Holly is a really horrible stinky, smelly dog with awful wind and lose stools after exercise. I've been pacing her in the garden today for about 15 mins and she smells awful now :( It always happens and when she's out on her walk she poos very loose stools that are awful to pick up. She pooed on the floor at ringcraft last week and I'm sure she's going to do the same tonight :o

It doesn't seem to matter when she's last been fed, she still smells :( I'm not going to feed her again till we've come back from ringcraft.

Any suggestions?

Fiona
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Fiona,
Do you have her on hard kibble or soft (canned) food? I've found that canned stuff even mixed in with kibble makes my dogs really gassy. Too rich. Just a thought.

Also have you had her checked for worms? That'll do it too... unfortunately.

You do realize you're now going to start the whole debate going off again between Kibble [$ Barf fanciers??? ]) ;) :) :)

toodles

She's on dry food, until I get my act together and change her over to BARF, and doesn't get anything else to eat, except the occasional bit of ham when she's very good (when we've been out for a couple of hours and she's been left at home).

When I'm training I bait/reward her with dry kibble, we don't feed her wet tinned food because it smells the fridge out :(

She's been wormed and isn't due to be done again for a while (can't remembet how long without looking on the calendar.

She gets 30mins walking excercise every day plus 4 or 5 x 15min training sessions in the garden. she poos properly during the day at home but as soon as she's walking/running it's really loose.

She smells so bad at the moment I don't dare light a match, the whole house would go up :D :D :D

Fiona
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Samma's always been an odd one. Her poop is pretty much solid, small, & firm. But if we've been out on the trail & she's had several bowel movements after running & walking around ... each one gets thinner & thinner until she's really straining. It's almost as if gravity is clearing out the contents of her guts before it's really ready to come out. (I can't believe I'm writing about this!!!!!).

Chienne doesn't have the problem & never has even when they were eating the same kibble.

Samma also used to have a serious problem with gas & in the winter, it would become a debate to determine if it was a "puppy fart" or a "hubby fart" The difference...she'd look embarrassed & he'd look proud

Wish I could help you out more.... perhaps it has to do with protein amount in her food making it too rich or too concentrated for her to digest. like beans or something on that train of thought

good luck dearie... I"m sure someone will come up with something here to help out :)
toodles

So when you go over to the Barf Fiona, will you train/bait/reward her with a chicken leg ;-)

Probably :D :D :D :D :D One thing I do know, is she won't be getting any cabbage, imagine the smell then :D :D :D

Fiona
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Fiona, I think the excitement gets to her, quite a few young spaniels seem to suffer from it. I would imagine she charges around, barely able to contain her excitement, tail going like the clappers?

Another reason that I heard years ago, is that being hunting dogs, they like to expel everything when/during hunting, to make way for the next meal that they are hoping to catch. I guess it stems from their 'wild' days when they used to hunt naturally, and never knew where or when their next meal would be caught. Not sure if I believe it or not, but there may be some logic to it.

Toddles,

Even Barf and Kibble Fanciers LOL :-)))

Pam

Couldn't resist

:D Toodles. Well I don't have any problem with Fiona feeding BARF, done properly I reckon it could be just as good as complete ;)

Naw, wasn't talking about the moderates in the "gang" ....but those who are really to the edge on each side.

ducking and taking cover from the fallout when everyone gets home from work

Fiona - it may not be the food at all. It may just be down to her reaction to the excitement of going somewhere!

I think you are on to something there Lara

That's what I'm worried about :D If it is just excitement how are we going to stop it???????? She smells so bad that Issy pointed at Holly this morning and said "Poo" and went to get one of her clean nappies :D

Fiona
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Fiona..
not trying to imply anything by this.... but is the area under her tail trimmed clear of hair?? Sometimes the anal glands will vacuate in times of eager excitment & while pooing, but the hair makes everything smell worse.

Don't worry Sara, no offence caused :) Holly's bum is clean, the hair is trimmed nice and short. Would emptying her glands make any difference do you think??

Fiona
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If she smells like rotten fish then it could well be excitement expressing her anal glands!

That could well be it Lara. Any suggestions on how I can stop her doing it, or is it just time and patience?

Fiona
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No - it's an involuntary action on her part. She can't help it.
Try rubbing a scented baby wipe around her bottom when you get back.

Yes... and it can be completely clear liquid that dries almost immediately. If there's even a drop on her...it will REEK!!!!!!!

added: forgot to say that if it gets on fabric, it'll have even an odder smell -- sometimes like aged burning plastic with fish thrown in

I think Issy just provided the solution :D

One of my HWV's was like this. He was fine at home but during training, ringcraft or agility he became very loose and pooed a lot almost straining. It was stress.Stress can be positive as well as negative. Excitement is stress and this can cause the bowel probs.I used to just be prepared!
Diane

fiona on a different thread you say she pees in puddles then drinks it- goodness knows what else is in the puddle, bad enough her own pee, might that not be some of the problem-what kibble are you feeding her?

If the stools are soft she may have over full anal glands, some dogs always have soft stools and it seems imposible to do anything about it but if you can correct that the anal glands will empty as they should. You could try some of the sugestions often mentioned when someone posts under diarrhoea. Jackie H

I don't know what dry food you give her but those with wheat and glutten affect some dogs (value mix etc) and not others.

Fiona - she's not grabbing mouthfuls of sheeps dung is she? Mine keep diving on it at the moment every walktime, as if they never get fed. There are so many sheep around here at the moment that its hard to avoid.
Lorna ;) ;)

dudley be careful as i think its if the sheep have been wormed they can cause damage to dogs?

Hi, You could try giving her a little powdered charcoal in her food. If the smell IS her poo, rather than anal glands it may improve things a bit. Do I really want this dog in my house!!!! LOL. Only joking. :-)

Thanks Dizzy, its so hard to stop them. Even keeping on the lead they still lurch towards the nearest pile. I try to avoid the "recent sheep" fields and walk elsewhere at the moment. Tonight they have had a lovely swim at some nearby lakes. Just the way to cool off after a hot day.
Lorna

Thanks everyone for your replies.

Holly didn't smell or poo at ringcraft last night :D Mind you we were outside so it's hard to know if she was smelly, but no-one commented on it.

She's currently fed on Bakers Complete puppy and during the day her poo is firm and dry, easy to pick up etc. It's only when we're out on a walk or she's on her lead that she smells and her poo is loose and sticky. She always does a poo on the patio before we leave the house but she will poo several times whilst we're out and it gets looser and stickier the further we go.

She's only recently started drinking puddles, since the weather has become warmer, so I don't think that has anything to do with it. She's also never been near sheep dung so that can't be it.

When we're out on a walk or at ringcraft she's constantly on the go and her little stump doesn't stop wagging (she's been known to fall over because she's wagging her bum so much :) ).

I've always got baby wipes with me, because of Isabelle, so I'll try those on Holly's bum.

Thanks for all your help,

Fiona
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