Hair color change and horrible odor

Question
Hello, I read the question about the hair color change. My sophie is a toy poodle and will be 12 years old in october this year. She was given to me from a friend that loved poodles. I got her when she was a newly weened baby. No one could ask for a better doggie. She has been turning a dark apricot on the bottom half of her body for over a year now. When it started happening the vet said it was natural. She is now half brown. It is like someone encircled her with tape and sprayed the entire body from the waist down. She started to get an bad odor after the discoloration and she would scoot on her butt a lot. I was told she needed her anal gland cleaned. The dog groomer gave her the full treatment of grooming and cleaned her anal gland. This lasted for about a week. Her color even lightened. Now, we can hardly stand to be in the same room with her. A bath is only good for 3 or 4 hours. This is such a sickening odor from her body. Her breath is just like the odor. She has some weakness in her hips and does not jump up the steps like she use to but she can still jump onto the couch or bed. However, she is only to be in her bed a certain recliner and couch. (It is leather, thank goodness)I would like to know what is going on with her. I cannot believe this is normal. Thank you

Answer
Hello Vickie,
There could be a couple of reasons that your dog has such an offensive odor and is changing color.  The color change can be due to her licking her fur in the area where the hair is changing color.  When a dogs saliva comes into contact with chemicals in the hair, the result is the hair being dyed a different color, normally a rust colored tinge on the ends of the hairs.  You see it most around the belly, toes, around the mouth and under the eyes.  
Color changes can also be due to diet (some foods have dyes in them that can get into the skin and coat), and some dogs can react to a certain ingredient in the food that can either make the skin itchy (which makes the dog bite and scratch) or can make the hair change color.  Another thing that could cause a change in the dogs coat color could be a longer exposure to the sun.  Dogs can get sun bleached hair if they stay outside for along time and since your dog is older, it may not take as long for her hair to bleach as it did when she was younger.  

About the smell, this can be an indication of diabetes in the dog in severe cases, so a trip to your Vet may be in order.  Other than that, try bathing her and using the mixture that they use to get rid of skunk smell.  
You use:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup Hydrogen Peroxide
2 tsp. Baking Soda and
2-3 squirts of your Favorite Dish Soap
(enough that you can lather your dog thoroughly)
Mix it in a squirt bottle (a water bottle that has a squirt top works great) and apply to your dog.  Let it sit for about 2-3 minutes, then rinse.  DO NOT leave it in the bottle with the top shut or it will explode.  
In about a week, shampoo your dog with a clairifying shampoo.  I like to use the Sally's Beauty Supply's brand of Clairifying shampoo.  It works great and is a bit cheaper than the name brands.  The clairifying shampoo strips the oils out of the hair and may take the odor with it.  
Sally's also has a spray-on glosser that keeps the hair shiny, keeps dust down, conditions the hair and smells great.  I use it on my Poodles and it really helps the hair.  A little goes a long way, so as you are brushing your dog, give a spray and brush it through the coat.  Here is the website for the Clairifying Shampoo:
http://www.sallybeauty.com/clarifying-shampoo/ION5,default,pd.html?cgid=Hair01-0...
Here is the website for the Spray-On Glosser:
http://www.sallybeauty.com/Spray-On-Glosser/SBS-631520,default,pd.html?cgid=Hair...

Depending on what type of food he is eating, that could make his skin smell; depending on the ingredients of the food.  I have heard of dogs that eat a dog food that consists of salmon or fish having a fishy smell in their coats.  Also, consider any kind of treats the dog may get on a regular basis.    

Give this a try and I hope this helps you some.  If you have other questions or concerns for me, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for using AllExperts.com,
Kim