My Cairn terrier stinks!!

Question
My dog (pacino) smells horrible. I have had to bathe him at least once a week now just to allow him in the house. I kmow this isnt good for him, but I have no other choice. Its not a feces smell, its kind of a real bad dog smell. Like a dog ran wild for months, then came in to my house. I have tried different foods; chicken soup for the dog lovers soul, I tried that for a while with no change. I have since tried Iams lamb and rice, as it says it should be good for dogs with sensitive skin, no improvement. Can you think of anything else that I might try? Should I visit a vet regarding my problem? I have talked to other cairn owners, and they say that they can let their cairn play outside all day, every day, and they still smell fine. (i hate these people by the way) lol j/k. Again, any help you can provide with my problem, I would help it.


Answer
Hi Bobby.  It would be best to determine the cause of your dogs odor, before treating the symptom.  For example, if the odor is the symptom of a bacterial infection, frequent baths will not help, and in fact could compound the problem.

Look inside your dogs mouth, check his breath, are his teeth yellow?  Dogs, like humans, need to have their teeth cleaned regularly and bad breath can be the symptom of tooth decay.

Look inside his ears. Offensive odors can commonly occur from ear infections. If the skin inside your dog's ears is red or sore, if the ear has a bad odor, or if your dog reacts in pain when you examine his ears, he might be suffering from an ear infection.

Check your dogs coat. Some skin disorders, such as seborrhea can cause odor. Sebum is a normal product of certain skin glands. In seborrhea, excessive sebum is produced and appears as dry, light-colored flakes in the hair coat or as greasy, waxy scales on the skin and hair. Because sebum is a fatty material, it becomes rancid and causes a strong coat odor.

Once you have examined your dog thoroughly, you might want to have your vet verify your findings and prescribe the appropriate medication if necessary.  

If you, and your vet, do not find a medical reason for your dogs odor, then and only then I feel it would be safe to assume that your dog is just a "Smelly dog."  Someone sent me a recipe for what they called, "Vinegar Rinse for Smelly Dog Syndrome" that I have pasted below as follows;

Bathe dog well in a good dog shampoo

Rinse thoroughly, get all the soap out

Mix 1/2 cup of white vinegar to a gallon of water, wet the dog well with this potion and leave on for 10 minutes.

Rinse dog well.

Good luck to both you and your dog, and please feel free to contact me if you have additional questions.  Sincerely, Penny D.