sue fitzpatrick FITZPATRICK
Posted : 7/19/2006 3:50:34 PM
I fully agree with the folks who have already indicated that dog food can make all the difference in the world in how your dog smells. And while the Omega complex fats are important and good for animals as well as people, you have to really be vigilant in reading labels and go to manufacturers websites. Just saying Omega 3 fatty acid on a label doesn't tell you where it derived from and if the source was less than good quality, the quality of the food is questionable too. And some dogs do excrete odor naturally-particularly dogs who do not shed excessively or have more oily coats-the scent is actually carried in the oil-(kind of works like expensive perfumes which are usually oil based to make them last longer and not evaporate)
Instead of bathing, which does cause the risk of skin irritation, try doing what alot of people used to do when they couldn't shampoo regularly....Take some of the plain old baking soda, rub it through the fur and brush it out thoroughly a couple times per week and see if that helps. It should take some of the sebum and oil off the surface without drying the dog's skin out too much and should make the dog smell more pleasant. Extra bonus....it is cheap.
Also, unless the Omega acids come from flax seed-slack off on the products with fish oil for a bit...I had one dog, who we fed on a holistic salmon and cod based diet. His coat was beautiful and glossy, but he smelled like rotting smelt sitting next to you on the floor. Two weeks without the fish based omegas and he really toned down and after about a month, we didn't smell him any more. We supplemented his food with flax seed oil from then on.