The Now-Not Smelly Lab

All of us lab owners seem to be in the same season. Traffic to the smelly lab or smelly lab ears posts has been pretty high. It seems like it never ends, and it’s already the latter half of August.

Samson’s ears are still a problem. Even with a substantial change in environment, living on the shore of Lake Michigan. Granted the bright sand and breeze comes off the water without many allergens, his ears are very likely not drying out much as he loves to be in the water. I’m not doing enough to keep them dry, but when he can walk down the stairs on the dune and visit the great lake any time, it’s hard. Plus, the last time I really worked on his ears, the yeast (aka the funk) came back pretty quickly and really annoyed this good-hearted pooch. Not cleaning them seemed to actually help his ears get to an equilibrium point.

Another smell was from just having him around inside the house. You’d smell his head, his back, and he didn’t really smell bad at all. But he’d just be around and it was, “Oh, my, what is that raunchy smell?!” Well, it was mostly the rear half of his back, and when we found regular dog shampoo versus the puppy shampoo I’ve been using for some time, that was the trick.

This stuff lathered up well, I took extra time (it’s not that hard to do in the sun, on a sandy beach, with fresh water at your feet), and there’s nothing like rinsing him off by just throwing a tennis ball in the lake for him to chase.

So, born in New Jersey, a few years there, a couple months on Lake Michigan, then four years in New Hampshire, now a month and a half on Lake Michigan, and off to New York (outside NYC) likely by the end of the week. No more shots, no more immunotherapy, we’ll just deal with it as it unfolds, trying to make him comfortable.

Anything surprising working for you lab owners? I’m up for trying anything that doesn’t cost me $1000. He’s already the million-dollar dog.