My dog smells. Is there anything I should be worried about?

At one time the family dog spent most (if not all) of his time outdoors. If he was invited inside the home — to sleep, for instance — there was a universal understanding between every canine pet and his owner: Furniture was for people; the dog's place was on the floor. After hunting vermin and rolling around in the dirt all day, a dog smelled — well, like a dog. And there was nothing pleasant about that.



Today many dogs spend a fair amount of their time indoors. This makes the problem of doggy odor an even greater issue, especially since so many canines are also now sharing the sofa (and even the bed) with their human companions. So why is your pampered pooch so pungent? The possible answers may surprise you and alert you to some dangerous issues.



For people body odor is an issue directly related to secretions from their sweat glands. Unlike people dogs pant to cool themselves, but they also excrete sweat through their foot pads. Still, this does not produce an overpowering scent as it does in humans, whose perspiration comes from all over the body's surface. So if sweat isn't the culprit, what is?



If your dog has been exploring the great outdoors or if he has gotten into something particularly stinky (like trash) inside your home, this could explain his offensive aroma. If he hasn't come into contact with anything objectionable, though, the cause is likely a health condition. If your dog develops an unpleasant smell for no apparent reason, a visit to your veterinarian may be in order. The vet can usually help you identify and treat the problem.



Sniffing out a health problem.



If your dog has long, pendulous ears — like a basset hound's, give each ear a quick sniff to determine if this is the origin of the smell. A clean ear shouldn't smell bad. A strong odor emanating from this area, redness, and/or discharge are all signs of an ear infection. The best way to prevent an ear infection is by cleaning your dog's ears regularly. Once you suspect that an infection has developed, though, abstaining from cleaning is a smart idea — at least until your vet has had a chance to examine your pet. Since the ear is likely sore, cleaning it may be painful for your dog and could also interfere with a proper diagnosis. Left untreated, ear infections can worsen and sometimes even result in permanent hearing loss, so catching this problem early is important.



Allergies are also a common cause of unpleasant odors in dogs. Unlike people whose allergies primarily affect their eyes and noses, canine allergies typically strike a dog's skin. If your dog's skin appears excessively dry (with dandruff-like flakes), discolored, or irritated in any other way, an allergy may be the problem. Skin may be affected all over or in a concentrated area, such as the lip folds or the anal sacs — an indication that an infection is present. Bacteria and yeast overgrowth on inflamed skin can also produce a foul stench. In most cases an infection can be cleared up quickly once the appropriate antibiotic medication is prescribed. Identifying an allergy can take a bit more time and will include allergy testing or placing your dog on an elimination diet, a process that involves the gradual removal of one food ingredient at a time until allergy symptoms either cease or improve.



Occasionally a more serious condition exists — such as seborrhea (a non-contagious canine skin disease) or mange. In addition to dry skin and itching, dogs afflicted with seborrhea will often suffer hair loss. Treatment for this disease can be tricky, requiring many trial-and-error approaches until one remedy or combination is ultimately deemed effective for an individual dog.



Mange, a condition caused by subcutaneous mites, also presents with hair loss, but this problem is usually a much more severe situation. Sarcoptic mange, also called scabies, results in such intense itching that a dog simply cannot refrain from scratching. He will scratch and bite at himself to the point of bleeding. What makes mange an even more formidable threat is that mites are contagious; they can spread to other animals and even human members of the dog's household. Since the condition is difficult to diagnose (vets have only a 20-percent chance of finding a mite during a random skin scraping), mange is often misdiagnosed as an allergy. Fortunately, when the condition is diagnosed successfully, treatment is usually both simple and effective.



Why do dogs roll in stinky substances?



If your dog's odor is the blatant result of his fondness for rolling in the dirt — and anything else he encounters, you may be wondering why he would want to roll in substances that smell so vile in the first place. There is a wealth of possible reasons, most of which derive from your dog's heritage. Wolves and other wild dogs often roll in stinky material as a means of disguising their scent when hunting. Some experts conversely believe that dogs engage in this odd activity as a way of attracting other dogs. Still others propose that dogs bask in rubbing themselves in the dirt simply because it feels so good.



In most cases your dog will not be harmed by this habit. If you don't mind running his bath water a little more often, consider letting your pet roll just a bit. Most owners can tell by looking at their dogs' faces how much joy this uniquely canine pastime brings to their pets. As long as you use a moisturizing canine shampoo and rinse it thoroughly from your dog's coat, even weekly bathing shouldn't dry your dog's coat, but it will help keep the problem of doggy odor from coming between the two of you.

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