Our Dog Stinks!!

[Boz]

Some of you may remember this post:
My Dog has Skin Allergies

A little background:
Bosley is a neutered shih tzu who will be 8 in March.
We got him at 6 months old from a family who decided they didn't want him.
He started having ear infections right off the bat.
His skin allergies started at around 2-3 years old.

Currently, nothing seems to be working anymore. He's on Evo (been for a few months now), predizone (sp?), he has special shampoo, low ingredient treats, he used to get yogurt in his food, fish oil tablets, you name it we've probably tried it!!

On top of that he stinks and even after a good scrub in the bath he still stinks. The smell is bad and you can't even stand to be around him! Normally a bath would "wash" it away for a few days but it doesn't help for more then a day anymore!

I've spent hours on the web, asking friends and other dog people and we are just stumped.

We just don't know what to do anymore.

Does anyone have any advice or something we could possibly try?

And because, here are a few pictures! These were taken Tuesday. You can see in the one that shows his chest and under arms that he's almost black looking. That's from licking. He's usually gold/white!

 

[naturestee]

Poor little guy. Have you tried a low-ingredient food? Maybe one of the allergy-specific ones? Lily used to do great on California Natural (usually 2-3 ingredients + vitamins/minerals) but she's allergic to that now. FYI that's made by Innova which makes Evo. So now she's on Natural Balance Duck and Pea which has been helping. Both of those brands are available at Pet Supply Plus and Pet Supply Outlet. I think there are more options in each brand for dogs as well.

As for the smell, I think my friends' food-allergic dog would have that if she was on the wrong foods.

It might take a couple of tries to get the right food but hopefully you'll find something!

 

[degrassi]

MY only 2 suggestions are that you keep trying different foods(another brand of grain free food, or raw) or is there something like allergy shots for dogs, like there are for people with allergies. He might not be allergic to the food but to something in the air/environment.

Also you might have to cone him while you try these things. Him licking can also be causing the issues not to resolve and heal.

 

[fuzz16]

look at natural balance dog food...the stink may be from a break out on her body that your not noticing

 

[Boz]

Naturestee - yeah we've tried soooo many foods. I can't even remember them all anymore. We started to try Evo because myheart tried it and it works well with her big boy!

degrassi - yeah that's a big issue, licking. There's really only two ways to get him to stop, put on a shirt (which we need to get one that's not too hot, and more predizone. But the predizone doesn't seem to work anymore. And we hate to give him it because it's not good to have long-term.

fuzz16 - What the vet told us is the stink is from him licking so we have to stop the licking. He mainly licks under his arms which you can really see!

Sorry to like, shut you all down.
I hate to switch his food again but I guess we'll have to, yet again, find another food that might qualify as good. Raw is just not going to happen.

His allergies usually flare up the worse in Spring and Fall and calm in mid-Summer and mid-winter, if that helps.

 

[AmyBunny]

Could you try a skin lotion or something for the licking? maybe if he doesn't feel so itchy he won't lick as much. My dog once was left outside at dusk and got bitten like mad by mosquitos. He has very sensitive skin and was going crazy with all the bites. I tried lots of things, bathed him, etc but nothing helped for the night. Finally in desperation I grabbed some Gold Bond powder and just completely doused him in it. Almost immediately he calmed down and finally went to sleep! It smells kind of weird, but worth a try?

I'm also with the others in a limited food... and an alternate meat source, like Duck. Dick van Patten has some really good ones for allergies as well.

 

[Becknutt]

We battled the same problem for 3 years, the vet told me there was nothing else he could do except keep giving me open presciptions for the shampoo and ear drops. (I refused the steroids.)

It took us a while to find the right good food for our dog with allergies. We also give her over the counter anitihistamines daily which keeps her skin irritations and ear infections under control. Tavist works best for Roxy, Benadryl made her very sleepy and didn't seem to control her symptoms.

As for the smell, it's probubly a yeast infection of his skin (sounds grosser than it is.) Check for black or rough patches of skin in folds, under his legs or on his belly. Roxy used to getit often until we got her food allergies under control.keep with the prescription shampoo from your vet and also give him probiotics. Ultimately its a matter of trial and error.We useNaturesSelect pet food, which theywill personally deliver to your door for free. You can orderfree samples from your local distributor website. I really can't say enough wonderful things about this food. From the first feeding we saw improvement in our dog, prior to this we used to have to practically force her to eat. We use the Chicken, lamb & rice formula. My husband jokes that I sound like a walking commercial for this pet food because I tell every dog and cat owner I know about it. It's comparable in cost to other high end natural foods, actually it's cheaper than the previous brand we used. $50 for 50lbs and I love that they personally deliver it to your door. Our guy usually brings treats for the dog also.

Try the Tavist, generic name is Clemastine. They have it at CVS. One tiny pill inhis food morning and night. You should be able to tell in 3-4 days if it's helping.

 

[missyscove]

Have you had him tested for allergies? I know it's pretty pricey, but it might be worth it to save you the hassle.

 

[degrassi]

Since it flares up worse in the spring/fall you should consider air allergens. Have you tried treating with antihistamines?

Stopping him licking is really important. He may be unhappy but you might have to put a cone on him for a few weeks to let it heal up. Or if the T shirts work, buy a few of those and always keep him covered.

Or have you tried spraying his coat with one of those bitter taste sprays? The vet should have some extra strength ones that are safe to put on wounds.