# The top of her head smells like mothballs and her fur on her face looks sparse. Help?



## jesuschick (Dec 5, 2010)

*UPDATE!! The top of head smells like mothballs fur on her face looks sparse.*

I know. I am a paranoid mom.

When we got Ruby she had a slight odor (I am ultra sensitive to scents) that I did not ever notice when we got Hope. Hope is SUPER soft and has no odor at all.

Ruby's fur is a bit shorter and more coarse. Since I held her on the drive home I immediately noticed that she smelled like mothballs. We bathed both girls once home since Hope has been with other dogs as well.

No real change so as much as we hated to do it again so soon, I bathed her again a few days ago with another wash that had an herbal scent to it. I also paid special attention to her head, since we both felt that was the source of the smell, with a soft microfiber washcloth. My husband thought she smelled much better, I thought some better.

Today I notice the scent again and I also notice that her fur seems a bit more sparse in the area from her eyes up to her ears. 

I know in 2 weeks that she has changed her whole life so know that could influence the slight thinning of fur. She and Hope wrestle constantly so they could be wearing it off the dear since they both gnaw at each others face.

I just do not know what to look for in terms of mites or skin issues. She does not scratch more than I would expect and she is healthy and happy. 

We are okay if she is just a smellier dog. My husband thinks I am worrying too much and watching for every little thing. I decided to ask here and see what you think.

Thanks!!


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## flippedstars (Dec 16, 2009)

Hmmm, I don't know, puppies that I have had never smelled...and mothballs seems like an odd scent. I would say get her checked by a vet as soon as you can, as some of these skin issues are nothing to mess around with, but that's just my $.02


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## jesuschick (Dec 5, 2010)

She was checked head to toe by our vet a week and a half ago or so and he said one healthy girl but I did not bring up her little odor. 

I thought perhaps it was the newspaper ink or perhaps something they used to clean kennels at their home (which was very clean and nice) or even a pet wash they used on her. I suppose it is a medicinal smell.

My husband says that she is better and he thinks both of their faces look (and have always looked) thin but that the fur is growing in.

Vet has yucky hours, except Saturday but they are closed now. I will try to get her in this week if I can get in late or leave early one day. I have called them so many times I am certain they think I am crazy!


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

That seems odd to me too. Especially with the thinning hair. Makes me think of a fungal, yeast, or mite infection? Perhaps demodectic (demodex) mites? They are common in puppies and usually don't cause a problem, but if they get going - you can have a real mess. 

It wouldn't hurt to have your vet do a skin scraping and get an opinion on that unusual odor. 

The bottom line is... a healthy puppy doesn't smell. You know that from Hope. So if something is out of the ordinary, I'd get it checked out.


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

jesuschick said:


> I thought perhaps it was the newspaper ink or perhaps something they used to clean kennels at their home (which was very clean and nice) or even a pet wash they used on her. I suppose it is a medicinal smell.


I would just blow it off except that you have given her a bath and the odor has returned. That rules out anything she is coming into contact with.


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## Chihuahuasloveme (Jan 8, 2010)

Are u sure its her head and not her ears that maybe have wax? I remember one or our puppies smelled on his head and I figured out his ears were dirty and had to clean them
A couple times b4 it went away


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## Brodysmom (Jan 8, 2009)

Or could it be a loose puppy tooth? Sometimes they give off a metallic odor when they are loose and need to come out? Or could she be wrestling with her sister and getting a drop of urine on her head that is drying and smelling like ammonia (mothballs)? I'm reaching for straws here .......


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## lyredragon (Jul 28, 2010)

flea medicine or dips sometimes smell like mothballs. What flea medicine do you use


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## chideb (Jan 29, 2008)

I would seriously investigate the ears..It could certainly be a skin issue, but just from my own experiences in the past.. I would take a very close look at the cause being her ears instead. Even if the vet has given her a good report, when you provide him with this additional information, he is able to focus in on the possibilities. Blessings, Deb


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## Amandarose531 (Aug 9, 2010)

If you notice it's coming from her head seriously check into her ears. I agree 100% that she may need a scraping, but whenever mine have yucky ear smell i'm very sensitive to it too.


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