Sore and smelly jowls

Hi everyone

I wonder if anyone can help me with a problem with my cocker spaniel called Barny.

He is now over 13 and tends to smell quite a bit. I have read other threads about dogs smelling but Barny's smell is coming from underneath his mouth. We have already had his jowels cleaned once under sedation and I don't want to put him through that again. We regularly bathe his jowels with saline but I wonder if anyone knows of another more effective way of cleaning him and maybe a good cream we could apply to stop them becoming sore. All the vet seems to do is give him anti-biotics but if we could tend them ourselves there would be no need for more anti's.

Thanks

hayley53 (new member)

Hi

How do you mean 'underneath' his mouth? From his neck? From the outside of his muzzle? From inside his bottom jaw?

What sort of 'soreness' are you treating? Swelling? Splits? Spots?

If is is actually from his mouth have you checked inside his lip folds? Food debris came build up between the jaw and the inner surface of the jowls and start to decay. Did the vet spot any tooth decay? Did the vet say why he was giving antibiotics? Was it for a mouth infection?

Do you check Harvey's mouth regularly to make sure there is no soreness of gums or tongue, no trapped food in his teeth?

Sorry for all the questions, but the more information you give the more likely someone can offer advice

Hi

The smell is coming from the skin folds below his bottom jaw and the fur is very yellowish. Every time he takes a drink of water his water bowl needs changing as the water smells awful. The soreness does seem to be in his skin folds although when we bathe his mouth the cotton wool seems clear though it does help relieve the smell a bit. When he had an op last Christmas the vet said she had sluiced his jowels and given them a good clean up. He also had his teeth cleaned at the same time and no teeth needed to be pulled as they seemed to be in good enough condition. I know most dogs breath smells but this is a really drainy sort of smell.

hayley53

Sounds like lip fold dermatitis which, I believe, is quite common in spaniels. You will probably need to see a vet to get anti-biotics to get it cleared up initially. In severe cases, it may be necessary to operate to remove some of the excess skin folds.

Continue to bathe with salt water regularly (certainly after every meal at least) in the meantime and keep him as dry as possible (after drinling etc) as bacteria love a damp environment.

Thanks for the reply Shay. I shall certainly try drying him after drinking. He tends to drip everywhere after a slurp so I will have a towel at the ready.

hayley53

Cocker spaniels are prone to Lipfold Dermatitis, hibiscrub or antiseptic creams normally help, or if it's really bad you may need a course of anti-biotics.

You can also use Hydrogen Peroxide solution (20 vol) which can be obtained from chemists - dilute 2 parts water to 1 part peroxide. This is an old-fashioned remedy but many people swear by it - be careful though as Hydrogen Peroxide is bleach! Or You can get the more usual homeopathic remedies like Graphites in most branches of Boots.

Thanks crazycockers - so glad I joined. I will try these remedies. Anything is worth a try as he must make himself feel rotten with the smell. Everyone is avoiding him at the moment and he loves a fuss. Also I have young grandchildren around and I make sure they keep away from him while his mouth is so smelly.

hayley53

Was going to say the same thing.
My Yorkie had this once, and it cleared up pretty quickly with the right treatment.

I also transported a spaniel once that had it, and I had to keep the windows open in the car the smell was that bad, it made me gag