Smelly dog!

[cindyv]

Jake, my 6 yr old labX has a smell, kind of like a fishy smell. The weird thing is that I can't pinpoint where it is coming from (I have smelled him everywhere!) it seems to be coming from his pores. He was on Science Diet adult then light, with no problem. I switched him to Medical weight control and the problem started. When I clued in that the food might be the problem i switched him back to Science diet, within 1 day the smell was gone. He has gotten heavy so at the beginning of June I put him on Prescription R/D and he has lost 6 lbs (yay!) but then the smell started again just in the last 3 wks. I stopped his Omega 3 supplement (he has been on it his whole life) but it hasn't seemed to stop the smell.:dogblink: After alot of running around the smell seems intense, so I'm thinking it is in his sweat. I work at a Veterinary Hospital and none of the vets have any idea. I have also spoken to the reps for both food companys and they are also unsure. It would be easiest to keep him on the Science Diet but he packs on the weight. He is in flyball and runs with our other dog, so gets alot of exercise. He gets pumpkin with his food once daily. I would really appreciate it if anyone had any thoughts!!
Thanks
Cindy and Jake

 

[tigerlily46514]

Interesting how the smell came and went with diet changes.

I totally believe Science diet is horrible, corn and all that. I got my dog on "chicken soup for the dog lover's soul." dog food. NO corn, no poisonous or carcinogenic preservatives, my dog loves it, no gas problems, and ALL of the top 3 or 4 main ingredients are all meat. ---That is reeeeally hard to find in the dog food world--- to have all 3 or 4 top ingredients be MEAT!! (check!). EVen top brands go vegetable on 2nd or third ingredient...And it is NOT expensive. About a $1 per pound if you get big bag.
My dog does not stink. Even when he is really hot or soaking wet, he smells okay. And his breath smells okay, too.
I am fairly picky about keeping him clean, and do bathe him about every 3 or 4 weeks and as needed. It makes his hair sooo extra shiney and his white fur glow. I'm trying to cut down on bathing him, but he LOOKS so handsome when he is just bathed.
I also spritz him with something i got at Petsmart, called "Buddy Spray", a glossy hair conditioner, now and then if he has been around something obnoxious. Is nice stuff, smells good and makes his fur real soft and shiney.

Also beware of 'diet' dog foods, usually lack neccessary fats for dogs to have healthy skin and coats. Stick with 'normal' food, but give less.

Dogs can and do develop allergies as adults to stuff they always tolerated before. My last dog developed severe egg allergy at age 10.
How great you got vets in on the question. (vets typically do not know a lot about dog nutrition, btw.)

someone else may have better answer.
Good luck! Interesting post, hope you follow up and let us know what it ever was!! Also, i empathisize with the heavy dog problem, our last dog got obese. (was already fat when i met the dog) It IS a ton of work to get weight off a dog. 6 pounds! Awesome! Good job!
It is probably not the science diet making him stink, since he smells okay when he is on that one, but you might wanna research(IT is OVERWHELMING info once you start reading! there are links on this here website to dog nutrition sites) and find a better dog food irregardless of how he smells on it.
BUT GOOD LUCK!!

 

[snooks]

Science diet IMHO is one of the worst foods out there. Tigerlily is correct too in cautioning about diet dog foods. Most of them like Science Diet's weight loss food are fillers like peaut shells which the dogs can't digest. So the owner "feels" like the dog gets enough food and the dog just poops out some $$ on the grass and loses weight. Better to feed LESS of a quality balanced food and change treats to small pea sized bits of baked lean chicken. I train service work daily so use chicken daily. If you don't have a need to give the treats then eliminate them.

I have had similar issues in the past with bad smells from my dog with certain foods too. So you may be onto the culprit. See the post about quality dog foods. My post at the bottom has a lot of resources that might make ur choice easier. The ultimate test is how does ur dog look on that food? Shiny/glossy/thriving? I tried grain free and both got dry skin and constipated, so they happen to both do better with a little more fiber and grain in their food. All dogs are different.

You might want to choose a different single protein source as a first try that your dog hasn't eaten. Tigerlily's point about allergies is a good one. Venison also made my boy dog's breath smell awful so I changed. The girls seem unaffected by Venison.