by E K Stapleton

Created on: May 17, 2008

Our canine companions lavish us with love and affection, but they may also be smothering us with offensive odors. All dogs smell to some degree, as their bodies produce natural secretions for recognition by other four legged friends. When the presence of your dog has your eyes watering and your nose buried in your hand, then there's a problem. The best way to deal with Fido's unpleasant aroma is to determine the cause. Getting to the root of the problem will allow you to eliminate the source of the smell, rather than knocking yourself out trying to mask the presence of the odor. There can be many culprits to point the finger at so some investigation will need to be done, to accurately pin it on the guilty cause.

FLATULENCE is a big problem in some dogs. Although the smell doesn't exist on a permanent basis, it is nasty enough to clear a room in mere seconds. This can be very embarrassing when you're entertaining house guests. This may be related to your dog's diet. Cheaper dog foods are full of fillers and byproducts which don't add much nutritionally to your dog's diet. It only serves to fill his belly and satisfy his hunger. The end result is, well you get where I'm going with this. Many people feed their dog scraps of whatever they're eating. As their friend sits there looking sad and pitiful, they feel compelled to offer him some of their dinner. Trust me, you're not doing him any favors and you're only adding to the problem. Dog's stomachs aren't properly equipped to digest human food. And again, you know the end result. Making some changes to your dog's diet may prove to be the answer. You might not rid your dog of flatulence all together, but it may greatly reduce the intensity of the foul smell produced. If a change in diet has no affect it could be a sign of gastrointestinal problems. You will need to consult with your vet to address such problems.

SKIN CONDITIONS can be a source of unpleasant odors. Allergies usually manifest themselves on your dog's skin. Dry, discolored and irritated areas of skin can emit a nasty, sour smell. Your vet may begin a series of allergy tests or suggest an elimination diet. This when you systematically eliminate things from your dog's diet. When symptoms are improved or totally cleared up by the elimination of a certain element, the cause of the allergy can be pin pointed. Bacterial and yeast infections on the skin can produce a foul stench. Even the biggest dog lover may find the odor unbearable. These can usually be

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