stinky spot in jowl fold. nothing works. help.

[hemingway]

Over the last 6 months, we've been experiencing a new development with our boy. We initially thought it was from eating snow, but now that they snow is gone, we know better. Hemi has a spot on his jowls...both sides...that is concealed when his mouth is closed and sits behind a fold. In that fold is the stinkiest, nastiest smelling stuff ever. It's actually almost like a powdery looking residue there. My assumption is it's a yeast/fungus from trapped moisture. I am constantly drying his mouth after he eats/drinks but it's not helping. I've also tried cleaning the spots with vinegar, alcohol, mouthwash, etc. per my vet's recommendations. It doesn't seem to help. Any of you experience this? It was never a problem before. Food is the same. I think it's just the way his mouth is shaped. But I am desperate to find a solution that actually works. I don't want him to be embarrassed by his stinky mouth for the rest of his life!

 

[Jeannie]

has the vet tried an antibiotic for infections? That would be my next step.

 

[Thehallk]

If it's yeast you could try using a probiotic powder and put it right in the fold - I actually don't have any idea how well that would work, but my HUMAN baby had yeast diaper rashes and the only thing that helped was the probiotic powder (I actually just had capsules and broke them open to get the powder, then mixed them with a bit of water and put them on the rash). I don't know that it would help, but I dont think it would hurt...?

 

[Brandie&Maggie]

Maggie had this on her lower lip, under her jowls. We cleaned it with the blue disinfectant cleaner from the vet, diluted. We cleaned it twice a day for about a week, and it went away. It has come back 2-3 times in the past 2 years, but the same procedure takes care of it quickly. The vet told us to scrub it gently with the cleaner & a clean cloth.

I can't remember the name of the cleaner - the name wore off the bottle. It is a prescription bottle, dark blue stuff that you dilute to a very pale blue. We had it to clean her hygromas after she had surgery on them.

 

[Pam G]

Hi Stacey,
Our golden had this. It's called lip fold pyoderma. After trying many different things, we finally found something that cleared it up. We kept the area shaved and used an ointment called pellitol which is a thick antibiotic ointment. We got this from our vet. Shaving the area was a little tricky..especialy since the area was kind of raw and sore..so we had to have our vet do it at first. Then he got used to it and as it started to heal, it was much easier for us to do it ourselves. We would just put a treat on the counter, and he would sit very still staring at the treat while I shaved the area. We used one of those little clippers that men use to trim beards..it worked great for that small area. Good luck!

 

[wrknnwf]

Hugo got his lips shaved too. It's such a tender spot, but it can be done with care. Two people would help. He hasn't had any problems since.

 

[hemingway]

Thanks, all!!!

 

[skoorka]

Poor Hem! No fair those beautiful jowls should be an issue! I hope he feels (and smells!) better soon!!!!

 

[ElvisTheNewf]

I wonder if nystatin is okay for dogs. We use it for oral thrush in our pediatric patients all time. It's a rinse (supposed to swish and spit) but we swab it around on those who can't spit. Maybe dabbing it on the spot would help? It's prescription though, so you'd have to ask the vet about it.

 

[hawk]

A mix of cider vinegar and water works well for the yeast issues in our pups ears. Would it work in this situation too?