topic Re: My poor smelly dog in Pet Lovers

My poor smelly dog

Katyq — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 02:03:51 GMT

Almost all food gives my dog horrible body odor-even just 2 days after a bath. I found one that doesn't, but she has developed gastrointestinal issues and can't eat that anymore. She is sleeping right up against me and she smells soooooo bad. Poor her and poor me!

Has anyone else had this problem?

Re: My poor smelly dog

mima — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 02:27:17 GMT

There are many reasons that dogs smell bad. I think you need to take him/her to your vet.

Re: My poor smelly dog

K9buddy — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 02:32:33 GMT

I've read that people rave about Braggs apple cider vinegar. You can bathe the dog with it or put it in a spritz bottle and rub it into his coat.

Re: My poor smelly dog

Katyq — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 02:35:40 GMT

@mima wrote:
There are many reasons that dogs smell bad. I think you need to take him/her to your vet.

Thanks - she has been several times over the past few months because of her g.i. issues. The vet said it was the food.

Re: My poor smelly dog

Buck-i-Nana — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 02:54:49 GMT

Is it her skin that develops an odor, or is she just really flatulent? Unfortunately, many if not most dog (like people) get more "aromatic" as they age. Sometimes changing food can help reduce the problem, but often that's not possible due to dietary restrictions and often it just doesn't help.

Re: My poor smelly dog

Sunshine Kate — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 02:57:15 GMT

@K9buddy wrote:
I've read that people rave about Braggs apple cider vinegar. You can bathe the dog with it or put it in a spritz bottle and rub it into his coat.

Have you smelled Braggs apple cider vinegar? It smells just awful. I can't imagine bathing a dog in it or spritzing his coat with it.

Re: My poor smelly dog

Katyq — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 03:04:15 GMT

It's her skin. Yes, I've only found one kind of food that is a special "bland" diet that keeps her fairly regular.

I might try some dry dog shampoo from Etsy. But that will build up if I use it too often.

@Buck-i-Nana wrote:
Is it her skin that develops an odor, or is she just really flatulent? Unfortunately, many if not most dog (like people) get more "aromatic" as they age. Sometimes changing food can help reduce the problem, but often that's not possible due to dietary restrictions and often it just doesn't help.

Re: My poor smelly dog

K9buddy — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 03:09:21 GMT

@Sunshine Kate wrote:
@K9buddy wrote:
I've read that people rave about Braggs apple cider vinegar. You can bathe the dog with it or put it in a spritz bottle and rub it into his coat.

Have you smelled Braggs apple cider vinegar? It smells just awful. I can't imagine bathing a dog in it or spritzing his coat with it.

I only was relating what I've read. You can google it yourself. I do know that many people use vinegar as a hair rinse. Yes it smells pungent out of the bottle, but the smell disapates fairly quickly.

Re: My poor smelly dog

MalMom — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 03:24:50 GMT

Have you tried probiotics? Sorry, if you have been down that road already...

Re: My poor smelly dog

Katyq — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 03:29:36 GMT

@MalMom wrote:
Have you tried probiotics? Sorry, if you have been down that road already...

No I haven't! That's a good idea. I'll as the vet about that!

Re: My poor smelly dog

geegerbee — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 03:48:19 GMT

I have heard Dinovite was a great food for your dog's health. I am getting ready to try it. They have a website: dinovitedotcom if you want to check it out.

Re: My poor smelly dog

GingerPeach — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 04:26:39 GMT

@Katyq

If I were you, I'd feed her just simple food for a little while. The old standby chicken and rice might do temporarily. (The only thing here is that rice has been found to be laden to varying degrees with arsenic so perhaps substitute something else for the rice. Check with your vet.)

Anyway, just keep it simple for a while and don't add anything until you see how her system responds to a simpler diet. The only thing might be to add in some probiotics but don't add much else as you take your time with a new plan.

What does your vet say to feed her?

Re: My poor smelly dog

Katyq — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 04:31:26 GMT

@GingerPeach wrote:
@Katyq
If I were you, I'd feed her just simple food for a little while. The old standby chicken and rice might do temporarily. (The only thing here is that rice has been found to be laden to varying degrees with arsenic so perhaps substitute something else for the rice. Check with your vet.)

Anyway, just keep it simple for a while and don't add anything until you see how her system responds to a simpler diet. The only thing might be to add in some probiotics but don't add much else as you take your time with a new plan.

What does your vet say to feed her?

I'm feeding her "Dave's Bland Diet" chicken and rice, which was recommended by the vet. It has helped her g.i. problems a lot. Just makes her stinky! :-\
I have been thinking of trying to make her food myself to see if that helps.

Re: My poor smelly dog

NickNack — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 04:44:24 GMT

I've never heard of dog food causing a dog's skin to smell bad. Can you keep her on Dave's bland food forever? I wasn't sure if it was complete nutrition or just a temporary diet. I also wasn't sure if you wanted to keep her on it since it made her stinky. If you need to switch, I would go with something very high quality and simple, like Wellness Simple Diet. It's their limited ingredient diet that's complete nutrition for your dog.

I'm sure you know this, but when you switch dog foods you have to do it slowly or they'll get gastrointestinal issues. I hope you're able to get this problem resolved. If the smell doesn't go away I would ask your vet to look for other causes.

Re: My poor smelly dog

Katyq — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 13:02:16 GMT

@Nicknack wrote:
I've never heard of dog food causing a dog's skin to smell bad. Can you keep her on Dave's bland food forever? I wasn't sure if it was complete nutrition or just a temporary diet. I also wasn't sure if you wanted to keep her on it since it made her stinky. If you need to switch, I would go with something very high quality and simple, like Wellness Simple Diet. It's their limited ingredient diet that's complete nutrition for your dog.

I'm sure you know this, but when you switch dog foods you have to do it slowly or they'll get gastrointestinal issues. I hope you're able to get this problem resolved. If the smell doesn't go away I would ask your vet to look for other causes.

Thanks I will look into that! So glad I mentioned this to this group. You all are so helpful!

Re: My poor smelly dog

USAnn — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 14:56:49 GMT

Allergies can be very frustrating to manage, and they definitely can affect the way your dog smells. Here's what worked miracles for my girl:

"Iams Veterinary Formula Skin and Coat Response KO Dry Dog Food helps to relieve and soothe your dog's itching and scratching through nutrition. Its made with limited ingredients including a single source protein from kangaroo and carbohydrate from oats. Optimal levels of linoleic acid to reduce your dogs susceptibility to skin inflammation, while an adjusted balance of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids manages cellular inflammation. Added vitamins, minerals and antioxidants provide your dog with a complete and balanced allergen-free meal.

*Please Note: Due to change in legislation in the state of California, products containing Kangaroo will no longer be permitted to be sold to consumers in California.

Iams Veterinary Formula Skin and Coat Response KO Dry Dog Food is:

Made with limited ingredients single source protein and carbohydrate
Formulated for dogs with skin allergies
Fortified with linoleic acid to reduce inflammation
Enhanced with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants"

Vet says that this is a protein not found in her normal environment so there is less chance that she will have an allergic reaction. So far (at least a year), so good. Bonus - she loves it, so much so that we use the kibble as treats.

She can also handle this:

Hill's® Prescription Diet® z/d® Canine

Skin/Food Sensitivities

Food sensitivities and intolerance are potentially serious problems that can result in sensitive or irritated skin, coat and ear conditions or even gastrointestinal upset. Dogs that have a food sensitivity or intolerance, also called adverse reactions to food, typically experience an abnormal response to the protein in the food. If your dog suffers from adverse reaction to food, it is even more important to feed the right food.

Hill's nutritionists & veterinarians developed Prescription Diet® z/d® clinical nutrition especially formulated to support your dog's skin and food sensitivities. In fact, z/d is clinically proven nutrition to help avoid adverse reactions to food.

How It Helps:

Helps improve digestion & stool quality
Helps eliminate food related causes of skin irritation
Visible improvement in skin & coat
Helps maintain a healthy skin barrier

How It Works:

Highly hydrolyzed protein
Single carbohydrate source: Corn Starch
Essential fatty acid enriched
Clinically proven antioxidants

100% Guarantee We're confident your pet will enjoy Hill's® Prescription Diet® foods. We're so confident that we offer a 100% money-back guarantee.*

She's fed a combination of these canned and dry three times a day - smaller meals helps minimize the stress on the digestive system.

Final hint - freeze the dry food once you have opened the bag. This kills any storage mites that are present (and they are there - you cannot avoid them) and which may be adding to your dog's allergic reactions. We parcel out daily portions into freezer bags and store them in the freezer, which makes daily feedings easier as an added bonus.

Also, these foods are prescription diet. I purchase them directly from my vet, but they can also be purchased from other places as long as you have a prescription. Pricier too, but definitely worth it for my girl's health and comfort.

Re: My poor smelly dog

tends2dogs — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 17:22:38 GMT

Sorry to read about your problem with your dog. The vinegar rinse that someone mentioned above could be a help. Use equal parts with water when rinsing after shampooing. I would then rinse with clear water. Also, Google chlorophyll. This is a natural body deodorizer plus it is good for MANY things. (even good for people!)

All the best with your doggie friend!

Re: My poor smelly dog

Shawnie — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 18:20:38 GMT

Usually if the skin develops an odor the dog has one of the following, dirty skin (clearly not in this case), has an underlying skin infection that can be caused by many things, including food allergies. If changing the food to something that the vet recommends doesnt do the trick, then it is time to do some lab work. Bloodwork, including a thyroid check first would do. Then if that comes back normal, then maybe allergy testing. Just saying it is the food doesnt tell you what you need to avoid.

Re: My poor smelly dog

MalMom — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 01:04:45 GMT

Good to check with your vet.

I ordered the Vetri-Science brand on Amazon (who doesn't love Prime ...). My girl tended to have GI issues fairly often and they resolved once I added the probiotics into her meal routine. She had been getting plain yogurt, but I found the probiotics much more effective.

Best of luck!

Re: My poor smelly dog

Marp — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 02:45:27 GMT

@Katyq, if your vet suspects a food allergy or intolerance (which can also cause GI problems) you might find some helpful information in this link.

http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/frequently-asked-questions/dog-food-allergies/