Stinky Dog

[Chocolate Lab]

My dog has had this bad odor for weeks now and I am not sure what else to do about it.

I took him to the vet for his shots and the vet pointed out the smell. She said that he had a minor ear infection but that she did not believe the smell was coming from his ears. She gave me medication for the infection.

We talked to our trainer about the smell and he said that maybe we were giving him a bath to often he said to bathe him about every 6 weeks.

We live in the desert so our dog has a plastic pool in the backyard which he dips into when he is hot. (we have a lab) every once in a while we have taken him to the pet resort so that he can go swimming on a real pool. But I am not sure if the smell is because he is the water a lot. I make sure I dry him off before he comes into the house.

I did some research on the internet about stinky dogs and found a website that talked about Anal sacs and that if these are not empty they can cause a bad smell.

Should I be concerned about this and take my dog to the vet?

Thank You

[rmci]

Does your dog smell all over or just near his ears or rear end?

If your dog has a yeast infection in his ears there is an odor associated with it, kind of "cheesy" smelling.

Have you noticed your dog scooting his butt across the floor a lot? Do his anal sacs look swollen? If yes, I'd take him to the vet to have his anal glands expressed.

I'm surprised the vet wasn't able to tell you where the smell was coming from when the ear infection was diagnosed.

[Cassiepeia]

Is it just a "doggy" smell? Have you changed his food recently? What food is he eating?

I'm also surprised the vet didn't find out what was wrong...perhaps a second opinion is in order?

Cass.

[dollface]

Wet dogs do smell, yes if you are bathing your dog to much (not water but using a shampoo) will ruin their natural oils and can cause a yeast infection.

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body..._the_skin.html

http://www.doggiesparadise.com/dog-s...nfection.shtml

http://www.thepetprofessor.com/artic...le.aspx?id=215

Hope these are some help

[rmci]

Dollface: Thank you for your input! I didn't know their skin could also get a yeast infection.

[Chocolate Lab]

I have not changed his food in a while he eats nutro. I have been watching him but I don't think it is his anal sacs. dollface thank you for the above links. I think I am going to look for another vet and get a second opinion. I don't want him to have yeast infection. The smell seems to be less strong now, my husband said he cannot smell it anymore. I am not going to give him a bath that often anymore since he gets into his plastic pool he kind of cleans off his coat.

Thank you all for your input.

[WolfRyder]

Labs generally don't need bathing (with shampoo) but every 3 - 4 months (even 6 months, I've been told), unless they get into something and it gets on their coat and needs washing.

Good brushing and using a damp washcloth goes a long way to keeping short-haired dogs' coats in good shape.

Bob, our part lab, has had only one bath since we got her and it was at the groomer. My groomer was the one to get me the "bathing" schedule. She said the worst problem with short-haired dogs and bathing at home was rinsing out all the shampoo. If any is left on the skin it can cause skin problems.

So since Bob also lounges in her "pool", I don't worry about the shampoo part.

Another thought I just had about your dog swimming in a "real pool" is the chemicals they put in the water. Wonder if that can cause a reaction on the skin as well? Hmmm...I'll have to ask.