My cousin Amy has a 2-year-old Boxer Max. He brings fun to her family, her kids adore Max but Amy’s husband Tim has a big issue with him. Max is a great dog but sometimes he smells really bad. He leaves the unpleasant smell on the couch, sometimes the whole room has a specific funky smell. So where does the bad smell come from?
Boxer dogs may smell bad for a variety of reasons. Poor hygiene and care or opposite to this -too frequent baths. Boxers may also have a bad smell due to a number of health issues ( skin, ear infections, impacted anal glands, bad breath). Due to high humidity and hot weather Boxers can emit a foul smell.
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Ear And Skin Infections As a Cause of Bad Smell in Boxers
If you noticed that the bad smell comes from your dog’s face, you have several spots to look for the reason.
The most common reason for the bad smell that comes from the face is Ear and Skin Infections.
Boxers are prone to different kinds of skin infections. According to the experts from Prestige Animal Hospital, one type is Malassezia dermatitis caused by a kind of yeast.
Yeast may infect the ears and then your Boxer starts to feel itchy, his ears become red, and the brown, waxy discharge starts to accumulate.
As you can guess this is the source of the bad smell. The same yeast can attack the skin, leaving greasy and hairless areas, usually around the throat and the neck producing an unpleasant odor.
Any kind of skin or ear infection must be treated as soon as possible. Your vet will prescribe necessary medications (creams, solutions or baths /shampoos) that will help your dog to get rid of itchiness, discomfort and bad smell.
Dental Problems and Bad Breath as A Cause of Bad Smell in Boxers
Dental problem and bad breath is another issue that boxers are prone to. Oh boy, how their breath can be stinky! Of course, regular brushing and yearly teeth check-up are very important but sometimes things can go wrong no matter what you do.
The dog can develop an infected tooth even if you take good care of his mouth. Plaque and tartar build-up ( after plaque hardens, becomes tartar ) may lead to bacteria invasion which further will lead to a very bad smell coming out from your pet’s mouth.
Not only teeth may become infected but also your Boxer’s gums. Overall, dental care is super important, not only to prevent bad smell but also to keep your dog healthy and happy.
Bad breath can also be an indicator of some other diseases. For example, if you notice a fruity /sweet smell that is coming from your dog’s mouth then you should check your Boxer blood sugar level and the possibility that he has diabetes.
If his breath smells like fish ( and he didn’t eat fish) it indicates infection. You may also note a urine odor that comes from your pet’s mouth – it’s a red flag, as it can point to kidney disease.
Allergies As a Cause of Bad Smell in Boxers
Seasonal or food allergies may cause different kind of inflammation which can increase the secretion of oils from certain glands, which further may produce an unpleasant smell.
For example, you may notice that your dog’s feet smell odd, like popcorn or something like that. That smell usually comes from bacteria but why bacteria have attacked your Boxer’s feet in the first place. Usually, it starts with allergies, your dog is running around, enjoy great weather and soft grass but allergens start to embed on his feet.
The presence of allergens result in discomfort and itchiness, Boxer is licking his paws, trying to remove the source of discomfort. The wet surface is perfect for bacteria but also yeasts and they are just waiting for the right moment to attack. Once they do, the bad smell starts to appear.
You can prevent this scenario by wiping his feet thoroughly after every walk. You will remove all allergens this way.
Another thing you can do is to soak your Boxer’s feet into white vinegar solution (1 part of vinegar and two parts of water). You can also mix water with 2 tablespoons of baking soda, soak his paws and then rinse with vinegar. Some dogs can be sensitive but for most Boxers, mild vinegar solution shouldn’t cause any problem.
Boxers and Flatulence/Gas Problems
Boxers also have gas and flatulence problems, which is quite normal due to their face structure. On passing gas scale dogs, in general, are somewhere around humans.
The experts say that if your Boxer passes gas 5-10 times a day, that is just fine. So even though passing gases can be a rather smelly thing, it happens. But if it happens more then 10 times a day and if the gasses have an especially bad smell then you should consider few things:
Does your Boxer eat too fast?
If do, he brings a lot of air along with food. Bad smell and gasses are just one consequence. The other is that the food that is eaten too quickly was not chewed properly and can cause different kinds of intestinal problems such as flatulence, bloat.
When the dog eats too quickly, that reduces the amount of saliva and enzymes that should help with food digestion. All of these can lead to serious gastrointestinal problems.
What you can do if your Boxer eats too fast?
- Switch his regular food bowl for the slow-feeder bowl. This type of food bowl has internal shapes such as tunnels, channels, and barriers that promote slow ingestion. Believe it or not, this kind of bowl can make your Boxer eat even 5 times slower than usual
- Don’t feed your dog right after physical activity. The dog will eat much faster if he breathes heavily.
- Some dogs may have only one big meal per day. Boxers should have at least 2 smaller meals on daily basis. But if you have a Boxer that tends to eat fast, split the recommended amount of food to 3 or even 4 smaller meals a day. That should reduce the problem with flatulence and gases.
Does Certain Food Cause Gas in Boxers?
Meat – even though dog food must be meat-based, some types of meat may cause excessive gas in your Boxer. What you can do in that case is to switch the fish-based food for a lamb based food or via verse and see what happens.
Corn – is not digestible and that is why it can cause gas in dogs. Why then you can find it in dog food? Well, because it’s cheap and it’s filler food. It’s pretty common to find a significant corn content in low priced dog food.
Broccoli – although broccoli contains vitamins A and C, folic acid, and many useful minerals and fibers, if your Boxer eats it too often, it can cause gases. Feed your canine with peas or green beans instead.
Starches – another low-cost ingredient that can be found in commercial dog food and the main reason for that is that food rich in starch has a longer shelf life. Even though it’s not totally bad for dogs, it’s even a source of energy, however, too much of it can cause gases.
Dairy products – there are some dairy products that dogs can consume, such as yogurt but you should definitely avoid feeding your Boxer with milk or cheese as those can cause terrible gases in your dog.
Table scraps – sometimes we cannot say no to those beautiful eyes that are begging us just for one bite… but we should never give our Boxers any of table scraps, especially food rich in fat or sugar. Salty food also appears to be unhealthy for dogs.
There are some health conditions that can also cause excessive gas in Boxers :
- Respiratory problems – if Boxer has problems with breathing, he will eat faster which will lead to excessive gases
- Inflammatory bowel disease – caused by bacterial invasion in the small intestine. Apart from gases, other symptoms may occur such as vomiting, diarrhea, or less stool than usual. Traces of blood in the stool can also be found.
- Problem with the pancreas – in this case, your Boxer might have a problem with food absorption. The symptoms are flatulence, gases, fever, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and dehydration.
- Tumors and cancers – if the Boxer has abnormal tissue growth, no matter it’s benign or malignant, it can cause excessive gases.
What Other Health Conditions May Cause Bad Smell In Boxers?
Urinary Tract Infection
According to specialists from Prestige Animal Hospital, if you notice that your pet smells like urine, that he needs to go out more often, has difficulty urinating, you should definitely visit the vet as most probably your Boxer has some kind of urinary infection.
Not only urinary infection may cause that bad urine odor that comes from your dog. He might also have some problems with kidneys, like kidney stones or some kind of fungal infection. In all cases, you need to go to the vet as all these conditions require vets attention.
Impacted Anal Glands
Anal glands are small glands situated on both sides of your Boxer’s rectum. If they are in perfect shape you shouldn’t feel any odor that comes from that area.
If you do feel some bad ”fishy smell, maybe the glands are impacted and need to be expressed. Some owners do this on their own but if you are not sure how to do that or you would like someone else to do that nasty work, ask the vet or the professional groomer for help.
How Often Should I Bath My Boxer?
Lack of grooming and poor hygiene is another reason a Boxer stinks. Boxers need a proper bath every couple of months (but not more often than 1-2 months) and you should use a mild shampoo that is recommended for dogs.
If your dog has sensitive skin then look for shampoo for dogs with allergies. After you bathe him, make sure you dry him completely.
Don’t bathe your dog too often as you will get totally opposite result. Instead of having a clean dog fresh as a daisy, you will get a smelly dog with a range of skin problems.
Of course, your dog will get dirty between baths a million times but in that case, you can use a damp cloth or dog cleaning wet wipes or even unscented baby wipes.
It’s also important to brush your dog regularly. This helps your dog to get rid of dirt, dead skin cells, dried saliva.
Also, you need to clean his ears as a part of regular grooming. You can purchase an ear cleaning solution or you can use a cotton ball soaked in green tea ( room temperature) as an alternative.
Brush your Boxers teeth on daily basis. Pick some nice chicken-flavored toothpaste and do the work. Good dental hygiene and healthy gums and teeth may prolong your Boxer’s life for up to 2 years!
Don’t forget to keep your dog’s belongings clean. Especially his bed, collar, toys…
If you cannot stand the smell that your dog leaves on the sofa /couch get some couch covers. You can find great ones in Walmart, they are two-sided. Wash them frequently.
Also, you can use fabric freshener/ odor neutralizer products such as Febreze or Whip-It. One thing- never use these products on the dog itself, just on the fabric, and don’t let the dog use that fabric until it’s completely dry.
Remember always to dry the dog completely if he is wet because wet dog stinks. The water releases the smell of dirt, dried feces that can be found on a dog’s coat and that’s why a wet dog smells worse than a dry one.
