Bichon Medicinal Body Odor

Question
I have a 5 year old Bichon that has severe allergies.  He was prescribed Prednisone, Antibiotics, and 100 MG Atopica daily.  During his last allergic outbreak, he also started to have seizures.  He has now been prescribed Phenobarbital for seizures.  My question is this - he has begun to smell terrible.  Even after a bath, and expecially if he is hot or has been playing he develops a terrible medicinal order that is almost unbearable.  I forgot to mention that the vet also gave him two injections of Ivermectin as well to rule out any other underlying skin disorder that may not have been picked up.  He was literally chewing himself to death prior to these medications, but the smell is awful.  These dogs are so beautiful and generally have no odor - never smells like a dog.  This is not like a wet dog smell - it smells like poison to me.  Thanks for any info you can share.

Answer
I think it is time to abandon your veterinarian's shotgun, hit-or-miss approach to discovering your dog's problem and get a referral to a veterinary dermatologist. The first thing to do is to try to determine exactly WHAT your dog is allergic to. It could be something he is eating, or something he is in contact with. Dogs, just as people, can be allergic to absolutely **ANYTHING**.

If his allergies seem to be more seasonal, it is most likely something outside (such as pollen or grass), and if it is an every day thing, it is more likely something in the house (ie. dust mites) or something he is eating.

Beware of new carpeting and all the chemicals that are in them.... and actually, any chemicals at all.... such as what are in cleaning products or air fresheners. These things are actually as harmful to us as they are to our dogs.

Here's a map showing the locations of some veterinary dermatologists: http://www.acvd.org/site/view/66076_FindaDermatologist.pml;jsessionid=227c8s1mp9...  Hopefully, one of them is near you.

I would also put him on a food that has as few ingredients in it as possible, such as the patented Purina Veterinary Diets(TM) HA HypoAllergenic(TM) brand Canine Formula or California Natural Herring & Sweet Potato Adult Dry Dog Food. Some would say to put your dog on a raw food diet, but since you have no idea what is setting him off, I would be a bit leary of that.

Also make sure that you are not still giving your dog yearly vaccinations. Some vets are still doing that, and that is outdated protocol now.

Time to get more proactive... Good luck!
Karen