Wiener Writings

Wiener Writings => Health Concerns => Topic started by: Rocks Mom on December 19, 2005, 05:52:00 PM

Title: Smelly Feet!!!!!
Post by: Rocks Mom on December 19, 2005, 05:52:00 PM
hi, i know this may sound crazy but Rock has been having this problem lately with a foot odor. it doesnt seem to be related to the outdoors in any way,he gets bathed at least 3x a week and i havent been using anything new on his coat. its just that his paws have an awful odor!! almost as it smells like aging cheese! i dont want anyone to think that my dog is unhealthy or smelly im just puzzled on what can be causing this. if anyone has experienced this or has any idea how i can treat this please reply.  Rocks Mom :scratch:
Title: Re: Smelly Feet!!!!!
Post by: Leslie on December 19, 2005, 06:35:36 PM
I would say 3 baths a week may be too many.  You can strip the natural oils from a dog's coat and leave it dry and brittle.  Not to mention what this might do to his skin. Are you bathing him only because of his foot odor or is he generally stinky?

As for the feet--are they really cheesy or more, like frito chips?  Beause it's natural for a dachshund to have feet that smell like fritos.  No kidding!

Without knowing what you feed the little guy I would suggest a vet check-up.  The vet might swab between his toes and see if there is a fungus or infection.  See what (s)he suggests.  In the meantime, if ya really can't stand it, just clean his feet with baby wipes, rather than giving him the baths.

Let us know!
Title: Re: Smelly Feet!!!!!
Post by: Rocks Mom on December 20, 2005, 05:50:48 AM
Thanks for the info about stinky feet. Yes they do smell like fritos , my husband says that I am crazy but in the long run I was right and you say that it is a normal odor for him  RIGHT!!!! He did have a problem a while ago with a fungus on his coat and the vet treated it with an oral med and a shampoo. The vet had me bathing him everyday for a while to rid him of this fungus.
Thanks for the baby wipe tip I will use it and hope that it settles it down.... :thumb:
I am so glad that we found this site to have people to chat with about my Lil man it is so  cool!   Rocks Mom
Title: Re: Smelly Feet!!!!!
Post by: April on December 20, 2005, 08:04:15 AM
The famous "frito feet" can be made more noticeable by feeding foods with corn in them.  So if it bothers you might want to eliminate corn from his diet.  Personally I love the frito feet smell when I wake up in the morning.  It just reminds me I am loved by a dachsie!  lol 
Title: Re: Smelly Feet!!!!!
Post by: Kari on December 20, 2005, 08:42:06 AM
Yep - Penny's definitely got the Frito feet! Gotta smile when I smell them  :grin:
Title: Re: Smelly Feet!!!!!
Post by: BridgetLouise on December 20, 2005, 09:40:23 AM
I thought I was nuts thinking that Bridget's feet smelled like Fritos til I started reading posts about it here.  Yep.....definitely frito feet here too. 
Title: Re: Smelly Feet!!!!!
Post by: Brekkesmom on December 20, 2005, 01:40:22 PM
 :2funny:  Love the new-to-dachsie people finding out about frito feeties!   :thumb:  It is sure a lot better to smell those frito feet than the pungent smell of released anal glands, huh?   :crazyeyes:
Title: Re: Smelly Feet!!!!!
Post by: April on December 20, 2005, 02:31:43 PM
Quote from: Brekkesmom on December 20, 2005, 01:40:22 PM
:2funny: Love the new-to-dachsie people finding out about frito feeties! :thumb: It is sure a lot better to smell those frito feet than the pungent smell of released anal glands, huh? :crazyeyes:

Boy isn't that the truth!  I've had to express Cajsa's too often for my nose!  It's better than a huge vet bill though if they got impacted or something...
Title: Re: Smelly Feet!!!!!
Post by: lunakat on December 20, 2005, 05:28:42 PM
Can someone please explain this expressing anal gland thing?  :scratch: New doxie owner and i am not familiar with what this entails. Enquiring minds wants to know...
Title: Re: Smelly Feet!!!!!
Post by: Leslie on December 20, 2005, 05:50:44 PM
Quote from: lunakat on December 20, 2005, 05:28:42 PM
Can someone please explain this expressing anal gland thing?  :scratch: New doxie owner and i am not familiar with what this entails. Enquiring minds wants to know...

okay-in a nutshell: Anal glands are glands located right next to the rectum.  They contain some rather foul (sometimes fishy-smelling) gland liquid.  I don't know why dogs have 'em, maybe it's a scent identification thing?  BUT the dachshund has been bred to be sooooooooo long that it cannot clean its nether regions well enough and sometimes these glands get backed up.  This can result in minor stink or serious life threatening problems.  If the glands become impacted (full and blocked) they can become abscessed and/or infected.  So, to prevent serious problems, the glands must be "expressed" or emptied.  Personally, I cannot seem to master this little technique and prefer to pay the vet to do it as I am afraid I will hurt my doggies.  The liquid is thick and foul, but otherwise normal.  If your doggie "scoots" or has a foul odor that is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay nastier than regular poo odor  :crazyeyes:, have him checked for full (or impacted) anal glands.

Loki gets hers done when she gets her toenails trimmed.  Zuzu usually ends up at the vet for one thing or another about 3 times a year, so I have it done then.

Hmmm, aren't yo GLAD you asked???   :grin:
Title: Re: Smelly Feet!!!!!
Post by: lunakat on December 20, 2005, 06:00:29 PM
Thanks for the explanation. No smelly glands yet. Just horrible gas. :crazyeyes: How do you learn this technique? How often should it be done?
Title: Re: Smelly Feet!!!!!
Post by: Roberta on December 21, 2005, 03:29:36 AM
The anal gland thing comes about when the glands are not used, so feed them soft foods they don't have to use them. Not to be crude what happens when you , yes hummmnaaaann don't get vegies etc  we don't work well in the bowel area, well they need non soft gooey easy to eat food so the glands produce the mucus  that helps pooh out. itf they do solid formed poo you are doing good.
roberta
ps do you look at your own poo, if at least some of it does not float, reajust your diet, you lack fibre. I might add I work in pathology. it is a natural thing in life, and tells a lot.
Title: Re: Smelly Feet!!!!!
Post by: April on December 21, 2005, 07:50:34 AM
Well, I learned because Cajsa got an infection that wouldn't go away unless they were emotied a few times a week.  They'd just back up and cause discomfort for her.  At the vet's office they do an internal expression where they wear gloves and squeeze the glandswith one finger inside the dog.  I don't do the internal one even though it clears them better.  Generally if I am able to relieve the pressure for her(when they start bothering her) things work out on it's own. 
To be honest you may never have to worry about doing it as the dachsie I had before never had any problems and she lived nearly 10 years before she was killed.  (She got loose and ran into the road so always be cautious about your puppers being kept away from the road!)
Title: Re: Smelly Feet!!!!!
Post by: Krista on December 21, 2005, 11:39:07 AM
Some dachshunds have problems with glands regularly, others never do and others need help from time to time with them.

Some signs that the glands may be full, blocked or infected:


There are websites that can explain how to empty glands, but you would be wise to get a vet, vet tech or experienced dog groomer to show you how to do it externally sometime. 

It is not necessary for all dogs to have their glands emptied, so you may never need to do it all, but it is also common for a dog to have problems with the glands.
Title: Re: Smelly Feet!!!!!
Post by: lunakat on December 21, 2005, 06:17:09 PM
Okay, was glad this was clarified. As for the sinkers or swimmers in Human poo, yep, floater are healthier. I work as Student Nurse and see more than my fair share of human poo.... Thanx for the helpful info! That's what is so great about this board.... :grin:
Title: Re: Smelly Feet!!!!!
Post by: Rocks Mom on December 25, 2005, 06:21:35 AM
ok how did we get from the feet to the butt ???????????even though the info was informative it was also kinda yuck!
Title: Re: Smelly Feet!!!!!
Post by: Barb on December 28, 2005, 09:08:14 AM
LOL !!!!!   All parts of the long body's that we love......  HA !!!  Focus on informative....not the yucky !!!!   I have tried to do my kids anal glands - but just can't get it - so I let the vet do it !
Title: Fritos Feet & Funky Butt
Post by: Eileen on December 28, 2005, 02:51:06 PM
I just HAD to chuckle at these posts.  You guys are right on with everything and it just makes us all feel better to share Fritos Feet and Funky Butts.  I absolutely LOVE my dogs' frito feet.  In fact, when I smelled that smell the first time, I always wondered what I could compare it to until one of you said the "frito" word!  Just take a bag of fritos and smell, then smell your woobie's feet.  Presto!  That's it.  As for the butt thing, Schnitzel only lets the vet techs (girls) at my vet do the expression, and even then it is "ify".  Her glands fill up more than the others but I will not have them removed.  Last time the techs had to fumigate the room afterwards and change their clothes!!!  That's my Schnitzel.  If she sees the guy vet coming towards her with a gloved hand, the Cujo in her comes out.  I agree that it would be worth a vet check just to make sure there is no fungus there, though.  Then you will know it's just the FFDT - Fritos Feet Doxie Thing.

Happy New Year everybody!!