Black Lab odor

Question
Dr. Gotthelf

Our 11 year old black lab has a really offensive "doggy" odor problem that we can't seem to get rid of. We live in Fl and she spends a lot of time outdoors. She has what I call "hot spots" (flaking skin / missing hair)in several areas of her coat. We've been treating her with Prednisone Tab's (20 mg every 2-3 days, Miconazole on the "hot spots", and have also tried Pramoxine. I've checked her ears and she does have some "wax" which I remove with alcohol on cotton balls. She get's bathed approximately every 2-3 weeks with an OTC "medicated" shampoo but nothing seems to work for more than a couple of days. We had a thyroid test done because she is a little on the "chunky" side (118 lb), but the test was negative. Also had her treated for what the vet determined to be a yeast infection even though she does not have access to water to swim in.
We're pretty much running out of ideas and actually have to keep her on the outside porch most of the time due to the odor and hair shedding. We love the old girl and would like to have her back inside with the family!  Any help would be greatly appreciated !!
Thank You !
Ralph

Answer
Most of the time doggie odor is a combination of oils on the skin and bacterial infection.  If there is flakiness, then there probably is a bacterial Staph infection.  The odor comes from the breakdown of the surface oils by the bacteria releasing volatile fatty acids, which stink.  Twice weekly bathing with an antibacterial/anti-seborrheic shampoo should help. I would recommend Something with sulfur/salacylic acid/ and either benzotl peroxide or chlorhexidine.  In addition, the dog may need to be on an antibiotic, like cephalexin, for weeks or maybe months.