Shiba Smell ????

edited April 2009 in General
So I currently have two shibas. My newest puppy (mochi) is about 4 months old and since we've had her she has had this musky, sort of smell. I've never had this with my other shiba (yuri). The vet says she looks like a perfectly healthy puppy. But she is stinky. She doesn't smell as much as other dogs, but she does have a distinct smell. Does anyone know what could be wrong?, is it her diet?, is it her undercoat?, is it normal for shiba's to smell? is this smell going to go away?

Comments

  • edited November -1
    What are you feeding her?
  • edited November -1
    I am feeding her Nutro Puppy...I continued the food that she was on before we got her. And from the pet store people the said it was a good brand. I mix my other dog's dog food with her's too but hasn't gotten her smell.

    Ingredients
    Chicken Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Wheat Flour, Rice Bran, Ground Rice, Poultry Fat (preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Ground Whole Wheat, Chicken, Natural Flavors, Fish Oil (source of DHA, preserved with mixed Tocopherols, a source of Vitamin E), Salt, Sodium Bicarbonate, Potassium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Yeast Culture, Lecithin, Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Dried Kelp, Iron Oxide, Garlic Flavor, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Biotin, Copper Sulfate, Niacin, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin (source of Vitamin B2), Vitamin A Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K activity), Folic Acid.
  • edited April 2009
    How long have you had her, and where did you get her from(breeder, pet store, rescue)?
  • edited November -1
    Beebe has that funky, cheesey, sometimes musky smell. It turns out she has an immune deficiency and atopy. She's on allergy shots and antihystamines, but even after that and regular bathing, she still smells compared to Ike (who never smells, it's not typical for them to smell bad) and continues to feel damp or sweaty. A diet change really helped. She never cultured out yeast, but she sure smelled yeasty at times, especially her feet and groin. That has really decreased noticably since eliminating grains (even if there is not an allergy to grain, grain provides a sugary environment that yeast can take hold in). Try grain free, hope that helps.
  • edited November -1
    I agree with Lindsay. Bella is allergic to corn, and before we figured that out, she always had a funky odor. Once we got her on a grain free diet, she definitely started to smell MUCH better. I would suggest switching your pup to a grain free food and see if this helps at all.
  • edited April 2009
    Our female shiba had a funky smell when we were feeding her food with corn in it as well.

    Try looking for a food that is either grain free or corn free (fills with rice instead). Some foods that are easier to find are Canidae All Life Stages - they make grain free versions, one is fish based (both your dogs can eat it), Naturapet Innova Puppy Dry Puppy Food, Merrick Puppy Plate, Solid Gold Hundchen Flocken Puppy (lamb), Wellness Just For Puppy...
    (more info here: www.dogfoodanalysis.com)


    Just an FYI, Nutro Pet Foods (owned by MARS) is currently under FDA investigation for pet illness and deaths related to consumption of their foods.
    http://www.doggedhealth.com/component/content/article/915-health y-dog-in-depth/1420-fda-investigates-nutro-pet-foods-april-20-2009.html
  • edited November -1
    I have some experience here. I also thought my dog smelled a bit funky while she was a puppy. Prior to her I lived with dogs for 2 years so I knew that my shiba inu's smell wasn't as bad as the dogs (maltese, golden retriever) that I lived with before. But as she got older, the smell kind of just went away. And it is not because I got used to it because I always get compliments on having a dog that doesnt smell/funk up my room. So in my experience, time fixed the smell. But there are some great suggestions posted so far so I suggest trying those too.
  • edited November -1
    that nutro puppy stuff is not good. it gave my pup the runs at first when he started on it and then really soft poop so i just switched foods.
    the people at the pet store will tell you anything, especially if they are trying to sell you a dog or a big bag of food
    I asked if my pup was doing okay eating that stuff and they said "ya he has been doing great and its what he is used to"...he was eating it for less than a week, how would they know
    but he didn't smell. he really doesn't smell at all unless he gets wet
  • edited November -1
    Thank you everyone for all your replies...but to answer your questions.

    How long have you had her, and where did you get her from(breeder, pet store, rescue)?
    I have had her for about a month, and i rehomed her from a couple who bought her from i'm guessing a backyard breeder, they didn't want to give me their breeders info so i didn't push it.

    Her original owners started her on nutro and to my knowledge she has never had diarrhea. She also has no other signs of allergies (i.e. itching, licking her paws, sneezing) but her top coat seems to be a little thin by her neck but i dont know if her parents look like that.

    Yah nutro doesn't sound good to me anymore. I'll try to transition her off it to see if it helps her smell.
  • edited November -1
    Keiko doesn't really smell... except her paws, which I think smell like Doritos ...
  • edited November -1
    Here is a great thread about dog food. It's a great resource if you're looking for a different food.
  • edited November -1
    tsukitsune- That's interesting about the FDA investigating Nutro (link no longer works, but googling did). I'll have to tell my sister, since she feed her schipperke Nutro's Natural Choice, about this. I'm ok with the brand, but feel there could be better for him; and even though they say he is really picky, he'll eat the wellness we give our guys.

    Yuri-Try stopping by any nearby pet stores you'd buy dogfood from, and make a list of what they sell. This really helps in researching what options are available to you if you don't plan on having the food shipped.
  • edited November -1
    Evan - Jazz's paws smell like Fritos

    Yuri - You can also go to most of the company websites and use their dealer locater to find those stores close by that carry the different brands to try.
  • edited April 2009
    Yuri - If you want and Romi is ok with it, you could buy from The Pet Kitchen and I could pick it up and deliver it to you either tomorrow or Sunday. We're thinking about driving up to Pomona for a powwow and you're on the way.
  • edited April 2009
    We did not have the best of luck on Neutro and switched a long time ago. Your best bet is getting on a better brand of food.

    The paws smelling like Fritos is a sign of either licking too much with an underlying yeasty bacterial growth or stepping in pee in some cases if they are not house trained yet. Changing the food and or getting the body in balance should change some of the smells.

    PS: Oh I forgot to mention when puppies teeth they tend to be a little more stinky. A wet washcloth twisted and frozen is good to give for teething under supervision. Brushing is good too so you can get them started early. Generally at a young age you can get cooperation because pups like to chew on the tooth brush when you brush their teeth with tasty toothpaste.

    Snf
  • edited November -1
    Yes, not to scare anyone but we lost our German shepherd to Dog food contamination/poisoning about a yeah ago....It was Nutro.
    Since then i swore to never feed to Nutro to any of my dogs again...
    so just be careful
  • edited November -1
    We feed our dogs Nutro Ultra, and haven't had any issues we used to have them on the cheaper Nutro and their skin was dry if we didn't add the salmon oil to their food. Not sure if we should change or not since we haven't seen any issues.

    image
  • edited November -1
    Dexter- wow... im sorry for your loss and thanks for sharing that with us. im NEVER going to get nutro brand from now on.
  • edited November -1
    Tabitha - according to dog food analysis:
    http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=14&cat=all


    As Nutro is under investigation now, it seems unclear whether its only a select few formulas or the entire company. More than likely, there is an issue with an ingredient or their processing that is making dogs ill, which may turn out to affect all of their food manufactured at the same location. If the food works for you though, then it is your call!
    Just keep your eyes peeled on updates to the FDA investigation:
    http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2009/04/nutro_foia.html
  • edited November -1
    Both Roxy & Oso's feet smell like corn chips!!! Sometimes when their paws are sweating the whole room will smell like corn ships... Must be a shiba thing
  • edited November -1
    Dexter- I'm sad to hear about your German Shepherd.

    Shiba Girl- Corn chips how funny.

    Update: I temporarily took her off nutro and she smells a little better.
  • edited November -1
    Hope she improves from here on out!
  • edited November -1
    Hmmm I am worried if we should change foods or not after reading up on the situation. What is a good food that isn't tooooooo expensive, my hubby just got laid off (dang economy) but is luckily receiving unemployment for the time being so we are on a budget. I have considered making their food at home but not sure about where to start with that and how cost effective it is. Plus Remy has a sensitive tummy, anything really different and he has what I call a blowout in his kennel at night. Not a pretty thing to wake up to. He hasn't done this in a while though but I don't feed him anything out of the ordinary except maybe for the tiny piece of carrot or single piece of pasta. When I am cooking Guinness will try anything (I will occasionally give him a piece of apple, carrot , or whatever veggy I am cutting up while making dinner that is safe for dogs to eat)

    Any advice?
  • edited November -1
    For kibble, there is an absolutely phenomenal thread on Dogster's Nutrition forum called "Good Dog Food For Those on a Budget"
    Link: http://www.dogster.com/forums/Food_and_Nutrition/thread/522883

    For homecooking, there are tons of websites and online info and other forums. There are books, like "The Healthy Dog Cookbook" or Dr. Pitcairn's book has a lot of nutritional wellness tidbits.
  • edited November -1
    Thanks for the help!
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