Why does my dog stink?

Have you ever bent down to hug your dog and nearly passed out from the smell?? I have!

We got a dog given to us once, she scratched madly as though she was covered in fleas... she had none! She also smelt horrible! It wasn't just her breath, it was all of her! Poor dog! Within a week the smell was almost gone and the scratching had almost stopped! Why? Because I dramatically changed her diet!

Now I have nothing scientific to back up any of my claims, so if you feel like trying to shoot me down, I guess I'm an easy target! The only thing I have to back up my claims - is experience!

What I did to stop the scratching... I fed my poor sad dog brewers yeast! Yup, that smelly stuff that people put in home brew beer! Brewers yeast fixed the skin condition that the dog had! This wont solve all skin conditions, because sometimes that skin condition is caused by mites! You may need to have your dog checked over by your vet! And if the problem is mites (or some other problem), follow your vets instructions! They normally know what they are talking about!

Now for her smell... My poor sad dog came to me with several problems. The first one that I addressed was the dog poo on her head and back! Yes, some other dog had parked its poo on my dog! So she scored a bath! That solved part of her smell!

From there, I addressed her diet!

This poor dog had been fed tinned food and biscuits! And it showed! Her coat was dull and lifeless! So I introduced her to fresh raw meat! You see, dogs that live in the wild (like the African hunting dogs, or wolves...) they eat fresh, still warm, raw meat! They don't have can openers to open tins that they chase around! It is raw meat that they eat... So that is what my dog got! And her attitude started to change! Instead of being a sad looking dog, she looked liked she was starting to smile in that usual doggy way! Her tail also discovered that it could wag, instead of just hanging limp at her bum!

The next thing I did was introduce her to bones! These are a dogs natural tooth brush! And they love them! This did wonders for her teeth and gums! When I took her into the vet the first time, it was suggested that I either brush her teeth or let the vet do it! I said I would do it! But I didn't tell the vet how I would do it! I poured on the bones... the soft brisket bones that you get from the butcher are the best doggy tooth cleaners! And they don't normally leave bits behind! The next visit to the vet, and her teeth were checked again, and the vet congratulated me on the marvellous improvement!

Now, some vets advise that you don't give bones to your dog! However, I believe that you should be wise as to what kind of bones to give your dog! NEVER give any cooked bones, especially chicken! Cooked chicken bones have a nasty habit of breaking into long skinny sharp bits that will pierce any dog! Actually, I prefer to keep chickens and dogs apart! I wont even feed my dogs chicken meat – raw or cooked!

After a few days on this new diet, my now happy dog was stinking less!

Dogs are supposed to have a smell! However, it is not supposed to keep you or the neighbours awake at night!

The one last thing I did for my now happy dog was to include a little bit of apple cider vinegar in her diet! This stuff has a lot of claims attached to it! I added it simply because it makes a dogs coat shiny and glossy! Its health benefits both for humans and dogs is a long list, but I only did it to make her shiny!

I also added fish oil or olive oil to her diet! This helps stop dogs skin drying out! Don't bath your dog too often, you'll wash away their natural skin oils and cause dandruff or flaky skin! I'd recommend the annual or biannual bath (once or twice a year)!

If you really don't want that bad doggy smell, get you dog onto a more natural diet! Study what wild dogs eat (go watch a few documentaries), and stop feeding your pet pooch tin crap! If you wont eat it, why should you make your dog eat it??

Remember, vets went to vet school because they typically have a genuine affection and love for animals! It is wise to get your dog regularly checked by a vet! To make sure it is the healthiest it can be! They are not your enemy (nor mine for that matter)! Most vets are smart and know what they are talking about (otherwise they wouldn't be vets!)! Take your beloved pooch in to visit your local vet at least once a year! And exercise wisdom... if you cant afford food that the vet recommends – do some research, ask questions, or give your dog to someone who can afford it!