[Jaye]

I have a perfectly healthy five year old labrador. Till date, he's never had any serious health problems. . or for that matter, skin problems/infections.

Lately though, he's beginning to reek. He's got a crazy amount of dandruff, and I bathed him but that's not doing the trick.
The vet's indifferent. Took him to two others to no avail.

Please help =/

[CorkyMax]

I just did a little checking on the web. Here is a link that might be helpful:

Remedy for a Stinky Dog

Veterinary Q & A - My Stinky Dog

If you want to check out more sites, just put stinky dog dandruff in your browser or smelly dog

[Lunareclipse]

My smelly doggie is the one that drools the most. She got a yeast infection once and stunk to high heaven for while. The vet put her on antifungal meds and shampoos.

[CorkyMax]

Luna you got me thinking so I looked up Yeast Infection in dogs and found this: Dog Yeast Infection JAYE, hope you check this link out and read the whole thing carefully as this is something that is hard to diagnose and may be why you are not getting the right answer from your vet. There are a lot of dif. symptoms----One is smelly and maybe each individual dog has some of the symptoms but not all---prob. depends on how much the immune system has been affected and how bad the infection is----'what stage it is in' so to speak. It would not hurt to try some of the things listed to try to see if it gets rid of the problem---Prob. take a while though---Luna, how long did it take with the stuff you used for it?

Jaye---You could at least mention it to your 'BEST' vet and give him something to think about!

Another good reason for using vinegar, which I use all the time.

[Lunareclipse]

Originally Posted by Corky/Max

Luna you got me thinking so I looked up Yeast Infection in dogs and found this: Dog Yeast Infection JAYE, hope you check this link out and read the whole thing carefully as this is something that is hard to diagnose and may be why you are not getting the right answer from your vet. There are a lot of dif. symptoms----One is smelly and maybe each individual dog has some of the symptoms but not all---prob. depends on how much the immune system has been affected and how bad the infection is----'what stage it is in' so to speak. It would not hurt to try some of the things listed to try to see if it gets rid of the problem---Prob. take a while though---Luna, how long did it take with the stuff you used for it?

Jaye---You could at least mention it to your 'BEST' vet and give him something to think about!

Another good reason for using vinegar, which I use all the time.

Well, it took 2 weeks for it to go away. But yeast infections stain the fur brown and it took almost 6 weeks to get that stain to away. She had a yeast infection in her mouth and when she licked herself, she spread it all over other parts of her body, so it was necesary to treat it both with oral and topical antibiotics.

[Jaye]

The vet's been in my family for about 13years now. But for some reason, he doesn't seem to be doing too good a job with my lab.

Thank you Corky/Max and Lunareclipse.
I've looked through those links, and I think I'd better give the suggestions a shot before I jump t more conclusions.

By the by, he has some kind of a wound on his ear that refuses to go away. I've cleaned his ears, but it's persisting. Doesn't look like an infection. . more like a blood clot.

I feel like a horrible friend =/

[CorkyMax]

I may be wrong but it sounds like your dog's immune system is not in the best condition right now. I think from the sounds of it--you might want to have that ear checked out by a vet! And to find out more about the immune system---Put words in your browser like: dogs immune system----making a dog's immune system healthier---dogs symptoms of a poor immune system--and any other appropriate words to find this info. Hey, found this very informative site on the immune system:IMMUNE DEFICIENCIES & AUTOIMMUNITY in dogs - Chinaroad Lowchens of Australia and here is another site: Is your pet's immune system compromised? - The Cat and Dog Log | Dog Time - Dog Blog Network

Look up that and other sites and then--->
You might want to play detective and think back to what might of been going on in your dog's life before he started having these problems--including things that might stress his immune system---any excess stress, recent shots-esp. Rabies-(even 6 months ago), any meds, any recent moves---anything that has changed in his life--Physical and mental ---changes in food, etc--You get the idea!

And it wouldn't hurt to find ways to help build up the immune system even if it was not needed.

Be a detective too by putting all the info provided together to see if there are any symptoms that would lead to some of these problems! (Recheck what all could happen if the immune system is compromised---as well as what yeast infections may cause as secondary problems--Hope you understand what all I am trying to say here!

Do your own health check-up/physical on your dog. Look for things that have changed from the norm! Check his poo--pee--Any changes there--diarrhea, constipation, blood in any of it (Poo and /or pee) Has his 'mood' changed--How does he act? I wonder if a person could put words in their browser to do with a home health check-up for your dog?

How to Do a Health Check at Home for Dogs - Associated Content from Yahoo! - associatedcontent.com

About the ear: Head shaking and rubbing sometimes causes a blood vessel in a dog's ears to burst. The blood that collects in the flap then develops into an aural hematoma, which is a type of blood clot. Minor clots may be left to heal on their own but larger ones may need to be surgically removed, and both process may leave scars on the affected flap. More----->

Hematoma In A Dog's Ear (Pinna) and How The Surgery Is Done In ThePetCenter.com

[Lunareclipse]

Some dog foods can cause allergic reactions in a dog and cause excess dander and shedding. Maybe switching to a better food or feeding raw would improve your dog's skin condition.