The most common reason a golden retriever smells like fish is a problem with their anal glands, two small sacs located just inside the anus that naturally release a pungent, fishy-smelling fluid. When these glands don’t empty properly, the fluid builds up and leaks out at random moments, leaving that unmistakable odor on your dog, your couch, or your car seat. But anal glands aren’t the only explanation. Golden retrievers are also prone to ear and skin infections that produce their own distinct smells, and a few other causes are worth checking.
Anal Glands: The Most Likely Cause
Every dog has two anal sacs, roughly the size of grapes, positioned at about 4 o’clock and 8 o’clock around the anus. They produce a thick, oily secretion that normally gets squeezed out during bowel movements. The fluid has a strong fishy or metallic smell that serves as a scent marker for other dogs. When everything works correctly, you’d never notice it.
Problems start when the sacs don’t empty fully. This is called impaction: the fluid stays trapped, the glands swell, and the backed-up secretion starts leaking in small amounts throughout the day. You might notice the smell on your dog’s bedding, on your furniture after they sit down, or just wafting off their back end. Soft stool or diarrhea is a common trigger, because loose stools don’t put enough pressure on the glands during defecation. Food sensitivities, bacterial gut infections, and allergic skin conditions can all lead to soft stool or swelling around the anus that blocks the gland openings. Excess body fat around the rear end can also compress the ducts and prevent normal drainage.
If impaction goes untreated, it can progress to infection and eventually an abscess that ruptures through the skin near the anus, creating a draining wound. That’s the worst-case scenario. Long before that happens, your dog will usually give you clear behavioral signals.
Signs the Smell Is Coming From the Anal Glands
Dogs with anal gland trouble tend to scoot their rear end across the floor, lick or chew obsessively at their back end, and show reluctance to sit down. You might notice them whimpering or straining during bowel movements. Physical signs include swelling or redness around the anus, matted fur near the tail, oily brownish discharge on floors or bedding, and hot spots developing on the skin nearby.
If you’re seeing any combination of these along with the fishy odor, anal glands are almost certainly the source.
Ear and Skin Infections
Golden retrievers are especially prone to yeast infections in their ears. Their heavy, floppy ears trap moisture and warmth, creating an ideal environment for yeast overgrowth. A yeast infection produces a distinct musty or sour smell that some owners describe as fishy. If the odor seems to come from your dog’s head rather than their rear, check the ears for redness, dark waxy buildup, or discharge. Frequent head shaking and ear scratching are other giveaways.
Yeast can also overgrow on the skin itself, particularly in skin folds, between toes, and along the belly. Yeast dermatitis causes severe itching, reddened or crusty skin, and a strong unpleasant odor. Golden retrievers with allergies are at higher risk because chronic skin inflammation disrupts the skin’s normal defenses and lets yeast populations expand. If your dog smells bad all over and is scratching constantly, a skin yeast issue is worth investigating.
Fish Oil Supplements
This one catches many golden retriever owners off guard. Fish oil is a popular supplement for coat health and joint support, and golden retrievers get it frequently. A recognized side effect of fish oil supplementation is fishy-smelling breath and body odor. If you recently started your dog on fish oil or increased the dose, and the fishy smell appeared around the same time, the supplement itself could be the straightforward explanation. Cutting back on the dose or switching to a different omega-3 source can resolve it quickly.
Vaginal Infections in Female Dogs
If your golden retriever is female, vaginitis is another possible source of a fishy smell. Common signs include frequent urination, licking the vaginal area, and discharge that may be clear, mucus-like, or tinged with pus. The vaginal area typically appears red and swollen. This is especially worth considering if the smell seems to come from underneath your dog rather than from the rear or the ears.
How to Help Prevent Anal Gland Problems
Since anal gland impaction is the most frequent cause, prevention centers on keeping your dog’s stool firm and well-formed. Dietary fiber is the key tool. Fiber pulls water into the digestive tract, binds and bulks the stool, and helps the colon push out feces that are firm enough to compress the anal sacs on the way out. Pumpkin is one of the most commonly recommended fiber sources for dogs. Apple pectin, a soluble fiber, dissolves into a gel-like substance in the gut and increases stool bulk from a different angle. A 2024 study in Veterinary Dermatology found that a daily chew combining pumpkin fiber and apple pectin significantly improved anal sac emptying in dogs with chronic impaction issues.
You can add plain canned pumpkin (not pie filling) to your dog’s food as a simple starting point. Introduce it gradually over about a week to let the digestive system adjust to the increased fiber.
One common question is whether you should have the anal glands manually expressed on a regular schedule. For most dogs, the answer is no. Routine expression in dogs without chronic problems can actually irritate the glands and cause unnecessary inflammation. Manual expression should be reserved for dogs who have a documented history of impaction and can’t empty the glands on their own.
Figuring Out the Source
The fastest way to narrow things down is to locate where the smell is strongest. Get close (unpleasant as that is) and check a few areas systematically. Smell near the rear end, then the ears, then the mouth. If the dog has been sitting somewhere and left a lingering fishy spot behind, that points directly to the anal glands. If the smell is strongest around the head, ears are the likely culprit. If the breath is fishy but everything else seems normal, consider fish oil or a dental issue.
Golden retrievers are a breed that tends to show up in veterinary offices for all of the conditions listed above. Their combination of floppy ears, dense coats, allergy-prone skin, and popularity as a breed that gets lots of supplements puts them at the intersection of several fishy-smell causes. A single vet visit with a clear description of where the smell is coming from and what behaviors you’ve noticed can usually pinpoint the problem and get it resolved.