Say Goodbye to Dog Odor with Natural Remedies

| Modified on Aug 22, 2024
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Dog in the Kitchen.

Dog odor can be an unpleasant issue for pet owners, but it’s a common problem that can usually be managed with the right care and attention. Whether it’s a persistent smell or just a temporary issue, natural remedies can help keep your dog smelling fresh without the need for harsh chemicals. Here’s how to tackle dog odor using gentle, effective solutions.

Understanding Dog Odor

Dog odor can result from various factors, including poor diet, skin infections, lack of grooming, or even underlying health issues. If your dog’s odor is particularly strong or accompanied by other symptoms like itching, hair loss, or redness, it’s important to consult your veterinarian to rule out any medical conditions. For general odor control, natural remedies can be highly effective.

The Role of Diet in Dog Odor

One of the most significant causes of dog odor is poor-quality food. Just as in humans, what your dog eats plays a crucial role in their overall health, including how they smell. Low-quality dog food often contains fillers, artificial ingredients, and by-products that can lead to poor digestion, resulting in bad breath, skin problems, and body odor. A diet lacking in essential nutrients can also make your dog's coat and skin more prone to infections and excessive oil production, both of which contribute to odor.

Switching to a high-quality, balanced diet can make a dramatic difference in your dog’s odor. Look for dog food that lists real meat as the first ingredient, and avoid foods with unnecessary fillers like corn, soy, and wheat. Additionally, incorporating fresh, whole foods such as lean meats, vegetables, and healthy fats can improve digestion and overall health, leading to a fresher-smelling dog. If you're unsure about the best diet for your dog, consult your veterinarian for recommendations tailored to your pet's specific needs.

Top Natural Remedies for Dog Odor

Here are some of the best natural remedies to help reduce and eliminate dog odor, keeping your pet smelling fresh and clean:

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is a natural deodorizer with antibacterial properties that can help neutralize odors. You can use it as a rinse after bathing your dog by diluting one part apple cider vinegar with three parts water. Pour the mixture over your dog’s coat, avoiding the eyes, and let it sit for a few minutes before rinsing thoroughly. Apple cider vinegar can also be added to your dog’s drinking water (1 teaspoon per quart of water) to help balance their internal pH, which can reduce odor from the inside out.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is not only great for your dog’s coat but also helps combat odor. Its antimicrobial properties help fight the bacteria that cause bad smells. You can add a small amount of coconut oil to your dog’s food daily or apply it directly to their coat. Rub a small amount into your hands and massage it into your dog’s fur, leaving it on to absorb naturally. Regular use of coconut oil can leave your dog’s coat shiny and smelling pleasant.

Regular Grooming

One of the most effective ways to prevent dog odor is through regular grooming. Brushing your dog’s coat daily helps remove dirt, dead skin cells, and loose fur that can contribute to odor. Regular baths using a mild, natural dog shampoo can also help keep your pet clean and fresh. Be sure to dry your dog thoroughly after baths, as damp fur can lead to a musty smell.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is a natural deodorizer that can be used to eliminate odors on your dog’s coat and in their living area. Sprinkle a small amount of baking soda on your dog’s coat and brush it through to absorb any odors. You can also sprinkle baking soda on your dog’s bedding or in areas where they frequently lie down to neutralize odors.

Lemon Juice

Lemon juice is another natural deodorizer that can help keep your dog smelling fresh. Dilute lemon juice with water (one part lemon juice to three parts water) and use it as a rinse after bathing your dog. The natural acidity of lemon juice helps neutralize odors and leaves a pleasant, fresh scent.

Final Thoughts

Dog odor can be a nuisance, but with these natural remedies and a focus on a high-quality diet, you can keep your pet smelling clean and fresh. Regular grooming, a balanced diet, and the use of natural deodorizers like apple cider vinegar and coconut oil can make a big difference in managing dog odor. If the odor persists despite your best efforts, be sure to consult your veterinarian to rule out any underlying health issues.

Have you tried any of these natural remedies for dog odor? Share your experiences and tips! Continue reading below for advice from Earth Clinic readers who have successfully managed dog odor using natural treatments.


Coconut Oil

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by Lucy (Orlando, Fl) on 04/03/2012
★★★★★

I just got a shitzue.. She is a 6 month puppy with a beautiful coat but cannot stand the dog smell. I searched EC and found out about Coconut Oil. I went and bought Organic 100% coconut oil. I mix two ts to the food and she loves it. I love it even more because she does not smell. Thanks EC

Replied by Rene
(Concord, Nc)
01/04/2013

I seen people were using coconut oil for their dogs for odor and I was wondering what kind. The kind from the cooking section or one from a specialty shop. Thank you so much.

Replied by Wendy
(Columbus, Oh USA)
01/04/2013

Get the Organic Virgin Coconut Oil (Unrefined). Usually comes in a 14-ounce jar. You can find it in your local Whole Foods, Trader Joes, or health food section of your supermarket.

Replied by Rene
(Concord, Nc)
01/04/2013

Wendy thank you so much for responding back about the coconut oil. Hope you have a blessed day.

Replied by Lesley
(High Springs, Florida)
01/19/2014

Coconut oil, the unrefined is more suitable for people, cause it actually has a coconut taste, versus the kind you get in the grocery store. However, the coconut oil you buy in a grocery, is usually not organic unrefined. This is what I give my dogs, the lauric acid repels fleas, helps with hot spots, and makes their skin and coat softer.

The unrefined organic coconut oil is more suited for people versus the coconut oil in the grocery store. But, it also depends on how much you want to spend.

Replied by Vicky
(Shreveport La)
03/12/2014

How much coconut oil should we give for a 2 lbs pomeranian puppy? do I melt it 1st? thanks~

Replied by Theresa
(Mpls., Mn)
03/13/2014

Hey Vicky!

I would start out with 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil. If you start with 1/4 teaspoon am and pm and your dog experiences loose stool, cut it back to 1/8 am and pm, and once your dog tolerates that amount gradually increase.

Most dogs love the taste and will take it right off the spoon. You can melt it and drip it over the food, or just plop it off the spoon on to the food and your dog will most likely lick it right up.


Liver

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by Sharon (Tampa, Florida) on 03/15/2008
★★★★★

Liver works great to kill doggy odor. Beef, chicken, or calf liver- I just cook it in water till most of the pink is gone, cut it up and feed my 4 pomeranians 1/4 cup every second or third day. They sure do love it.


Raw Egg in Their Food

2 User Reviews
5 star (2) 
  100%

Posted by Lacy (Many, Louisiana) on 03/10/2008
★★★★★

My short hair dog had a terrible oder due to flaky skin. I tried giving her oatmeal baths, oils nothing seemed to work and only made it worse. Then I started giving her a raw egg with her food every other day. Not only did she think it was a treat her skin issues are a thing of the past and she smells great. Also I started using coconut oil on her tender and red belly, worked like a charm and if she licks it no worries because it helps her doggy breath.

Replied by Tunesia
(louisville, Ky)
04/11/2009

I put a teaspoon of coconut oil on my shih tzus food every feeding...his coat is beautiful. he had horrible skin allergies.


Raw Egg in Their Food
Posted by Pamela (Granite Falls, Washington) on 08/02/2007
★★★★★

I have 3 small indoor dogs and their pet odor was hard manage even with regular bathing. My sister shared that dogs won't smell bad if you blend a raw egg with a little water and add it to their dry food. I tried it...and it worked like a charm. No more stinky dogs...and my house smells better, too!!!


Shampoo With Selenium Sulfide

1 User Review
5 star (1) 
  100%

Posted by Tamar (Manassas, VA) on 05/09/2009
★★★★★

I spent a fortune trying to get rid of my northern breed's "pukie" smell. The vet dermatologist recommended a specific type of head and shoulders shampoo: that contains selenium sulfide. It worked, even when my dog went wading - as long as I dried him well. There are other shampoos with selenium sulfide. That is the key.


Sweet Potato

4 User Reviews
5 star (4) 
  100%

Posted by Sp (Nashville, Tn) on 04/28/2010
★★★★★

Thank you for your suggestion on the sweet potato. We give both our dogs sweet potato almost everyday for 7 months now and it has helped with the smell, it is especially great for their "dog breathe". We prick the sweet potato with a fork and put in the microwave for 5-7 minutes. Everything the microwave comes on, our dogs sit and wait for their sweet potato.


Sweet Potato
Posted by Tunesia (Louisville, KY) on 04/28/2009
★★★★★

I tried the sweet potato and It works, plus my dog loves it.


Sweet Potato
Posted by Marilyn (Queensbury, New York) on 11/19/2007
★★★★★

My newfie has always had goopy ears and a slight doggy odor about her. At her last chiropractic visit, the chiropractor said that for some reason the big fluffy dogs are more prone to doggy odor and to give her 1/2 of a sweet potato every other day. She said just fix the sweet potato the way that I normally would and give it to her. So, I baked it in the microwave (poke some holes all around, nuke on high for 10 minutes, when done, immediately wrap in aluminum foil and let sit for at least 5 minutes), mashed it up with a little butter and gave it to her. Almost immediately I noticed a big difference - no more doggy odor and BONUS her normally goopy ears were clear and dry!!! Now she gets her sweet potato as prescribed - and they don't cost a fortune.

Replied by Katie
(Anchorage, AK)
08/25/2008

http://www.mercola.com/article/microwave/hazards.htm the following story is at the cite above.

Microwaved blood kills patient. In 1991, there was a lawsuit in Oklahoma concerning the hospital use of a microwave oven to warm blood needed in a transfusion. The case involved a hip surgery patient, Norma Levitt, who died from a simple blood transfusion.

It seems the nurse had warmed the blood in a microwave oven. This tragedy makes it very apparent that there's much more to "heating" with microwaves than we've been led to believe. Blood for transfusions is routinely warmed, but not in microwave ovens. In the case of Mrs. Levitt, the microwaving altered the blood and it killed her.

It's very obvious that this form of microwave radiation "heating" does something to the substances it heats. It's also becoming quite apparent that people who process food in a microwave oven are also ingesting these "unknowns".

Because the body is electrochemical in nature, any force that disrupts or changes human electrochemical events will affect the physiology of the body. This is further described in Robert O. Becker's book, The Body Electric, and in Ellen Sugarman's book, Warning, the Electricity Around You May Be Hazardous to Your Health.
expirement to try,get 2 plants and water them over time 1 plant gets microwaved water and the other gets reg.water.the one with micro.water should die.

Replied by Giulietta
(Gandia, Spain)
09/12/2008

Please be aware everyone, that microwaving food or water renders it unrecogniseable to the body and carcinogenic and it causes irreversible brain damage and early aging. It is frightening to see microwaving acceptable on a site like this. If anyone would like scientific data and proof then I can send it.

Replied by Janice
(Vonore, Tennessee)
09/16/2008

This is in response to Giulietta from Gandia, Spain who states that they can provide proof of microwave dangers. I believe there are extremely dangerous consequences? to using a microwave but my family and friends do not believe this to be true. I would love to be able to show them proof so they will stop using a microwave. Is there any way I can contact this person or at least find out how to acquire this proof?

Replied by Martin
(Nashville, TN)
11/08/2008

To Janice from Vonore: Believing there are negative health aspects or dangers from using a microwave is nothing but paranoia that stems from WWII-era media hype that persists through ignorance.

If you take the time to research how a microwave works, you'll find that all it does is utilize magnetism (a natural phenomenon) and electricity (a natural phenomenon) to cause a process called ionization, which produces heat.

Microwaves (not just the ovens but the actual microwaves produced by them) don't have enough energy to alter the chemical components of any object. So the claim from the poster above that they "render food and water unrecognizable to the body" or that it produces carcinogens is false.

Microwaves have been used in homes and restaurants for over 50 years and no viable research by any respectable member of the scientific community has shown them to be harmful.

A lot of paranoia surrounding microwave ovens comes from the fact that items in a microwave are heated by radiation. But it's important not to confuse "radiation" with "radioactive", two totally separate phenomena. In a microwave, "radiation" simply refers to the fact that heat is produced by waves and rays (same as the sun or an EZBake Oven), and has NOTHING in common with the obviously harmful "radioactive".

Replied by Doggieman
(Atl, Ga)
12/22/2011

Really? Microwaves? Why don't we argue about Abortion or Israel or, or the lunar landing hoax. I thought this thread was about dogs. Thanks to everyone for the SMELLY DOG advice it has already helped. Surprisingly the other stuff doesn't.

Replied by Mrs. Swanson
(Interlachen, Florida)
11/07/2012

never give raw egg to dogs or humans. It will destroy the biotin in the body and nake you very sick. Better to use the coconut oil or seet potato or other such ways to deal with bad odor(including dental exam and cleaning) than to use this dangerous method.

Replied by Sandy
(Seminole, Florida)
11/20/2012
★★★★★

Started my bull dog on sweet potatoes. I micro ONE every day... Give half in the A. M. and the rest as treat through out the day....The microwave nonsense..... What a load.... Why is it that some people will find any means possible to remain in the dark ages. If you don't like or don't have a microwave oven, reasting the potatoes for one hour in a conventional oven will achieve the same results.

Replied by Sharon
(Tampa)
05/29/2014

For everyone looking for an easy way to cook sweet potatoes, consider your crock pot. You can "bake" several spuds at a time on high for an hour or 3, or on low for 6-8 hours, then feed at your convenience. Some crockpots take a little longer to cook. My dogs will eat cold spuds.

Replied by Jeanne
(Mn, US)
08/07/2014

Can you use "canned" sweet potatoes for doggy odor or do they have to be fresh?

Replied by Amy
(Green Bay, Wi)
08/07/2014

Thanks for the crock pot tip! What a great idea.

Can anyone suggest other foods for a balanced diet for my puppy and older chihuahua?

Replied by Diamond
(Ma., US)
08/07/2014

It's best not to give anyone, especially pets, anything from a can, it has preservatives in it.

I give our dog regular natural oatmeal/great mixed with sweet potato; also make sure the oatmeal is not in small packets (instant) as it has sugar. The plain kind you cook is better.

Good Luck

Replied by Carol
(Summerville)
03/14/2015

Dogs will eat raw sweet potatoes. Why are you cooking it?

Replied by Neeta
(Mumbai)
09/05/2015

My 11 year old, active, beagle boy has very strong body odour. Shampoos are not helping. He has candida, very itchy paws, can't give him sweet potatoes. He loves coconut oil and we add a tsp to his meal, am, pm , but it's not helping much. Any suggestions what I can try? Also what food is good for him? He is on home cooked, boneless chicken, Lamb, some veggies diet, grain free.

Replied by Theresa
(Mpls., Mn)
09/07/2015

Hey Neeta!

Please consider borax in the water or baking soda in the water for a systemic yeast infection. The diet you are feeding sounds excellent. I would only consider adding pureed kale or parsley - 2 tbsp each meal raw, not cooked.