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Dogs, as with all mammals, have natural odors. Natural dog odor can be unpleasant to dog owners, especially when dogs are kept inside the home, as some people are not used to being exposed to the natural odor of a non-human species living in proximity to them. Dogs may also develop unnatural odors as a result of skin disease or other disorders or may become contaminated with odors from other sources in their environment.
All natural dog odors are most prominent near the ears and from the paw pads. Dogs naturally produce secretions, the function of which is to produce scents allowing for individual animal recognition by dogs and other species in the scent-marking of territory.
Dogs only produce sweat on areas not covered with fur, such as the nose and paw pads, unlike humans who sweat almost everywhere. [1] However, they do have sweat glands, called apocrine glands, [2] associated with every hair follicle on the body. The exact function of these glands is not known, but they may produce pheromones or chemical signals for communication with other dogs. It is believed that these sweat secretions produce an individual odor signal that is recognizable by other dogs. [3]
Dogs also have sweat glands on their noses. These are eccrine glands. When these glands are active, they leave the nose and paw pads slightly moist and help these specialized skin features maintain their functional properties. [4] The odor associated with dog paw pads is much more noticeable on dogs with moist paw pads than on those with dry pads.
Dogs also have numerous apocrine glands in their external ear canals. In this location, they are referred to as ceruminous glands. The ear canals also have numerous sebaceous glands. Together, these two sets of glands produce natural ear wax, or cerumen. Micro-organisms live naturally in this material and give the ears a characteristic slightly yeasty odor, even when healthy. When infected, the ears can give off a strong disagreeable smell. It is not uncommon for a veterinarian to sniff a dog's ears to try to detect any potential bacterial or fungal infection. Some owners do this routinely if they have a dog susceptible to ear infections or if they have a breed with heavy, floppy ears, which can hide early signs of inflammation.
Dogs, like all Carnivorans, also possess two anal sacs, or scent glands. These sacs communicate with the surface of the skin by ducts which open on either side of the anus. The sacs are lined with apocrine and sebaceous glands. They function to produce a natural secretion that varies from thin and yellowish to pasty and greyish; the secretion has a very strong musky odor. A small amount of this material is deposited when dogs defecate. A large amount may be extruded when a dog is frightened. It is thought that this secretion leaves a signal to other dogs allowing them to recognize the source of the individual fecal deposit. This odor is also likely the signal being sampled when strange dogs investigate one another by sniffing out the anal area. Dogs' anal glands can become swollen and unable to drain naturally, sometimes requiring a visit to the veterinarian or groomer to express the built up liquid. Excessive licking and chewing of the area is one indication of this. Typically, these glands are expressed during routine professional grooming as a preventative measure.
Another source of natural odor results from a common dog behavior: rolling in and marking themselves with the feces of other animals in their environment.
Poor grooming of dogs with long, thick or corded hair can cause the haircoat to be a source of unpleasant odor. A coat that is not kept clean and groomed can trap dirt and other substances with unpleasant odors.
Skin diseases can cause a dog to have increased or abnormal odor. Allergy can cause increased production of apocrine sweat, which imparts a musty odor. This condition, termed hyperhidrosis, can encourage yeast infection or bacterial skin infection and these micro-organisms produce odors as well. Dogs with seborrhea or keratinization defect, and dogs with deep skin folds (such as on the face of a bulldog), are very subject to secondary proliferation of bacteria or yeast on the skin surface, and these produce odors.
Ear disease (otitis) can be a source of odor that varies from yeasty to one resembling sewage as either cerumen or pus accumulates in the diseased ear canal. Anal sac disease or excessive anal sac production can cause a very musty pungent odor. Anal sacs can become abscessed and infecting micro-organisms produce odor.
Dental disease or mouth ulcers can produce rotten smelling breath (halitosis). Dental calculus harbors numerous bacteria which produce odor and foul breath. Dental disease can also lead to excessive drooling, and the skin around the mouth can become infected, leading to more odor production. Dogs can also acquire foul smelling breath as a result of coprophagia, the practice of eating their own feces or the feces of other animals. [5] Commercially prepared food additives can be purchased which, when added to a dog's food, impart a bitter flavor to their feces thereby reducing the tendency towards consuming their own feces.
Some medications, such as antibiotics, taken by mouth or antiseptics or medicated shampoos used on the skin can produce odors that owners may find unpleasant. Likewise, some food ingredients, most noticeably fish meal or fish oil, can produce skin odor in dogs.
Flatulence can be a problem for some dogs, which may be diet-related or a sign of gastrointestinal disease. This, in fact, may be the most commonly noticed source of odor from dogs fed cereal-based dog foods.
Skunks and dogs often have aggressive encounters and a dog may be sprayed by a skunk. This results in an over-powering musky acrid odor that remains apparent in the 'skunked' dog's coat for many days or even weeks until steps are taken to neutralize the odor.
In animals, a gland is a group of cells in an animal's body that synthesizes substances for release into the bloodstream or into cavities inside the body or its outer surface.
Perspiration, also known as sweat, is the fluid secreted by sweat glands in the skin of mammals.
Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or ginger colored, but all have warning coloration.
Earwax, also known by the medical term cerumen, is a waxy substance secreted in the ear canal of humans and other mammals. Earwax can be many colors, including brown, orange, red, yellowish, and gray. Earwax protects the skin of the human ear canal, assists in cleaning and lubrication, and provides protection against bacteria, fungi, particulate matter, and water.
A sebaceous gland or oil gland is a microscopic exocrine gland in the skin that opens into a hair follicle to secrete an oily or waxy matter, called sebum, which lubricates the hair and skin of mammals. In humans, sebaceous glands occur in the greatest number on the face and scalp, but also on all parts of the skin except the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. In the eyelids, meibomian glands, also called tarsal glands, are a type of sebaceous gland that secrete a special type of sebum into tears. Surrounding the female nipple, areolar glands are specialized sebaceous glands for lubricating the nipple. Fordyce spots are benign, visible, sebaceous glands found usually on the lips, gums and inner cheeks, and genitals.
Body odor or body odour (BO) is present in all animals and its intensity can be influenced by many factors. Body odor has a strong genetic basis, but can also be strongly influenced by various factors, such as sex, diet, health, and medication. The body odor of human males plays an important role in human sexual attraction, as a powerful indicator of MHC/HLA heterozygosity. Significant evidence suggests that women are attracted to men whose body odor is different from theirs, indicating that they have immune genes that are different from their own, which may produce healthier offspring.
Sweat glands, also known as sudoriferous or sudoriparous glands, from Latin sudor 'sweat', are small tubular structures of the skin that produce sweat. Sweat glands are a type of exocrine gland, which are glands that produce and secrete substances onto an epithelial surface by way of a duct. There are two main types of sweat glands that differ in their structure, function, secretory product, mechanism of excretion, anatomic distribution, and distribution across species:
The ear canal is a pathway running from the outer ear to the middle ear. The adult human ear canal extends from the pinna to the eardrum and is about 2.5 centimetres (1 in) in length and 0.7 centimetres (0.3 in) in diameter.
The anal glands or anal sacs are small glands near the anus in many mammals. They are situated in between the external anal sphincter muscle and internal anal sphincter muscle. Their function in humans is unclear.
Scent gland are exocrine glands found in most mammals. They produce semi-viscous secretions which contain pheromones and other semiochemical compounds. These odor-messengers indicate information such as status, territorial marking, mood, and sexual behaviour. The odor may be subliminal—not consciously detectable. Though it is not their primary function, the salivary glands may also function as scent glands in some animals.
The violet gland or supracaudal gland is a gland located on the upper surface of the tail of certain mammals, including European badgers and canids such as foxes, wolves, and the domestic dog, as well as the domestic cat. Like many other mammalian secretion glands, the violet gland consists of modified sweat glands and sebaceous glands.
An anal sac adenocarcinoma is an uncommon and aggressive malignant tumor found in dogs that arises from the apocrine glandular tissue of anal sac. The disease exists in cats as well, but is much less common in that species. They are the second most common cancerous cause of hypercalcaemia in dogs, following T-cell lymphoma.
An apocrine sweat gland is composed of a coiled secretory portion located at the junction of the dermis and subcutaneous fat, from which a straight portion inserts and secretes into the infundibular portion of the hair follicle. In humans, apocrine sweat glands are found only in certain locations of the body: the axillae (armpits), areola and nipples of the breast, ear canal, eyelids, wings of the nostril, perineal region, and some parts of the external genitalia. Modified apocrine glands include the ciliary glands in the eyelids; the ceruminous glands, which produce ear wax; and the mammary glands, which produce milk. They are distinct from eccrine sweat glands which cover the whole body.
Eccrine sweat glands are the major sweat glands of the human body. Eccrine sweat glands are found in virtually all skin, with the highest density in the palms of the hands, and soles of the feet, and on the head, but much less on the torso and the extremities. In other mammals, they are relatively sparse, being found mainly on hairless areas such as foot pads. They reach their peak of development in humans, where they may number 200–400/cm2 of skin surface. They produce sweat, a merocrine secretion which is clear, odorless substance, consisting primarily of water. These are present from birth. Their secretory part is present deep inside the dermis.
Fox–Fordyce disease is a chronic blockage of the sweat gland ducts with a secondary, non-bacterial inflammatory response to the secretions and cellular debris in the cysts. The inflammation is often accompanied by intense itching. In general, the disease often causes skin to darken near the affected area and raised bumps or papules to appear. In addition, hair follicles can become damaged which cause hair loss. Hidradenitis is very similar, but tends to have a secondary bacterial infection so that pus-draining sinuses are formed. It is a very devastating skin disease that does not have universally curative treatments.
Olfactory reference syndrome (ORS) is a psychiatric condition in which there is a persistent false belief and preoccupation with the idea of emitting abnormal body odors which the patient thinks are foul and offensive to other individuals. People with this condition often misinterpret others' behaviors, e.g. sniffing, touching their nose or opening a window, as being referential to an unpleasant body odor which in reality is non-existent and cannot be detected by other people.
ATP-binding cassette transporter sub-family C member 11, also MRP8, is a membrane transporter that exports certain molecules from inside a cell. It is a protein that in humans is encoded by gene ABCC11.
Dog grooming refers to both the hygienic care and cleaning of a dog, as well as a process by which a dog's physical appearance is enhanced for showing or other types of competition. A dog groomer is a person who earns their living grooming dogs.
The biochemistry of body odor pertains to the chemical compounds in the body responsible for body odor and their kinetics.
Wolves communicate using vocalizations, body postures, scent, touch, and taste. The lunar phases have no effect on wolf vocalisation. Despite popular belief, wolves do not howl at the Moon. Gray wolves howl to assemble the pack, usually before and after hunts, to pass on an alarm particularly at a den site, to locate each other during a storm or while crossing unfamiliar territory, and to communicate across great distances. Other vocalisations include growls, barks and whines. Wolves do not bark as loudly or continuously as dogs do but they bark a few times and then retreat from a perceived danger. Aggressive or self-assertive wolves are characterized by their slow and deliberate movements, high body posture and raised hackles, while submissive ones carry their bodies low, sleeken their fur, and lower their ears and tail. Raised leg urination is considered to be one of the most important forms of scent communication in the wolf, making up 60–80% of all scent marks observed.
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