Willow needs her friends advice again

Have you had her at the vet, for this yet? I hate to say it, but I'd probably want a skin scrape, for something that looked like that.

Do the areas dry up and get crusty pretty quick (as in a day or so)?  Sassy was getting those when she had the yeast overgrowth.  They didn't seem to bother her a super lot, but they looked a lot like your picture.  I agree with Jennie that you probably need to get a skin scraping done.  She's not taking any antibiotics, right?

Yes, they did/do get dried up by the next day.  And, same thing, she's not scratching constantly but we see her doing it every so often. 
 
No, right now she's not getting anything except a fish oil capsule once a day which she's been on for awhile now and her hip/joint supplement which she's also been on for a long time. 

I found the STINK!!!  It's the area right on her belly.  The fur is thin there because she had an ultrasound a few years ago and it never really grew back thick.  It's from there.  I could tell it was on my hands and I test other areas and couldn't smell it on any other part of her.

How would yeast be treated???  I'm going to e-mail this picture to the vet.

Has she ever had a skin punch for SA Sebaceous Adenitis? That has an odor to it,....from OFA's site
 
"Diagnosing SA can be difficult as the symptoms vary by breed, the symptoms are similar to those of other diseases such as hypothyroidism or allergies, and the disease can vary greatly in its severity. Visible symptoms include excessive dandruff or scaling, hair loss, lesions, a musty odor, and even secondary skin infections."

Oh...and do you have ants where you live...fire ants in particular. They leave small clustered bites that itch and sometimes develop into pimply looking things? Don't know that's have anything to do with the smell...

How would yeast be treated???

I treat it with diet, probiotics, AZO Yeast (available at Walmart), and apple cider vinegar (IN and ON the dog, but very diluted for the ON part, and I only use raw, organic vinegar). The vets will probably want to use Ketaconozole. It's very liver toxic, so Em can't have it. She had some nasty yeasties, a while back, and they're finally under control.

Poor Willow.  I hope you can get to the bottom of this in a hurry.  I do think I would go to the vet and have some scrapes done to check for various things.

Honestly, I think you might actually be able to clear it up with a medicated shampoo, like the Nu Sal T or one of the others, but you're going to need to use it every few days.  Sassy had them on her neck and chest area mostly, but sporadically in other places.  I think we either used Simplicef or Ketaconazale...or, well, she's had so many antibiotics this last year, it could've been anything.  It's great that you can email the picture to your vet.   Does Willow's tummy look sore or red?  How does the vulva area look?  That's the other place that Sassy had the yeast infection going on. 

Simplicef or Ketaconazale

Simplicef is to treat skin infections. It's a fantastic skin antibiotic (it's what Emma gets, when she breaks out in staph). Ketaconazole is the yeast killing drug.

Emma's vulva and tummy area were what got bad, too.

I forgot to say, that while there is yeast present, I switch the healthy oils to coconut (from fish or flax or borage or evening primrose, or whatever) oil. Coconut oil contains an antifungal compound, called caprylic acid. Get the raw, unfiltered, cold pressed coconut oil. My favorite brand is Herbs Of Light. Coconut oil is a funny creature. It melts, at 76 degrees, so it goes from solid to liquid in the car, or sitting in the window. That doesn't affect the quality, as long as it doesn't get over 113° (which would make it no longer raw).

Simplicef is to treat skin infections. It's a fantastic skin antibiotic (it's what Emma gets, when she breaks out in staph).

 
Prior to Simplicef, they gave us Keflex and I'd have to give 3 large capsules twice a day.  Even with hiding them in the food, Sassy always managed to bite into one and that was the end of the story.  She could sniff them out after that no matter what I did.  That Keflex must taste nasty!!  The Simplicef is a little pricier but worth every penny for us.

The Simplicef is a little pricier but worth every penny for us.

We love it. It works SO GREAT for Emma.

THAT'S why I was going to get the coconut oil! Thanks again Jenny, you treasure trove of info . . .

Ben gets patches very much like these. It's sebaceous something or other (don't know if it's that thing that Gina mentioned). The bumps dry up and flake off. It's the very first and very last thing I see when he's having an "episode". They have almost disappeared since he had his thyroid meds bumped up.

Lori,
Don't panic, it doesn't look all that bad from the photo outside a small bit of dandruff.  Ok, here's is what I want you to do:  take a sheet of paper towel, fold it up smaller and moisten it with water.  Rub the moist towel on some of these spots and then note the color of the paper towel.  If it is red or pinkish in color, the skin has dried blood on it and that means fleas.  No sense it getting yourself upset about something most likely minor.  If it is red or pinkish, you've already taken the step to fix the problem by getting back on Frontline.  Did you note when you gave Willow a bath did the water seem mysteriously little darker?  Could be dried blood being washed off the skin.
 
If you don't see any evidence of blood....PANIC.... no just kidding.  Just keep up with good feeding principles, please don't deny your dog beef.  Your dog probably has as much of being allergic to beef as I have with hitting Power Ball numbers come Sat.  I read something I think you tried that about a week ago (no beef) and I said to myself OH NO.  Glad to read that didn't last long.  If you cut back on anything in your dogs diet try fiber, you may be surprised at the results.
 
Getting back to the fleas.  Not all dogs, but some can have allergic reaction to the flea bite, a reaction to the saliva of the flea.  This causes a reddish tone to the skin, aside from the dried blood.  My dogs whole underside was pinkish color from reaction.
When I was more diligent with dosing monthly (and giving full doses; not actual body weight dose) my problem went away as did the fleas.   90% plus of skins issues probably come from fleas.  If not then the next place to look is diet.  Check with your Vet but if you think your getting the run-a-round switch Vets.

Thank you all very much.  This is all so informative and helpful. 

Yes, I am able to e-mail pictures to my vet.  That's not to say she would diagnosis it by the picture but a lot of times with things like this she likes to try a few things before having us go in, esp. because Willow is very difficult to examine.

CHARLIE---I think we were posting at the same time last night.  Thank you, I know Willow would be so happy to be able to continue with beef.  I also did the paper towel test and happy to report NO PINK.  Although, a quick answer would be great, LOL! 

UPDATE--The areas are improving as far as the bites/bumps, whatever they are. The original ones I found near her tail are pretty much gone and the skin is a normal color there now.  But, her skin is still pretty pink and it's pink in other areas besides just where the obvious bites/bumps are. 

She's not really itching all that much anymore though, which is a good sign.  The smell is much better but I can still smell it especially after she's been lying down for awhile and gets up.  I know it's coming from her belly area. 

I've been wiping her sanitary area and those areas are not pink thankfully. 

Thank you all so much.  It's great to have others to bounce ideas off of and ask opinions.  Not too many people in my "real" life care about their dogs like this and/or deal with these issues.