Stinky Yorkie

Question
I have a 4 yr old male, 4 pounds, kept inside with an odor problem. It's not like your run of the mill dirty dog smell but more like a musk.
He has very oily hair so I have to bathe him every 2 to 3 days. I alternate the shampoos EctoKyl 3X flea and tick then Vet Solutions Aloe & Oatmeal then people shampoo. When I wash him with people shampoo he smells like ammonia while I'm lathering him.
I have also noticed tiny brown/black cluster spots on his underside it's like a pigment, it's not dirt, flea dirt or bruise.
I know he has allergies and the fleas have eat him alive this summer so he is very itchy. My local vet has seen him numerous times and has advised giving him half a benadryl caplet daily but it hasn't helped.
What can I do for this little sweetie?

Answer
This is a pretty complicated problem. It sounds as if he is getting a seborrhea like condition if not seborrhea itself. This is a skin condition and sometimes no one knows why they get it.
Constant assault from fleas can set it off among other things.
You need to get on a better flea control program for one thing. No dog should be "eaten alive" with the large amount of flea products available at the vets.

Your vet should have gotten you started on one in March or May!
So now it's time to get him on some Sentinel which will take care of his heartworm needs and keep the fleas in your house from producing any more fleas.
Here is a web page for you to read about the flea cycle and how to break it.
http://www.flea-info.com/cab/en/dog.shtml

Once you start to get the fleas under control you might see less smell from your dog. His skin is producing things to protect itself. I don't think it's only oil, but the glands are producing a slimy feeling substance to coat the skin and protect it from the fleas.

The main problem he is having is this assault on his skin. Bathing him every 2-3 days is making the skin worse, not better. You can dry the skin out and thus it will rebound with producing even more of the oily substance to protect it.

So reduce the baths to once a week or more. Make sure you use a sensitive skin shampoo for dogs but I would ask your vet for some shampoo for seborrhea. Even if he doesn't have it yet it will help the skin.

Get him started on a flea eradication product and you might even want to look into his diet. Diet is the second biggest cause of skin problems. Tell me what he is eating and I will make a recommendation for you.
The spots on his belly are pigmentation spots which are common in Yorkies and they usually get more as they age. 4 yrs old is a common age for them to start appearing.

Let me know about his diet so I can further this. I am leaving for 5 days however so wait until then.
Thanks