Question:
I have a 4-year-old Rottweiler mix. He's a great dog in every respect and a part of our family.My problem is that, lately, he smells extremely unpleasant. When we first noticed the smell, we found a scratch on his neck and assumed that it had gotten infected. We took care of the scratch, and he seemed to be getting better. Then it started again -- even worse than before. We found a sore on the other side of his neck and took him to the vet. He gave us some antibiotics and told us it was a skin infection. The sores have since healed. It's been well over two months now, and we thought the smell was getting less noticeable.But now he smells so bad we don't even want to be in the same room with him. He is ruining our furniture and carpets, and we just don't know what to do. I would hate to get rid of him. I absolutely can't even think of doing that, but my entire house smells just awful, and I am embarrassed to have company.Do you know of any reason for this, and is there a cure? We bathe him every week, but he
M.C., Stratford, CT Jan 28, 2007
Answer:
I come from the old school of veterinary medicine that recognizes the importance of using our senses, including sense of smell as well as common sense, in diagnosing and treating our animal patients. A recently bathed animal who stinks is clearly not well.Instinctively, a bad smell means something toxic is going on. So your dog should be given a thorough clinical evaluation. The article on my Web site, www.doctormwfox.org, titled "Endocrine-Immune System Disruption Syndrome (EIDS)," may help guide you through detox steps for your dog. Preparing a homemade diet as per my basic recipe for dogs and cats on this Web site may help your dog -- and help your family enjoy his presence in your home.
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