female irish setter bad butt area odor

Question
emma is 4 and has a very foul smell in her butt area.  she has not been spayed and never had pups.  she seems to come in heat every 3-4 months,  more often than she should.  do you know how to rid the smell.  she leaves the odor on whereever she sits/lays.  vicki

Answer
Vicki -

Have her checked by a veterinarian.  It sounds as if her anal sacs are expressing.  Anal sacs are pockets in the anus that contain fluid.  That fluid should express when she defecates.  If it does not express, then the fluid builds up and expresses on its own.  The smell is usually fishy and cod liver oil - like.  Her doctor will examine her anus to determine if the anal sacs need to be expressed.

Best Regards,

Charlotte Sherrell, DVM