Hi! I'm very glad to have found this site. I'm hoping that someone might be able to help answer my question. We have a 4 year old one of a kind dog. Recently she has started to smell like maple syrup. It's a very nice smell, but it has us concerned.

We took her to the vet, thinking that she might have diabetes. They did blood work and the good news was she didn't. Our vet said that she had read about this condition but couldn't remember what it meant or where she had read it. Any help will be greatly be appreciated.

Hi,

Sometimes my Griffon smells like maple syrup, too! I've asked a lot of people and no one seems to have heard of such a thing - except my next door neighbor. She says her 1 year old yellow lab sometimes smells like maple syrup. The only thing I've been able to find online is some rare genetic disease that is usually fatal in infancy called "Maple Syrup Disease" where a person is missing some essential amino acids which lead to severe mental & physical retardation. My Griffon is 3 years old and seems quite healthy. Did you ever learn anything more?

:?:

griffon,
We never did learn anything else. The maple syrup smell did go away and now she just smells like a regular dog. Her health is good with lots of energy. Even though she's going almost 5 she still acts like a puppy.

Are you in Southern California? My dog (a lab-terrier mix) and his friends smell like maple syrup after rustling around in the scrub around the park we go to in the San Fernando Valley. I was really worried also until I realized it went away when I washed him, and came back strongly right after a park visit.

Our son's young boxer has a very strong maple syrup smell. So much so that his pregnant wife can't stand to be around him! They recently moved to the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas. Maybe its the plants on their property, such as the posting for So. Calif. They have another (older) boxer, though, who does not smell of maple, yet both dogs roam all over the property together.

I read that fennugreek can cause this smell. I don't know if that is on their property. Does anyone else know anything about this?

This is so great! I just googled "dog smells like maple syrup" and came upon this forum. My dog also smells like maple syrup. I notice it in the spring affter she runs through the woods in the redwood park. I live in the Sf Bay Area. I've gotten a faint whiff while walking in the park, so I'm 99% sure the smell is from some kind of plant. I was just googling to see if I could figure out which plant it is. Glad to hear I'm not going crazy! I'll post again if I can figure out the plant that's causing the smell around here.

Wow! I did the same thing with Google! (Cate---you wouldn't be from Hilltop High, would you? Veb reversed is Bev!)
OK....so my daughter-in-law was weed-whacking and said she smelled a plant that smells like maple. The closest I can find on Google is fennugreek....used in syrups, and sweetners. I've used the herb for upper respiratory infections! I've also known for years about the maple sugar urine syndrome and its effects on the brain. And the young boxer is, well, a "different sort." I'm glad to know it might just be the plants!!

Any other new info out there?

Thank you all! My mom and I have been so worried. Every time my lab goes to their house he comes home smelling like Maple Syrup. They live in the hills near Monterey, CA. The other day my fiance was working on their property and the next day his legs smelled like maple syrup, so I'm pretty convinced at this point that I'm not going to need to give my dog insulin shots any time soon! Thanks again for everyone's effort to inform others about this.

I think it might be California everlasting (Gnaphalium californicum). This website (#37) says that the flowers on this plant give off a maple syrup smell, which explains why my dog only smells that way at certain (long) times of the year. http://tchester.org/plants/analysis/floras/wrc.html.

Here is a picture: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...LC:en%26sa%3DN.

Hope this helps!

Hi! I have a puppy that smells like syrup too! My vet noticed it first and it was really faint, but sometimes gets pretty strong at random times. It seems to only be coming from his snout area. Even after bathing, you can still smell it, just not as strongly. I was worried that it might have something to do with diabetes as well but the vet doesn't seem to think it's cause for alarm. I don't live near any woods (Texas) and I have never seen any of the plants mentioned around here. I also have a pomeranian that lives, eats, plays, etc, under the exact same conditions and she doesn't have the syrup smell at all. ????????????????????

our Shitzu is 15 years old. She smells like Maple Syrup. At first we thought our daughter was exaggerating....We noticed a change in behavior of the dog pooping and peeing in the house.... she smells like maple syrup... we think that it's a maple uriney smell....or its a rotty maple syrup smell... anyone have a guess... next step maybe is the vet.

I searched these from "百度".the following:


maple syrup urine disease is caused by Branch chain amino acids (valine, leucine, and isoleucine) congenital metabolic disorders . The smell of urine similar to maple syrup, it is this name.

Sugar maple the same is called sugar maple , is a tall deciduous trees. Up to 40 metres, a 40-100 cm diameter , up to 500 years old.there are have most starch in trunk,in winter,the starch becomes sucrose. Warm days sucrose becomes Sweetest Sap. If drilling in the trees, then it pouring out of Sap. Sap stew for 10% of the sugar called maple syrup or maple sugar.

Dog Supplies - Dog Products - Wholesale, Apparel, Clothes, CoatDog Supplies - Dog Products - Wholesale, Apparel, Clothes, Coat

I noticed the other postings on this subject were a couple of years ago, but I found this doing a search because I have a dog that started to smell very strongly of Maple Syrup.

I took in a stray female on Christmas eve and soon discovered she was pregnant. She had 3 adorable puppies on Jan 5th. (I am not finding homes for all and am heartbroken....but I digress.) Anyway, I noticed that her smelling like maple syrup started about the same time I weaned her off from feeding the puppies. Does anyone think that might be a cause?

I looked in my backyard for the plant everyone was talking about and did not see any. And I have 2 other dogs who do not smell like Maple.

Any thoughts out there?

Karri

Originally Posted by laurajcole

I think it might be California everlasting (Gnaphalium californicum). This website (#37) says that the flowers on this plant give off a maple syrup smell, which explains why my dog only smells that way at certain (long) times of the year. Comments On the Flora of Western Riverside County.

Here is a picture: Google Image Result for http://www.csupomona.edu/~jcclark/flora/plants/asteraceae/gnaphalium_californicum.jpg.

Hope this helps!

Oh my gosh, I have that plant growing wild in my garden! I'm not sure where they came from; probably a wildflower seedmix I scattered. I hadn't noticed a maple syrup smell on my dog though-- but then the flowers are growing against the wall of the house, in the back of the bed, and not in the main path where the dogs play/potty. I'll have to be sure and check it out-- how wierd!

:My dog has exactly the same thing. Did you ever find out what it might be?

Originally Posted by addicted2evol

Hi! I have a puppy that smells like syrup too! My vet noticed it first and it was really faint, but sometimes gets pretty strong at random times. It seems to only be coming from his snout area. Even after bathing, you can still smell it, just not as strongly. I was worried that it might have something to do with diabetes as well but the vet doesn't seem to think it's cause for alarm. I don't live near any woods (Texas) and I have never seen any of the plants mentioned around here. I also have a pomeranian that lives, eats, plays, etc, under the exact same conditions and she doesn't have the syrup smell at all. ????????????????????

Hi, while my clients are all of the canine or feline species, I am aware of a human disease (which I have found correlate pretty much identically with
animal disease) that is called MSUD(Maple Syrup Urine Disease). This is a
genetic disease. It is an inherited metabolic disease that involves Amino
Acid metabolism. Some doctors refer to it as Acetonuria, Ketonaciduria or
Ketonuria. It is a very rare disease and the only symptom is the smell of
maple syrup that comes from urine. With an animal, i.e., your dog of four
years, urine can end up anywhere so whether or not you smell it on other
parts of your dog, it could very well be exactly this. I am not sure of the
treatment for this disease but as I said, it is extremely rare. I would suggest
writing a letter to perhaps UC DAVIS or another veterinary school. I am sure
they would be pleased, if not excited to talk to you and help you with this
problem. The rarity of the condition would be wonderful for them to study and I do believe these services are very low cost, if not free. I am not sure
where you live but even e-mail correspondence to the school would shed some light and give you some comfort regarding it. I wish you the best.
Keep all of us informed of the progress as I believe it is more common than
we might think looking at all of the posts regarding this subject.
Blessings,
Spirit Talker aka Starr

[Ynot]

Before you bother your vets with this question please do a couple of checks around your house and yard.

1.) Check to see if you have the syrup type plants in your yard; if you don't go to step 2.

2.) Check to see if any of your bones you feed your dog have maple and brown sugar in them. Some bones have a filling inside the bone to make them more attractive to the animal. The more bones of this type the stronger the syrup smell. If no bones with these ingrediants, move to step 3.

3.) Smell the urine, if it smells like maple syrup, then call your vet and explain to them the situation.

This little check, depending on your yard, can take a total of 3 mins min. to self diagnose. I did this check and got to step 2 and found the culprit... dog bones, which has not been mentioned. It would be a guess, but I would say alot of you that don't have the plant...and the urine does not smell, has the bones in the house somewhere.

Happy Hunting

[Npcoach]

Sorry others have the same problem, but good to know my wife and I were not hallucinating. Our 6 year old, seemingly healthy, female mixed breed started smelling like maple syrup about 2 months ago.

We explored the possibility of plants, but didn't seem to have the offenders mentioned in this thread. Then YNOT suggested looking at the dog biscuits. VOILA! About 2 or 3 months ago we started giving her maple flavored (or maple and peanut butter) dog biscuits from Trader Joes. After smelling the dog treats I am pretty sure that this is the culprit. We give her all sorts of biscuits, but the Trader Joes biscuits are the only ones that are similar smelling.

Unfortunately, Marina will not get any more of them while I test this theory.

Do any of you give your doggy biscuits from Trader Joes?

[Mr. Vega]

In a laboratory setting, when the yeast Malassezia pachydermatitis (it naturally occurs on dogs skin and can get way out of control in ear infections) is cultured, many people think it smells like maple syrup. Some people think it smells like fritos (which it does to me).

[hikingjane]

My two mini Australian Shepherd puppies often smell like maple syrup after we hike in the San Gabriel mountains near Los Angeles. My friend's golden retriever and Brittany also smell like maple syrup after hiking. Our short haired dogs don't have the same smell. (Their sleek coats don't seem to pick up the odor.) I looked at the pictures of the white flowering plants and they look familiar. The long haired dogs must pick up the scent after running through the bushes.