# Very stinky after 1 night of being boarded



## debbiecoyne (Jan 19, 2011)

*Bandit had his first night of being boarded this past Saturday. We picked him up Sunday morning and he smelled horrible. Everything he came into contact with had to be washed. We got him in the tub and gave him a good bath but still noticed the "odor" after he dried he still had the odor but not as strong like in his under the arm area. I just gave him yet another bath today and the smell is gone. Any ideas what this could have been? Bandit is 15 weeks old, goes to Doggy Day Care 3 times a week and has never come home smelly like he did after 1 night at the boarders. We also noticed behavior issues on Sunday and today that he was not doing. He started jumping on furniture, playing rough (tugging at pant legs), going down to the basement and getting into the catbox, etc. I can't imagine what went on in less then a 24 hour stay?? *


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## DCluver33 (May 27, 2010)

I have no idea, but you live where my grandpa grew up lol just thought I'd point that out


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

That happened many times when I boarded my dog so I always had her bathed (by them) just before I picked her up. It cost more but it was worth it.


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## debbiecoyne (Jan 19, 2011)

PaddyD said:


> That happened many times when I boarded my dog so I always had her bathed (by them) just before I picked her up. It cost more but it was worth it.


Do you know what the odor is caused from? It was horrendous...


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## gsdraven (Jul 8, 2009)

debbiecoyne said:


> Do you know what the odor is caused from? It was horrendous...


I think it comes from the products used to clean places like a kennel. Every shelter I have ever stepped in has had the same awful smell.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

debbiecoyne said:


> Do you know what the odor is caused from? It was horrendous...


In my case it was because of playing with other dogs who also stank and they probably chewed on each other. In your case maybe the bedding isn't changed?


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

Oh yuck. Another reason not to board if you can avoid it.... is there any family or good friends in the area that can watch your pup should you have to go away again?

There are also multitudes of home pet sitting services that you can read reviews and check references for.


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## DnP (Jul 10, 2008)

I have found that stressed dogs smell. I've read that it can be caused from oily secresions from the anal glands or just oil from the skin. 

I know Phoenix stressed out at the last place I boarded him because he stank to high heaven even though he'd gotten a bath before going into the facility. His blanket and stuffed duck smelled just as bad. I changed boarding facilities for the next time and he smelled fine (as well as his bed and stuffed duck) when we picked him up so I knew he enjoyed his stay and wasn't stressed out while we were gone.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I use a friend that boards dogs on her farm and have left my dogs for 10 days and they don't smell any different. Some kennels I checked out required a bath before pickup and for you to pay for it. That was a red flag to me. I can understand a dog getting a bit dirty if it's raining and muddy out, but my dog should not come back to me after a short period stinking so bad that the kennel requires a bath. At home I let my dogs run outside together for hours and besides wiping off dirt, and they only need a bath after several months.


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## DnP (Jul 10, 2008)

Liesje said:


> I use a friend that boards dogs on her farm and have left my dogs for 10 days and they don't smell any different. Some kennels I checked out required a bath before pickup and for you to pay for it. That was a red flag to me. I can understand a dog getting a bit dirty if it's raining and muddy out, but my dog should not come back to me after a short period stinking so bad that the kennel requires a bath. At home I let my dogs run outside together for hours and besides wiping off dirt, and they only need a bath after several months.


I agree with Lies. If your dog is stressed out at the kennel it's either because he/she does not handle being kenneled or it's that kennel in particular.

I knew I had to switch Phoenix because he was fine at that particular facility until one stay where I picked him up after a weekend and he smelled to high heaven (and that is putting it mildly). It was not from rolling in anything or from playing with other dogs. There were other indicators I took into account as well, but I knew a happy dog didn't smell that bad.

After his stay at the second facility, he smelled absolutely fine. His behavior was also a complete 180 from when we picked him up at the 1st place. He was happy to see us, but not out of his mind. 

I think doing a 24 hour overnight is a good idea to let you know how your dog handles going to a kennel or if it's a facility you want to use.


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## debbiecoyne (Jan 19, 2011)

I was wondering if it was caused from stress. He never smells like that after daycare. I have already decided against sending him back to that kennal again. I thought it would be a great place. I checked them out plus I thought it would be a great place because they cater to German Shepherds. The poor little guy has been a mess since he got home.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

The same thing happened the one time I took my Golden to a dog daycare. When I dropped her off they asked me if I wanted her to be bathed before I picked her up. I said no because she'd recently had a bath, but I should have said yes! When I picked her up she smelled horrible! It was really bad because this was on a trip and we were supposed to check in to a B&B that evening, I didn't want to check in with a smelly gross dog. I ended up buying waterless shampoo made for odors like skunk, and I was able to get rid of the smell. 
I also wondered what caused that, because she was not the type of dog to roughhouse with other dogs and get smelly from playing or being mouthed, so the only thing I could thing of is maybe other dogs with really bad breath were drooling on her or mouthing her to try to get her to play? It kinda smelled like really really bad Kibbles n Bits quality dog breath/doggy odor. The place didn't smell when I went in so I didn't thing it was cleaning products or lack of cleaning.
In her case it definitely was not stress because she never smelled anything like that before or after that, not even when she has to stay overnight at the e-vet or after she had emergency surgery and also had to stay overnight at the vet (which she was very stressed about), or any other much more stressful times. It wasn't from the anal glands either, because I've smelled that and it was quite different.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

What did they feed? Did you bring your own food?
Sounds like anal gland issues, to me. Dogs will express them when stressed.


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## robinhuerta (Apr 21, 2007)

He may smell horrible, because he was playing "tuff & tumble" with a few other dogs or puppies.
They bite, lick, slobber and roll around in anything and it's that "anything" that can cause some of the odor....mixed in with the cleaning solution for that "anything"...etc
It could also explain his "less than well behaved" attitude when arriving home.....
You know what they say....."When the cat is away...the mice will play"....I think he just may have became "that mouse".


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

i have no idea about the smell but i'm
glad he came clean. the other issues mentioned
seems like normal puppy stuff. i would rearrange the
litter situation so he can't get to it.



debbiecoyne said:


> *We also noticed behavior issues on Sunday and today that he was not doing. He started jumping on furniture, playing rough (tugging at pant legs), going down to the basement and getting into the catbox, etc. I can't imagine what went on in less then a 24 hour stay?? *


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## VegasResident (Oct 4, 2006)

We board ours where we do daycare so he thinks of it as a second home. Then we have them do a wash and wax on him before we pick him up..this includes nail trim


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## Catu (Sep 6, 2007)

DnP said:


> I have found that stressed dogs smell. I've read that it can be caused from oily secresions from the anal glands or just oil from the skin.


This has been my experience too. i workede for a big board facility and the first day dogs would smell, then back to normal and then back to smell because they fed the crappiest food available...

Now I board dogs from time to time and I've had the same problem with a daschund, the skin of the dog was always oily and the owner said it was normal in him.


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## Jake71 (Feb 2, 2011)

Whenever I load DAISY up in the car for a drive, she gets a smell from being stressed out. Perhaps thats what you smell?


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