Ok...I've had it...why do my dogs stink??? = UPDATE

Have you checked his anal glands?  That could cause a funky smell that just won't go away...

BEVOLASVEGAS

Have you checked his anal glands?

I was thinking the same thing...

I'd also vote for an anal gland check. It can produce some funky smells.

 Also, a good diet will help with odors. That said, there are many types of good diet and not all work for every dog.

Well, these guys are all on homecooked meats of a fairly good variety; i.e. beef heart, chicken, turkey, and they get a huge variety of veggies, along with small amounts of brown rice and/or millet and Quinoa.

I will definitely check into his anal glands, my little guy has an anal gland issues, I have to empty his once/twice a month, but the vet told me from day one not to mess with the big guy's glands unless he starts the butt scoot, which he doesn't do. I was in the thought that you could actually cause anal gland issues by emptying them for the dog, rather then allowing the dog to do it naturally??

 

 hmm well i absolutely hate brown or wild rice because it stinks like a dirty dog.... also some types of peas smell like dog too. perhaps you should try to eliminate some things from the diet to see if it improves or stays the same.. after the anal gland thing of course.

grab01

Also, a good diet will help with odors. That said, there are many types of good diet and not all work for every dog.

I agree with this.  And, also maybe he just needs a bath?  Willow starts to need some doggie deodorant so many weeks after a bath too.  That's how I know it's time for another.  I like using Selsun Blue, it doesn't have a flowery pretty smell but it really helps with the doggie smell.  And, the dermotologist and her regular vet both said it's safe.

 

Not all dogs scoot with anal gland issues. I don't have any of my dogs' checked, as they have no anal gland odors nor issues in the area. My late Basset, however, had to have hers emptied frequently. I could count on one hand the times she ever scooted in all of her years, she did have an anal gland odor now and then, though, which is when I knew there was an issue. The one time I let it go she ended up with an abscess, so I learned to keep up on it after that

 Have you made sure their calcium, copper, and zinc levels are correct? Zinc particularly - low levels can be implicated in both skin and anal gland issues.

This is a gross question, but what is the consistency of the stools like? 

In my (pretty limited, I will admit) experience, if the diet suits the dog the poops will be small, fairly dry, maybe even crumbly (but not hard), with only the smallest amount of residue when you pick up.  If the stools are too soft then the anal glands will not be expressed naturally - and yep, I would say that is an indicator that the diet needs a little tinkering.  But as I say, I am no expert on nutrition.

 

Edit - my brother's dog used to have a yukky stink about him from time to time and my bro swore by giving him charcoal biscuits.  Just one every couple of days or so, in place of a treat.  They are a simple remedy for digestive issues, so might not have an effect if it is the glands, but in any case it won't do any harm.  It might be worth a try, as an interim method, while you get to the root of the problem. 

I will say Rivers's stools have been soft quite often, in fact, ever since I got him as a puppy. Every now and then they will be normal, usually only if he gets a lot of bone in his diet, but then he has to struggle to poop then.

This dog has been tested for parasites at least 3-4 times just to make certain; he doesn't get the runs. It's just his poops will be mostly solid, but yet have a very moist end to them, if you will.

He's been this way from Innova Large breed puppy food, Orijen, Homecooked w/Honest Kitchen as the base, to now, with eating raw rbm's etc. one thing that's pretty much always remained the same, is chicken being a big part of his diet.

He doesn't itch, or otherwise show any kind of allergic reaction to chicken or turkey; but I'm wondering if this is the leading cause of the constant loose stools.

He's the only dog of the 3 that I feed this way that constantly has somewhat watery stools.

Should I try taking him off from poultry for a while and see what happens? (I will definitely check his anal glands as well)

Brookcove....I could see how his minerals would be off if I wasn't feeding him a variety; he does get mostly chicken, but he still gets plenty of beef heart, and so forth. I also give them a human formulation of a powdered multi-vitamin, they don't get it every day; but rather just a few times a week.

Rivers had a bath just 2-3 wks ago. I try not to bath him more then twice a year, cause I know that too can be very drying to their skin. If they get down right dirty though, they get their baths, but Rivers's generally a very clean dog except his legs from the knees to his paws get muddy where we live.

 Your mineral balance could very easily be off, feeding mostly chicken.

 

With the consistently soft stools, though, I would worry about food intolerance. That's one of the things that I had no idea, with Emma.... When I put her on Z/D, which is kibble with nasty ingredients, from a custom, homemade, combination diet, her stools got firmer and smaller. She hasn't had ONE loose stool since she started it, and it used to be chronic. She also hasn't barfed since she's been on it, and she was a barfer.  Maybe try not doing poultry, and see if it makes a difference? 

I bathe my dogs generally every week or bi-weekly. Being a groomer by trade, I've done this with my own dogs for years and have no issues with dry or irritated skin. First, use a good brand of shampoo (not hartz, that stuff is harsh!). Work it into the coat and then when he's all soaped up rinse. Rinse some more, rinse more yet. Get under the armpits and around the rear/belly very well, soap can gather there and that's what irritates the skin. Rinse some more, under the ears and chin will hold soap as well so really rinse under there. You can either apply a conditioner, let soak and rinse rinse rinse rinse, OR apply a leave in product. My favorite products are "Cowboy Magic" the shampoo and the leave in detangler. Wonderful stuff. Dry dry dry with lots of towels or a high velocity dryer if you have one. Comb/brush through and you're done. Nice, clean dog. I find if I go more than 2 weeks, my guys get an "outside smell". We live around a farm and a few miles from a beef stockyard and when the wind's right, peeu, Even for inside dogs who do quick outside potty trips, the smell can accumulate. Second guess would be anal glands too.

 Lex has to have his anal glands emptied every couple weeks and has never scooted. He just started to stink around his rear end and that was the problem! Vet siad it just happens so some large dogs, they can't do it on their own - luck y me!

Ok...will definitely do the anal gland issue today.

Forgot to mention too, Rivers has been restarted on Orijen adult 3 wks ago, which again, is poultry based.

Again, didn't think to want to realize I guess that he could have an issue with chicken/turkey; but I am exhausted in trying to find what's causing the stool issue. He gets no other offenders, i.e. he can't have flaxseed, oats, barley, dairy either.

My only affordable option at this point is to try him on Cal Natural lamb/rice; I can't afford to feed him strict homemade diet without chicken being a part of it; beef is nearly $2/lb, pork is more as is lamb...this guy can put the meat away too.

Going to put him on the puppy version, has a lot less carb's to it. I will try that as a base for a few weeks, if his stools firm up, I will slowly start adding chicken in just to see what happens.

I'm not fond of TOTW and/or many other companies, thus I don't know what else to try, except perhaps Wellness. But their base foods have too many carb's and have barley/flaxseed in them.