Dog Odor Problem
by Romona Duke
(British Columbia, Canada)
We have a 90 pound Border Collie, German Shepherd, Rottweiler cross who is almost 12 years old.
The past couple of years he has developed a very bad body odor that is very rank...Even after a bath within 3 days it is back. Is there anything I can do to combat it?
Answer From the Editors at Dog-Spoiling
Hello Romona,
The cause of body odors can be the result of many physical conditions so if your dog hasn't seen the vet for a while, this would seem like a good reason to take him in for a check-up.
Our "non-vet" best guess as to the cause of your dog's odor problem, is a skin condition of some kind.
Have you noticed if your dog scratches himself frequently or rolls around on the ground a lot. If he does, this could be some evidence of an itchy skin condition. But, it could also just mean he's found something that smells bad and just wants to get it all over - dogs love the bad smelling stuff! He might also be finding and getting into some of this bad stuff at other places where you go regularly on walks?
In any event, give his skin a close all-over inspection. Some skin inflammations or itchy conditions can result in a bad odor. This seems the mostly likely source of the odor problem your dog is presenting.
Seborrhea is one condition that results in an awful smell and he may have the type that causes not only flaky skin but also excessive oil to be produced by the sebaceous glands. This oil can build up in his coat, ultimately becoming rancid - hence the awful smell. A shampoo such as Keratolux can be very helpful in either dry or oily types of seborrhea, or both. I've included a link to the product below.
If the smell is not coming from his coat, is it coming from his mouth which might indicate some decaying teeth or gum infections? Bacteria from oral infections can get into the blood stream and cause all kinds of serious health issues, some of which may have smelly ramifications.
Another condition to consider is an ear infection - maybe caused by mites, which by the way are impossible to see. If there is any odor you can detect from your dog's ears, it may be coming from deep within the ear canal. If this is a possibility, your vet should take a look - it's too dangerous for owners to go poking around in this area. But ear infections generally have a bad odor.
Lastly, one other cause might be impacted or infected anal glands. Although these glands are normally emptied through defecation, if frequent odor is noted, it could signal a problem that needs attention.
We hope this response will help you get a solution to the problem.
Best of luck.
Virbac Keratolux Shampoo