My dog smells terrible and itches. What's causing his skin issues?

Question

My foster smells terrible. We gave him a bath with medicated shampoo which improved the look of his coat, be he still itches and bites at his rear and the odor is quite bad. Since he is a foster, I am hesitant to spend on remedies sold by non-professionals in the stores. Any suggestions please that might help out. He is about 1 year and came from a hoarding situation. Thank you.

Andrea M. Brodie, DVM · Accepted Answer

There are various causes for the bad smell and they will need to be investigated by a veterinarian. 1) your dog (I am assuming it is a dog, you do not say anywhere what type of animal he is) may have a particularly stinky type of bacteria in his anal sacs. This could be remedied by emptying them and flushing them with an antibitic that kills off all bacteria and then hopefully a new type of bacteria will take up residence. 2) Your dog may have particularly smelly bacteria in his skin that emit a bad smell. Certain antibacterial shampoos can alleviate that 3) your dog may have a mite infection. Sarcoptes mite infections have a typical sweet smell. Sarcoptes mites can be killed with avermectins or a Bravecto chew. 4) He could have a fungal infection (treatable with fungicidal shampoo and/or tablets) 5) If you have other dogs in your house he may have a particular pack smell. 6) He may have a skin condition such as seborrhea which invites certain bacteria who can cause a bad smell. I suggest yu make an appointment with your vet who should then examine your dog and check for the various causes and treat accordingly. Don't forget to do flea control.

My dog smells terrible and itches. What's causing his skin issues?

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