Stinky Dogs

Does your dog stink even though he or she gets bathed often?  Consider some of these causes of stinky dogs



Stress
In her book, Stress In Dogs, author Martina Scholz writes that stress can cause body and breath oder in dogs.
In my last post, I wrote that Murphy used to get greasy. Whenever he had to go to the vet, he would get even greasier and stinkier and clumps of his hair would fall out.
A dog who is stressed often, or is under stress all the time might smell bad.  Analyze your dog's activities and your home life and see if there are some ways that stress can be reduced.
See Stress Reduction, Stress Indicators, and Calming Signals.

Allergies
Work with your vet. Your dog's smelly skin could be allergy, yeast or bacteria related.  Sometimes changing food and/or changing the environment can help. See more about allergies here.


Other Medical Conditions
There are several medical conditions that can cause skin problems - low thyroid, mange, etc.. Discuss with your vet

Shampoo
You might be stuck in a vicious cycle. The perfumes could make your dog smell better. But the shampoo could be irritating your dog's skin. So you use more shampoo to make her smell better, and more shampoo irritates her skin more. The shampoo might even be contributing to allergies.  Ask you vet to help you choose a very mild shampoo. Or consider some shampoo alternatives. More to come on that.

Stay tuned for more on dog baths.  Tell us about your stinky dogs in the comments section below. Email general questions to education@stubbypuddin.com