Why does my dog stink!

[Angi]

I have a Rat Terrier. He is a great family dog, but not crazy about stangers. He is pretty well trained and adores me. The problem is he stinks even after a bath. He is about 9 years old. I have to bathe him myself so taking to a groomer is not an option. He would bite them. I got him from a bad breeder and was told by a dog training school that he may need to be put down, but he is good with our family and kids. He warms up to big people slowly.
Anybody have any advice on how to get this sweet dog that can weezle his way into by bed to smell better/not stink?

 

[Laura]

probably allergies.. trt changing his diet and not feeding him a lot of different treats

 

[Angi]

He doesn't get treats. I feed him an expensive dog food that has the first two ingridients listed as salmon and sweet potatoes. He doesn't smell like fish though. I would be more than happy to buy a different dog food if it would help.

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He doesn't get treats. I feed him an expensive dog food that has the first two ingridients listed as salmon and sweet potatoes. He doesn't smell like fish though. I would be more than happy to buy a different dog food if it would help.

 

[Laura]

taste of the Wild?
thats a good food if thats what it is.. maybe he doesnt do well on fish?
could be enviromental allergies too...
ear infection? bad teeth? tarter?

 

[AdamR]

Ya I would definitely say it is either the food or his teeth. If his Brest particularly smells bad then he has rotten teeth that need to be pulled. Otherwise, try going with some cheaper food. Everytime I've used the expensive stuff, as healthy as it is, they always smelled terrible and had really nasty messes! A lot of times as the dog ages they can't handle they real stuff anymore. Is he normally oily (sp?) as well as stinky?

 

[Wirewehear]

My 1st thought would be food as well but sounds like you already are feeding a good premium food. Usually cheap kibble with a high corn content will cause body odor/oily coat.
You should be able to tell the difference between bad breath or a stinky coat. Maybe a little of both? Do your hands have a slight odor after petting him? What kind of shampoo do you use? I have a dog with allergies, she doesnt smell at all and she only gets bathed a few times a year. I have a Rat terrier also ... his coat never smells but his breath will. His back teeth dont stay as clean as my larger dogs. So for him I use a thimble style toothbrush (not sure what the real name for it is) with toothpaste made for dogs and gently rub the sides of teeth. That takes care of his breath. You can find it at a pet store wherever they keep canine teeth cleaning supplies.
My boxer mix is the only dog I've ever had with a bit of a body odor to her coat. Its just a little bit but its there so she gets bathed once a month. But her bedding gets washed weekly. Keeping her bedding clean helps more than anything.
Has your Rattie always had an odor? Or is this recent. If its something new it could be time for a check up and a blood panel. 9 isnt super old for the breed but he's got some years and health issues come up when one is pushing 10. 1st try using a good antibacterial shampoo, make sure his bedding is clean and see if he'll let you brush his teeth... (raw carrots help too or raw marrow bones) if all that doesnt work. Then it might be a medical issue.
Oh ... in case its bad breath from a digestive issue, probiotics are helpful. You can google it for online sites or check out the local pet supply.

 

[Tom]

Is his coat sort of greasy? What kind of bad smell? Teeth, anal glands or just that strong "dog" odor from the coat?

If its a coat related smell, I've had really good results with good old tar and sulphur shampoos. The one I use is called "Furst Aide" or something pretty close to that. It smells pretty funky while you are washing, but it leaves them totally odor and oil free and feeling like silk. I always use it when one of our dogs has to work with an actor. They always comment on how soft the dogs coat is and want to know what we feed them. They never comment one way or the other on the smell since there is none.

 

[Angi]

It is a body odor. Just a real strong dog odor. I will try and find the shampoo Tom recomended. I also may change his food. He also get an upset stomach about once every other week. I can tell because he won't eat for a day and I can hear his stomach gurgle.

 

[Laura]

Maybe the vet should do a work up on him.
When you switch his food. do it slowly. Dont run out of the current food..
mix it for a week to get him used to it.
Dont Over bathe. If you give him too many baths is washes his natural oils away.
Be sure he get brushed to help stimulate the skin.

 

[Yvonne G]

Its usually the oils in their coat. I use orchard grass hay in my dog house instead of a blanket. Easier to keep clean and doesn't smell. The dog seems to stay sweet-smelling longer too.

 

[Tom]

It is a body odor. Just a real strong dog odor. I will try and find the shampoo Tom recomended. I also may change his food. He also get an upset stomach about once every other week. I can tell because he won't eat for a day and I can hear his stomach gurgle.

We have around 20-30 dogs at our ranch. We've tried all sorts of different foods over the last 15 years. All of them were "premium" type foods. The fact is that none of them are perfect and all of them worked great for a certain percentage of dogs and all of them caused problems for a certain percentage of dogs. Now we feed Purina ProPlan and its gives us the best results we have ever had, by far. We have a couple of dogs that are on specialty food, but the rest, including my personal dogs are on ProPlan.

Now here's the disclaimer: My wife went to work for Purina, in the Veterinary Diet channel, several years ago. When she told me that she wanted to start feeding our dogs on "Purina" I made that same crinkled nose face that you are probably making. I gave it a chance and I have to admit that I was very wrong. Its good stuff. After seeing my 5 dogs on it for several years, the boss decided to give it a try in the main kennel about a year ago. He, the other trainers and the keepers have all been very pleasantly surprised at the result. Health problems and vet bills have gone down significantly. Coats and skin are great. Energy and enthusiasm are fantastic. Appetite and stools are better than ever.

I used to be very biased against Purina. During my career in the pet trade, I sat through food seminars from ALL the companies, big and small. Honestly, its all hype. Each company thinks their food is better than the competition, and has all sorts of reasons why, and consumers think all sorts of crazy things. Ingredient lists are useless. Look at Mazuri for an example of that. The bottom line is that different foods will work best for different dogs. When you find a food that works for YOUR dog, leave it alone. Of all the foods, from all the brands, I have honestly seen the best overall results from Proplan.

 

[Angi]

I will try the Proplan!

 

[Angi]

I will try the Proplan!

 

[Laura]

and... whatever food you feed.. you will not see results right away.. it can take several weeks or longer..

 

[DeanS]

Back when I had wolves...I used Purina Field and Farm Plus as their diet staple...and they NEVER smelled bad!

 

[Fernando]

I will try the Proplan!

Re: double Posts

When you try and reply to a post, do you get a long loading sign? I would suggest hitting the refresh button before you hit the post reply button again.

Sometimes a server can hang for a bit if you have a bad connection. Or you can always copy your text field so that in case it DOESN'T go through you can just paste it in the field again...if that makes any sense.

 

[Angi]

Thank you all for the advice! And I don't know how to cut and paste or refresh. We got a new computer and an updated version of windows and I don't know where anything is. It either double posts or says I already posted and then posts once. I will have my husband look at it. I know it is probably driving people crazy. I dont have problems with F/B or emails with this computer and nobody else in the family has had a problem.

 

[Angi]

Thank you all for the advice! And I don't know how to cut and paste or refresh. We got a new computer and an updated version of windows and I don't know where anything is. It either double posts or says I already posted and then posts once. I will have my husband look at it. I know it is probably driving people crazy. I dont have problems with F/B or emails with this computer and nobody else in the family has had a problem.

 

[Fernando]

Thank you all for the advice! And I don't know how to cut and paste or refresh. We got a new computer and an updated version of windows and I don't know where anything is. It either double posts or says I already posted and then posts once. I will have my husband look at it. I know it is probably driving people crazy. I dont have problems with F/B or emails with this computer and nobody else in the family has had a problem.

Highlight your text>

THEN ON YOUR KEYBOARD

hit CTRL + c = copy.

Ctrl+v =paste.

F5 = REFRESH.

IT WORKS FOR ALL PC'S EVEN ON DIFFERENT PLATFORMS.

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Sorry I'm doing this from my phone so it's a little sloppy

 

[Wirewehear]

It is a body odor. Just a real strong dog odor. I will try and find the shampoo Tom recomended. I also may change his food. He also get an upset stomach about once every other week. I can tell because he won't eat for a day and I can hear his stomach gurgle.

There is a Coal Tar shampoo by Nova Pearls .... works well but most any that say coal tar work well.
And try a dollop of plain yogurt every other day in his evening meal for his grumbly tummy. Mia has a very sensitive stomach so gets probiotics daily with her food. It has helped a lot.