My dishwasher emits a dead animal smell immediately after filling. I have a 20-year-old KitchenAid KUDS220T3 dishwasher. The racks are a little corroded, but it still cleans dishes just fine. About two months ago, it started smelling like a dead animal immediately after the dishwasher fills with hot water, during the time the water is being heated, but before agitation begins. The smell appears to be coming from around the door. If I open the door, everything inside the dishwasher smells fine. Since we have occasional rats and mice around the house, I pulled the dishwasher completely out of the opening, and inspected the insulation, the mechanisms under the tub, and also inspected the opening. There are no dead animals, nor is there even a hint of a bad odor anywhere. After I re-installed the dishwasher, I carefully cleaned all crud around the door and gaskets, and thought perhaps that would help. I have also inspected the (and smelled) the air trap and the garbage disposal, but they both smell just fine. I tried pouring bleach down the air trap tube and then ran the dishwasher, but that didn't make any difference. I have removed the round screen trap in the bottom of the tub, but there was absolutely no residue or dirt anywhere down there. I have come to the conclusion that the smell must be coming from sort of vent mechanism in the door, and in looking at the exploded diagram, I see a "lower baffle" that perhaps might be the problem, but I can't see an obvious way to remove this. So, are there any vents or other things in the door that might, after many years of service, have accumulated enough gunk to create a carrion (dead animal) stench? Thanks!