How to be a pet owner without your house smelling like it
By Justine A. Lee, DVM, DACVECC
When I first rescued Seamus, my grey and white tabby kitten, from an abusive household, I was ready for the responsibilities of pet ownership: scooping kitty litter, buying food, and keeping him healthy. It was a reciprocal relationship, right? I loved him, and he loved me right back. What I wasn’t prepared for was how much stink he came with. Luckily, I’m a neurotic once-a-day-kitty-litter-scooper, so I was able to keep the pet odors down. However, once I adopted my second cat Echo, a black adult male cat, I was shocked at how doubling the number of cats in the household seemed to triple-fold the mess, kitty litter duty (literally), and odiferous essence. Regardless of how many pets you have, you don’t want your house smelling like it, right? So, what’s a pet owner to do to limit the stinkiness of living with our pets?
It’s pretty apparent that the more pets you have, the more potential for reek. That said, there are a few things you can do to minimize the stink. First of all, make sure your pet doesn't have a medical reason for their stink. When in doubt, take your pet to a vet for a routine physical exam. Make sure your vet takes a good look at those pearly whites, as that’s one of the primary sources for malodor. Certain breeds like greyhounds and poodles are two of the worst breeds that are predisposed to tartar build-up, which results in severe halitosis. Your pet may need a dental cleaning every few years to help keep his or her breath fresh. In between those teeth cleanings, brush your pet’s teeth to help keep away that plaque. Once that plaque hardens into tartar, you’re out of luck – your vet will have to scrap it off with special tools during a dentistry done under anesthesia. When brushing, keep in mind that you don’t need a fancy pet toothbrush – simply use a small swatch of old pantyhose or a clean, dry 4X4 gauze, wrap it around your index finger, apply a small amount of pet toothpaste to it, and rub the sides of your pet’s teeth to help scrape away that plaque (without getting bitten in the process). You can also use other grooming tools such as doggy toothpaste or prescription-strength mouth spray (such as Chlorhexidine oral spray, since your pet can’t gargle). This is an antiseptic, anti-bacterial mouth spray that will help keep some of that odor down too. Most dogs generally don’t need it, but if your dog has really foul, unhealthy teeth, it’d be a healthy option to help keep that oral bacterial count down. Don’t despair for those of you who can’t keep up with your dog’s dental disease - there are experimental anti-plaque vaccines coming out for some of these more troublesome breeds!
While you’re at the vet, also make sure to have your vet check out your pet’s skin and ears. Notice how when you give your dog a good pet-lovin’ rub-down that you end up with a brown, waxy, greasy film on your fingertips? That’s because some breeds like Labrador retrievers, basset hounds, cocker spaniels, and West Highland white terriers may have inherited seborrhea oleosa (a fancy way of saying, greasy skin and dandruff). This is the same condition that makes certain people break out with acne or dandruff more than others. Untreated, this makes the skin and fur too moist, predisposing your pet to an underlying, foul-smelling yeast or bacterial infection. Breeds with floppy ears (like cocker spaniels, basset hounds, and clumber spaniels) or those who have a love for swimming (labradors and golden retrievers) are also more predisposed to chronic ear infections. With those floppy or constantly wet ears, moisture gets trapped in the middle ear (the inside part that you’re not supposed to put a Q-tip in), allowing bacteria and yeast to grow in there. If you have one of these ear-affected breeds, make sure to occasionally clean your pet’s ears once or twice a week with a safe, gentle ear solution like Oti-Clens or OtiCalm. On the contrary, don’t over-clean those ears – otherwise, you can create a yeast infection (by taking out all that healthy bacteria that are supposed to be in there normally). Finally, don’t let your pet’s ear or skin infection get out of control, or you, your pet, and your house will pay – that’s because if your dog has a yeast infection in his ears and is scratching at them with his paws, he’ll soon spread that infection to his feet and the rest of his skin – making his whole body stink too. Once your pet’s medical condition is treated appropriately by your vet, you can maintain your pet’s freshness by using doggy body anti-yeast wipes (MalAcetic) or sprays (which kill the yeast wherever you wipe, minimize the smell and the number of tub visits), degreasing shampoos (like a prescription Chlorhexidine shampoo, which kill yeast, bacteria, and certain fungus too), and even doggy cologne.
For you cat lovers, use a covered litter box and scoop! While those cute little charcoal filters on top of the box barely make a difference, the cover helps keep in the stink from diffusing throughout your house. The cover also prevents your cat from splashing kitty litter or accidentally spraying urine outside of the box. The most important part of keeping the cat smell down is to have good kitty litter habits. First, you should have n+1 litter boxes per cat. In other words, if you have three cats, you should have four litter boxes, depending on how much room you have in your abode. Cats are very territorial when it comes to their bathroom habits (and use urine to mark their spot), and often prefer to have their own box. Secondly, make sure you use clumping instead of clay litter – not only do veterinary behaviorists say that cats prefer clumping, but it makes it easier to scoop out the stink (and it’s more environmentally friendly to just scoop out the clumps and poop instead of dumping the whole litter box out each week). Most importantly, scoop that box frequently. I’m often shocked that pet owners tell me they only scoop their litter boxes once or twice a week (that’s the equivalent of you flushing every other day!). While kitty litter duty seems laborious, gross, and dirty, you should be scooping daily. This is the #1 way to keep the stink down, but more importantly, it’s medically healthier for your cat. Keeping a hygienic box helps prevent bladder or colon problems (like cystitis or constipation). If your litter box is too dirty, your cat is only going to want to go in it once a day instead of three times a day, fear of getting his paws dirty. If your cat happens to have crystals in his urine, and he’s holding his urine to avoid stepping into a nasty box, those crystals get more concentrated, predisposing him to a life-threatening bladder blockage (called a urethral obstruction). Lastly, scooping daily helps monitor your cat better. After all, how else are you going to know how long your cat has had diarrhea for, or if his piles of urine are abnormally-sized unless you scoop? If you notice larger clumps of urine than normal, it could indicate that your cat has diabetes or even kidney problems. Lastly, scooping daily also prevents behavioral problems (like urinating on your dirty pile of laundry or pooping right outside the box). Get the hint if your cat is doing this – he doesn’t want to step inside the dirty litter box because there’s no room left to walk in or cover up his excrement. Cats are fastidious and clean by nature, and appreciate a clean litter box. Help your pets out by sparing them the discomforts of itchy skin, ears, and dirty boxes, and your house guests the pet odor. After all, when it comes to our pets, we all love them… but don’t have to tolerate the stink.
Some basic tips to keeping a pet, odor-free house:
• Make sure to have good, clean, fresh ventilation: open your windows and screen doors, turn on fans, and let the house air out.
• Use a HEPA filter in the most pet-occupied room – where your litter box is hiding or where your dog’s bed is. Not only will it make the air fresher for you, but it’s healthier air for your pet to breathe!
• Use a dilute 10% bleach solution to launder those pet beds, collars, leashes, kitty litter boxes, and dog toys frequently. Do it on the first of the month, so you always remember when it’s time to clean.
• For those of you with central air or heat, make sure to change your furnace filter at the start of each season (I do it monthly!) to hide the stink. This catches all the pet dander and fur, and once again, makes it healthier air for you to breath.
Signing off,
Dr. Justine Lee
When I first rescued Seamus, my grey and white tabby kitten, from an abusive household, I was ready for the responsibilities of pet ownership: scooping kitty litter, buying food, and keeping him healthy. It was a reciprocal relationship, right? I loved him, and he loved me right back. What I wasn’t prepared for was how much stink he came with. Luckily, I’m a neurotic once-a-day-kitty-litter-scooper, so I was able to keep the pet odors down. However, once I adopted my second cat Echo, a black adult male cat, I was shocked at how doubling the number of cats in the household seemed to triple-fold the mess, kitty litter duty (literally), and odiferous essence. Regardless of how many pets you have, you don’t want your house smelling like it, right? So, what’s a pet owner to do to limit the stinkiness of living with our pets?
It’s pretty apparent that the more pets you have, the more potential for reek. That said, there are a few things you can do to minimize the stink. First of all, make sure your pet doesn't have a medical reason for their stink. When in doubt, take your pet to a vet for a routine physical exam. Make sure your vet takes a good look at those pearly whites, as that’s one of the primary sources for malodor. Certain breeds like greyhounds and poodles are two of the worst breeds that are predisposed to tartar build-up, which results in severe halitosis. Your pet may need a dental cleaning every few years to help keep his or her breath fresh. In between those teeth cleanings, brush your pet’s teeth to help keep away that plaque. Once that plaque hardens into tartar, you’re out of luck – your vet will have to scrap it off with special tools during a dentistry done under anesthesia. When brushing, keep in mind that you don’t need a fancy pet toothbrush – simply use a small swatch of old pantyhose or a clean, dry 4X4 gauze, wrap it around your index finger, apply a small amount of pet toothpaste to it, and rub the sides of your pet’s teeth to help scrape away that plaque (without getting bitten in the process). You can also use other grooming tools such as doggy toothpaste or prescription-strength mouth spray (such as Chlorhexidine oral spray, since your pet can’t gargle). This is an antiseptic, anti-bacterial mouth spray that will help keep some of that odor down too. Most dogs generally don’t need it, but if your dog has really foul, unhealthy teeth, it’d be a healthy option to help keep that oral bacterial count down. Don’t despair for those of you who can’t keep up with your dog’s dental disease - there are experimental anti-plaque vaccines coming out for some of these more troublesome breeds!
While you’re at the vet, also make sure to have your vet check out your pet’s skin and ears. Notice how when you give your dog a good pet-lovin’ rub-down that you end up with a brown, waxy, greasy film on your fingertips? That’s because some breeds like Labrador retrievers, basset hounds, cocker spaniels, and West Highland white terriers may have inherited seborrhea oleosa (a fancy way of saying, greasy skin and dandruff). This is the same condition that makes certain people break out with acne or dandruff more than others. Untreated, this makes the skin and fur too moist, predisposing your pet to an underlying, foul-smelling yeast or bacterial infection. Breeds with floppy ears (like cocker spaniels, basset hounds, and clumber spaniels) or those who have a love for swimming (labradors and golden retrievers) are also more predisposed to chronic ear infections. With those floppy or constantly wet ears, moisture gets trapped in the middle ear (the inside part that you’re not supposed to put a Q-tip in), allowing bacteria and yeast to grow in there. If you have one of these ear-affected breeds, make sure to occasionally clean your pet’s ears once or twice a week with a safe, gentle ear solution like Oti-Clens or OtiCalm. On the contrary, don’t over-clean those ears – otherwise, you can create a yeast infection (by taking out all that healthy bacteria that are supposed to be in there normally). Finally, don’t let your pet’s ear or skin infection get out of control, or you, your pet, and your house will pay – that’s because if your dog has a yeast infection in his ears and is scratching at them with his paws, he’ll soon spread that infection to his feet and the rest of his skin – making his whole body stink too. Once your pet’s medical condition is treated appropriately by your vet, you can maintain your pet’s freshness by using doggy body anti-yeast wipes (MalAcetic) or sprays (which kill the yeast wherever you wipe, minimize the smell and the number of tub visits), degreasing shampoos (like a prescription Chlorhexidine shampoo, which kill yeast, bacteria, and certain fungus too), and even doggy cologne.
For you cat lovers, use a covered litter box and scoop! While those cute little charcoal filters on top of the box barely make a difference, the cover helps keep in the stink from diffusing throughout your house. The cover also prevents your cat from splashing kitty litter or accidentally spraying urine outside of the box. The most important part of keeping the cat smell down is to have good kitty litter habits. First, you should have n+1 litter boxes per cat. In other words, if you have three cats, you should have four litter boxes, depending on how much room you have in your abode. Cats are very territorial when it comes to their bathroom habits (and use urine to mark their spot), and often prefer to have their own box. Secondly, make sure you use clumping instead of clay litter – not only do veterinary behaviorists say that cats prefer clumping, but it makes it easier to scoop out the stink (and it’s more environmentally friendly to just scoop out the clumps and poop instead of dumping the whole litter box out each week). Most importantly, scoop that box frequently. I’m often shocked that pet owners tell me they only scoop their litter boxes once or twice a week (that’s the equivalent of you flushing every other day!). While kitty litter duty seems laborious, gross, and dirty, you should be scooping daily. This is the #1 way to keep the stink down, but more importantly, it’s medically healthier for your cat. Keeping a hygienic box helps prevent bladder or colon problems (like cystitis or constipation). If your litter box is too dirty, your cat is only going to want to go in it once a day instead of three times a day, fear of getting his paws dirty. If your cat happens to have crystals in his urine, and he’s holding his urine to avoid stepping into a nasty box, those crystals get more concentrated, predisposing him to a life-threatening bladder blockage (called a urethral obstruction). Lastly, scooping daily helps monitor your cat better. After all, how else are you going to know how long your cat has had diarrhea for, or if his piles of urine are abnormally-sized unless you scoop? If you notice larger clumps of urine than normal, it could indicate that your cat has diabetes or even kidney problems. Lastly, scooping daily also prevents behavioral problems (like urinating on your dirty pile of laundry or pooping right outside the box). Get the hint if your cat is doing this – he doesn’t want to step inside the dirty litter box because there’s no room left to walk in or cover up his excrement. Cats are fastidious and clean by nature, and appreciate a clean litter box. Help your pets out by sparing them the discomforts of itchy skin, ears, and dirty boxes, and your house guests the pet odor. After all, when it comes to our pets, we all love them… but don’t have to tolerate the stink.
Some basic tips to keeping a pet, odor-free house:
• Make sure to have good, clean, fresh ventilation: open your windows and screen doors, turn on fans, and let the house air out.
• Use a HEPA filter in the most pet-occupied room – where your litter box is hiding or where your dog’s bed is. Not only will it make the air fresher for you, but it’s healthier air for your pet to breathe!
• Use a dilute 10% bleach solution to launder those pet beds, collars, leashes, kitty litter boxes, and dog toys frequently. Do it on the first of the month, so you always remember when it’s time to clean.
• For those of you with central air or heat, make sure to change your furnace filter at the start of each season (I do it monthly!) to hide the stink. This catches all the pet dander and fur, and once again, makes it healthier air for you to breath.
Signing off,
Dr. Justine Lee
0 Response to "How to be a pet owner without your house smelling like it"
Post a Comment