally secrete this musky substance, thus adding to its stench.
If such is the problem with your dog, take it to the vet right away, to have its anal sacs tested. If your dog’s infected anal sacs are left untreated, the problem will worsen, and add to the discomfort for your dog. Sometimes, infected anal glands can also result in ruptures. Also, ask your vet to teach you how to express the anal glands, in case your pup’s anal glands become infected.
Just like ear infections, anal infections are also a result of allergies. To prevent anal sac infections, make sure to get rid of any allergens in your dog’s environment.
Up until now, we have discussed anal issues and ear infections that result in smelly Basset Hounds. Let’s suppose you keep up with your hygiene as well as health requirements, yet your dog stinks.
If that is the case, then it is the bedding that needs to be changed. Regardless of how clean your dog is, if it rolls on the floor, and sleeps on a dirty bed, it will surely stink.
It is annoying, but some dogs after getting a shower tend to roll in dirty areas, just to regain their doggy odor. To prevent such occurrences, make sure to keep your dog’s bedding clean and bath them regularly.
If your dog is stinky, there is a chance that the smell has something to do with an upset stomach. The intestinal issues in dogs can make them extremely gassy. When a dog is suffering from flatulence farts, it will immerse the environment with such an odor that will make it impossible for human beings to stay there.
If your dog is unnecessarily gassy, consult a vet as quickly as possible. Also, make sure to experiment with dietary changes. The cause behind flatulence may be the kind of food your dog munches on.
Basset Hounds have several wrinkles in their skin. If your dog is super wrinkly, make sure to keep an eye on its skin wrinkles. Dogs with wrinkled skin are prone to a skin condition known as skin fold dermatitis.
Skin-fold dermatitis is the scientific name given to a smelly skin condition in canines. To get rid of such funky odors, make sure you clean your dog’s skin folds with a soft damp cloth or high-quality baby wipes.
How to Keep Your Basset Hound Less Smelly?
Up until now, we have talked about the causes of smelliness in Basset Hounds. Now, let’s talk about the ways you can mitigate their stench, make them smell nicer.
As discussed in the previous paragraphs, one of the major causes behind smelliness in Basset Hounds are infected anal glands. If your dog is suffering from anal gland problems, leaving them untreated could jeopardize your dog’s health. In this regard, the following tips will come in handy.
- Take your dog to the vet, straight away. If your dog is struggling with anal problems, the vet will tell you if it is an infection, or the anal glands are full of excretory substances.
- While at the vets’ ask them about ways to empty the glands, just in case a vet isn’t available to do it for you.
- If your dog is secreting anal substances, it doesn’t necessarily mean that there is a problem with its anal region. The reason such secretions could be purely psychological. Some Basset Hounds release anal liquids when they are anxious, sad, worried, scared, or angry.
If the problem is behavioral and not physical, ask your vet about the possible solutions to the problem. In most cases, vets ask the owner to make sure their dog remains as calm and relaxed as possible.
If you remember, only a few paragraphs ago, we discussed how dirty bedding makes your dog stink. One of the easiest ways to deal with this problem is to wash the bedding regularly in a washing machine. Doing so, you will minimize the chances of your dog catching fleas, ticks, and dirt particles, which make them stinky.
Stuff the bedding, the crates, and the crates covers in the washing machines and wash them until they are clean. Take extra care when washing items such as pillows, and if possible, try to wash them with the hottest water possible.
When washing your dog’s bedding, follow the steps mentioned below.
- When it comes to using the detergent, try to use an unscented soap or no detergent alone. Dogs have a much better smelling ability than us humans. If they smell something odd in their bedding, they will refrain from sleeping on it and will end up rolling on the floors.
- If you aren’t using any detergent, wash the bedding with hot water and baking soda. Such a cleaning method will clean the bedding in an odorless manner, without your dog finding out.
- If you aren’t using baking soda, some white vinegar will do. White vinegar is one of the best alternatives to baking soda.
- If you are using a laundry soap to clean the bedding, get the one that has the least amount of odor.
- Try not to use any kind of fabric softeners. Not only are they aromatic, but they also make your dog feel itchy.
- After the bedding is washed, transfer it to the dryer right away. Make sure your dog doesn’t sleep on damp bedding. Dampness is one of the biggest perpetrators behind smelliness in dogs. If drier isn’t available, leaving your dog’s bedding under the sun will be just as good.
- If you are having a hard time cleaning non-washable items such as the crate or the crate cover, rinse them with a pressurized hose. If they are too dirty or have dirt and debris residues in them, scrub them firmly with a brush or sponge.
- Make sure you wash the bedding every month to keep any foul odors from returning.
While discussing the causes of smelliness in Basset Hounds, we talked about how flatulence causes smelly gassiness. If your dog is suffering from flatulence, the following tips will come in handy.
- If your dog’s diet is unnatural and not healthy in any way, there is nothing abnormal about flatulence. Before you feed something to your dog, try to figure out what the ingredients are. If it is a packed product, go through the list of ingredients on the covering.
- Most substandard dog foods available in the marketplace are made from cheap ingredients that are detrimental to your dog’s tummy. Some of those ingredients are grains and soya.
- Even if you feed your dog a healthy diet instead of junk, there is a risk that the flatulence is caused by allergies that aren’t uncommon in dogs.
- Feed them the most reputable dog food brands such as Pedigree or Smarty Heart.
- If food is the issue, try switching some of the ingredients in your dog’s diet. Make sure not to surprise your dog with an entirely different cuisine.
- In the beginning, start adding small portions of a different ingredient to your dog’s everyday diet. Gradually increase the amount of the new ingredient to your dog’s meal.
- If flatulence increases, there are a few possibilities that you need to pay attention to. Either you have given too much of the new diet to your hound, or your dog doesn’t accept the new cuisine.
- Most dogs suffer from a condition known as lactose intolerance. If you make your dog eat something that contains lactose, flatulence is meant to occur. Similarly, a dog’s intestinal system doesn’t support fatty or acidic ingredients either. Make sure to remove any fatty lactic or acidic things from your dog’s diet, and you will surely see results.
- Add whole grains to your dog’s everyday diet. Things such as cooked brown rice will not only get rid of flatulence but will also keep your dog from having bad breath, which is primarily caused by eating meat alone.
- Make sure never to let your dog eat from the table scraps. Human leftovers aren’t the perfect food option for dogs, and eating them can cause flatulence, gassiness, and bad breath. Furthermore, the nutritional imbalance has a direct impact on your dog’s intestinal health and often results in allergies, stomach infections, and even weirder health conditions.
- Limit your dog’s access to the dustbin. If you fail to stay careful, your dog will eat from trash, which is filled with stinky and spoiled items.
- Lastly, make sure to exercise your dog daily. Take them out for walks, play ‘fetch,’ and do whatever it takes to make your dog’s tummy function correctly, and digest the food it eats.
If your Basset Hound is perfectly healthy and still stinks, the answer is simple. The reason why your dog is healthy and still stinks is that it hasn’t showered in quite a while. Whether it is a Basset Hound or any other breed of dog, they all love to play with water.
However, when bathing your dog, there are a few things that you need to take care of. The following tips will educate you on how to wash and groom your dog, and make it smell better.
- Use a high-quality dog shampoo. Refrain from picking the first brand you come across at the department store. It is better to have a word with the vet or your local dog groomer.
- If your dog has a thick coat of fur, combine the shampoo with some high-quality conditioner.
- Before applying shampoo or conditioner, make sure your dog is completely soaked in water, from its head, all the way to its tail.
- Take a few drops of shampoo in your palm and run them together to form a rich lather. Rinse your dog with the lather until no portion of its body is dry.
- Splash your dog’s body with lukewarm water, and repeat the process if need be.
- After your hound has bathed, dry its coat with a hair drier.
Final Thoughts on Why Do Basset Hounds Stink
By now, you must have gotten the answer to the question, “why do Basset Hounds stink?” It is not uncommon for Basset Hounds and similar breeds to give off foul odors.
As a responsible dog person, your job is to keep a close eye on how your dog smells, and if it does, what are the reasons behind their stench. To do that, you will need to spend time with your fuzzy buddies.
By giving a certain portion of your time, you will be able to formulate a bond with your four-legged buddy, which will allow them to express their problems to you.
