Why Your Dog Smells Like Fish: Natural Remedy
If your dog has a fishy smell, it’s probably the anal glands. Here’s how to express the anal glands at home, and then apply this effective, topical, anti-fish smell natural remedy.
Anal glands used to be expressed to to mark their territories, but now they don’t have a specific purpose.
Some dogs cannot express their anal glands on their own, and while you can take them to your veterinarian, but you can do this at home!
What you’ll need:
- Latex Gloves
- Lubrication, such as Vaseline
- Paper Towel
Put your gloves on, and add the Vaseline to your fingers. Take your index finger and your thumb, and place your index finger just under an inch into the anus, while holding the tail up with your other hand. Take your thumb, and gently press on the anal gland directly on either side of the anus (one side at a time). Hold the paper towel under your hand to catch the leakage.
If you’re not comfortable expressing your dog’s anal gland internally, you can do it externally as well, but placing your index finger and thumb on either side of their anus, and gently squeezing.
After this, you’ll want to make sure that you’re cleaning them up, and this will get rid of the fishy smell. Here’s my recipe for cleaning:
- 1 cup brewed and cooled chamomile tea
- 1 tblsp of natural castille soap
- 10 drops lavender oil
Dip a paper towel liberally with the mixture, and wipe generously to clean them up. This will help them with smell, and the lavender oil has antibacterial properties.
Hope this helps! All the best,
Andrew Jones, DVM