I adopted an 8-week-old puppy from a breeder. He's been with us for a week now and he has this really strong, musky smell. When we went to visit the breeder, all the puppies had the same smell; they were living outside in a pen with 11 other pups and were basically toileting everywhere they lived.
We've given him a bath using a very gentle puppy shampoo, which got the dirt off, but he still stinks just as much. I've even tried a diluted apple cider vinegar rinse, as well as drying and brushing him, but nothing seems to work! The smell is honestly awful, poor little thing. Does anyone know where this could be coming from? Has this ever happened to you?
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Heeeyyyy! Is there a specific accreditation or "label" for breeders here in the UK? You know, to see if they actually know their stuff and are properly looking after the puppies and the parents? xxxx gigi397
Thanks for your replies and all the advice, I'm going to give the baking soda trick a go. We’re heading to the vet later this week to get him checked out properly, but he seems in great form.
Regarding the breeder, that’s really not what this is about and those comments were a bit out of place. However, just so you know, they are fully registered and have their licence number clearly displayed; they’re the first result that comes up when you search for their name.
The people running it do it for the love of dogs—they’re very transparent and lovely. They’ve rarely had any issues, especially considering how many puppies they’ve rehomed.
As for the puppy’s injury, he has been seen now. I’ve got all his paperwork and his health certificate; she even gave me a bit of a discount, and his wound is actually healing up really well.
What I didn't realise was that she hadn't taken him to the vet straight away because a friend of hers, who’s a student vet, was looking after him for a week.
Thanks for your concern, though. I know there are plenty of dodgy breeders out there, but this one really doesn’t deserve a bad reputation. :)
I’m not going to repeat what @Misantrope has said, as they are spot on. Please take all of that on board.
The puppy was injured at the breeder's about three weeks ago and the breeder didn't want to take him to the vet at the time, going by your previous posts.
I don't need to ask any more questions to see that this so-called breeder sounds anything but trustworthy. I suspect that if we asked for their official licence number, you wouldn't be able to give it to us as it's probably not even on the dog's paperwork...
I strongly urge you to get the puppy to a vet quickly. That smell could be a sign of a potentially serious infection in a pup of that age.
Honestly, it seems like we’re dealing with yet another case today of puppies being handed over to their new owners far too early by unscrupulous breeders! A puppy shouldn’t be leaving its mother until it's at least ten weeks old. On top of that, it sounds like the hygiene standards were clearly not up to scratch. I hope you at least managed to get all of its paperwork and health records. As for the smell, the poor little thing can’t help it. I don’t know what breed your pup is, but certain woolly coats hold onto odours much more than others. It’s likely his coat is soaked in urine, and as it sits, it gives off a strong ammonia smell that’s very tough to shift. You can try sprinkling some bicarbonate of soda onto his fur, rubbing it in well, and then giving him a good brush. You can repeat this a few times. There’s no guarantee it’ll work, but your little one is far too young for a harsh, deep-cleansing shampoo.
