Stinky Dog Odor

Question
Hello, My dog emits stinky odors when he is stressed and when he gets excited and barks and when he is just relaxing in the house.  He is strictly an indoor dog.  He get groomed on a regular basis once or twice a month. He gets wiped everyday with a damp cloth with mild doggy medicated shampoo ( Malaseb) that I get from his vet. It's not the type of odor when it's his bath time. could this be coming from his glands when he gets excited or stressed?

I've have done extensive research about the type of dog food he eats because is nutrition is very important to helping with his allergies and good skin and coat overall. It has no Corn Gluten, No Corn, Wheat, Soy, No Artificial Colors, Flavors or Preservatives.
His dog food is Nutro Ultra for Seniors, with 3 Lean Proteins(Chicken, Lamb & Salmon, Farm Grown Spinach, whole eggs, Pumpkin, sun ripened blueberries, whole flax seed, sun ripened pomegranate, pure sunflower oil, rolled oats, farm grown carrots, sun ripened cranberries, whole brown rice, and vine ripened tomatoes.

Answer

Hi Rene,

Malaseb Shampoo is an antibacterial and antifungal shampoo used for dermatological conditions such as ringworm and dermatitis caused by bacteria, fungi and yeast. If your dog has an odor, this may be cause from his skin condition, in which case he should be examined by your vet as his condition may has changed since you saw the vet last. If your dog is being shampooed once or twice a month as part of his grooming, this might be contributing to the skin problem that requires the medicated shampoo. All that shampooing can will dry out the skin, and deplete healthy oils from the dog's coat and skin. The ASPCA recommends bathing an "indoor" dog once every three months. You might try bathing your dog less, to see if your dog's skin/coat problem improves.

If this smelly problem isn't due to his existing skin/coat condition, it may well be an anal gland problem. This isn't because you are feeding your dog a poor quality diet. Anal glands contain a smelly fluid and occasionally need to be expressed, or emptied. Many dogs express them by themselves every time they poop, but occasionally the sacs fill with fluid and your dog needs some help to release it. This isn't something to ignore. If the anal glands don't empty properly, they can become impacted, making bowel movements difficult or painful, and potentially leading to infections or abscesses. Your vet can express your dog's anal glands in his/her office, or you can do it yourself. Watch a short video that will show you how to express a dog's anal glands here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vywTCnjKX4k

Best of luck,

Patti