ABBEY...Strange Odor

[ArtistKarin]

Dear Traci,

Back again about Abbey...but not about her spaying this time. She's been doing great, back to normal; just trying to keep her form gaining back all the weight she lost, after getting her to lose 10 lbs. before the surgery. My concern right now, is that when she burps...usually approx. for the 20-30 min after she eats; there is a foul odor.

One of the things I told Abbey's vet when she had her annual physical back in August, was that I was concerned that she has 'Pica' since I had been catching her eating her's as well as her housemate's feces, (apparently, this is quite common!). Once I realized this was happening, I became diligent about removing it from the yard as much as is possible. With the frigid temperatures we having been experiencing in the northeast this whole winter...it has become a more difficult task.

The strange thing is, this odor has only been noticeable in the past week. I had been giving her very small amounts of processed cheese as a treat, and thought it might be that; so I stopped giving it to her. Nothing else has changed in her diet, so I don't know what else could be causing it. I'm hoping you have some suggestions I could try before I have to call the vet and have her seen if this persists.

Thanks!

[Traci]

It might not be related to eating feces, but possibly dental. Did the vet check her teeth when she was spayed, or make any comments about the condition of her teeth?

If I may ask, what are you feeding the dogs?

[ArtistKarin]

She had her teeth cleaned in Sept. prior to her spay surgery, & her breath improved a lot! I believe they did an exam and said she didn't have any problems.

I should have mentioned that when this 1st started happening, she vomited a few times...more like 'spit up'; since there wasn't much in terms of stomach contents. That has stopped, but the strong-smelling odor when she burps hasn't. It smells kind of like a cross-between feces and new dog food.

We've been feeding both of our dogs IAMS, or occasionally Purina weight-control formula from our local store, when we run out before we can get to the larger supermarket.

[Traci]

Do you have cats? (eating litterbox contents?)

I doubt this is cause for concern - vomiting can cause a foul odor simply due to acid content in the stomach, whether it's food or bile. If her teeth are in good shape, probably not an oral issue.

If she's been staying inside more than usual, due to the bitter weather, look around the house for any tell-tale signs she is getting into something. Otherwise, switching foods can also cause this - it takes a good week or more for the GI to adjust to a new or changed food.

[ArtistKarin]

Hi Traci, We've been really busy with cold weather issues like frozen pipes & snow. This has been the coldest winter I can remember!

In response to your last post about Abbey...no cats in the house, so we can rule out a litterbox problem, & thankfully Abbey has not been vomiting since I 1st wrote to you...but the burping continues & still has that strong odor I mentioned before. It's been hard to locate poop in the yard after all the snow we've had, but I've been trying to get outside right away after she & Missy use the yard...to remove it. Also I haven't been able to find anything different she might have got into.

I was looking online to see if other people were experiencing something similar, and one place I went to suggested that she might have been eating poop because she isn't getting enough food or nutrients in her diet.

Also, could any of this be related to post-surgery changes...she always seems hungry and her appetite seems to have increased since then. I had cut her food & anything extra down A LOT before her surgery (& I've continued to do that afterwards)...since her vet wanted her to lose the 10 lbs. that she was overweight. She had lost that much at that point, but has put it back on since being spayed.

Thanks!

[Traci]

Spayed dogs do tend to gain a bit more weight, over time, but not as quickly as you describe, you might want to give your vet a call. He might want to see her and weigh her, or, discuss a more appropriate diet for weight management. At that time, or by calling at least, ask his opinion on the Iams you're feeding - he'd most likely suggest feeding less per her weight, but he might suggest something else entirely.