Learn about why a dog might smell weird after surgery and what possible causes could be. Find out how to help your dog smell better and when to consult a vet. [Help] What makes dogs smell weird after they come home from the vet? Why would my dog begin to smell like that days after his last vet appointment? Help! Do you guys know what I'm talking about? It's usually only a smell I smell after the dog has surgery. I kind of assumed it was the smell of the anesthesia or other surgical chemicals. Chemical odors: Anesthesia medications have an odor, which can cling to your dog sometime after surgery. You may be able to smell some lingering remnants inside your dog’s mouth and bad smells on their fur. Urine or fecal matter: Dogs may have accidents when waking up from anesthesia. Find out if your dog can sense that you had surgery and how they may react or offer comfort during your recovery. Is your dog stinky after surgery? Learn why post-op odors happen, how to identify infection, and when to call your vet. Expert advice for a safe recovery. For the same reason that mother dogs constantly sniff and lick their babies, your dog sniffs and licks your wounds, the wounds of the other animals in the home, and possibly even the wounds of strangers, if your dog is a more sociable animal. Your dog may not know what surgery is, but they can smell and sense that something has changed with you. Here’s what’s really going on. A bad smell from your dog after surgery is often caused by normal healing processes, such as the lingering scent of anesthesia or dried skin fluids. However, a foul, sweet, or rotting odor can indicate a serious infection at the incision site that requi. Dogs that sense illness in a person typically respond with persistent, focused attention directed at a specific body part or at the person overall. This can look like intense sniffing, prolonged staring, pawing, nudging with the nose, licking a particular spot, or refusing to leave someone’s side. These behaviors stem from a dog’s extraordinary sense of smell, which is at least 1,000 times. In fact, dogs can smell in parts per trillion. That means that if there's an open wound (a cut, a scrape, or something worse), your dog can smell it before you even see it.