We bathe our dog once per week, but there still seems to be a foul odor emanating from his body.Do you have any suggestions?

First step: visit a veterinarian.

It is very common for owners to think that odors are coming from a dog's hair when they may be originating from other places, including the mouth, feet, ears, and perianal area. Dental disease, yeast overgrowth on the paws, ear infection, and full anal glands may be causing the foul smell. Be sure that you carefully wash these areas or around these areas when bathing your dog. It is important that a veterinarian rule out any such problems during an examination.

Many odors can be associated with skin diseases. Pyoderma, a bacterial skin infection, yeast infection, and seborrhea, or excessively oily skin, may also cause a foul smell.

Your veterinarian will be able to determine if there is a medical cause for the smell and then recommend a specific treatment plan. Only rarely will a dog have severe odor radiating from the body for which a medical cause cannot be determined.

A specific prescription shampoo and possibly a rinse may be needed for the problem. Your veterinarian also will be able to guide you on how frequently you need to bathe your dog. Generally, a healthy dog should only be shampooed once a month or less, unless your veterinarian has prescribed otherwise.

Veterinarians frequently recommend that owners use a dog or pet shampoo and not a human shampoo because the pH of pet shampoos is different from that of human shampoos. General shampooing often will remove typical odors that dogs pick up on their hair coats.

01/29/09