Dog Smell

I have a red fox lab and it only takes one day after a bath for her to start to smell again.  I know I can't give her a bath too often as I would remove too much of her natural oils.  I am still using some shampoo I bought for her as a puppy last year.  Any ideas on how to make my dog smell normal?  Thanks

Also she is 18 months old and always been on the same food.  Pretty much has always smelled a little.  Seems to be getting worse but it could be that she does a ton more hunting now.

I think her ears are fine as they look pretty clean.  I have sprayed them a couple times with a solution but she hates that.  As far as the anal glands, she is always rubbing her butt on the carpet.  I was told that once you clean them, you will have to clean them all the time then.  Not something I am interested in doing but maybe I can pay someone.  Will these two things affect her coat though.  Her coat is what really smells.  One week without a bath and her coat smells.  She was pheasant hunting twice during that time for a total of 7 hours.  I was thinking maybe like a sweat but then dogs don't sweat, hence why the tongue hangs out while hunting.  I forgot to check the protein base last night but I will check tonight.  I appreciate your guys help!

I have a few more questions:

1.  How old is the dog?  2.  How long on his current food?  3.  How long has the smell been an issue?

As the others have mentioned, I would want to rule out skin infection or ear infection - both yeast and bacteria.  The ear infection should be pretty easy.  A visual and smell inspection of the ears should tell you quickly if something is going on there. 

The other issue that I know of that can cause constant odor is compacted anal glands.  If that is the issue, the smell is unbearable and you can definitely notice that the strength of the odor increases dramatically towards the rear of the dog.

Those issues aside, I would guess that the food may be the issue.  The dog may have developed a food allergy, which could cause the itching and the smelly skin.  Your dog may also just have an issue digesting the particular type of protien in the food.  Some protiens are easier to digest than others.  This is where it can get tricky, as many would suggest chicken is the easiest digested protien source for dogs, but it is also the most likely meat dogs become allegic to which is probably simply because it is the most common.

Anyway, the bottom line is that the most likely cause of food allergies in dogs and cats are grains.  I would rule out the things I mentioned above, then I would try changing your dog over to a grain free diet.  There are many good ones out there -- Wellness, Fromm, Canidae, Taste of the Wild, etc.  I feed Taste of the Wild Pacific Stream Formula with good results.  When changing foods, I do so over a 10 day period.  Days 1-3 25% new/75%old.  Days 4-6 50%/50%.  Days 7-9 75% new/25% old.  Day 10 is 100% new.

If you don't already do so, I would suggest supplementing with plain yogurt and canned pure pumpkin.  I give 1 tablespoon of each daily.  You can simply give them 1 tablespoon of each a couple times a week.  The yogurt should be plan and NOT low fat.  It must have active cultures.  The pupkin is just 100% pure canned pumpkin.  This supplement maintains good bacteria levels in the intestines, which can help cure/prevent all sorts of issues.

I would check the ears for a brown yeast. It smells terrible but you can control it with medicine and frequent deep ear cleanings. Just an idea from my smelly dog.

do her feet smell like fritos? Thats normal

I feed her Loyal brand dog food.  Sorry, never looked at the protein source but will check tonight.  As far as skin irritation, she does itch a lot.  Not fleas as I am religious about putting her flea and tick frontline on.  She does get wet quite a bit but even when dry, she has some odor.

What food are you feeding and what is the protien source?

 Have you confirmed your dog does not have a skin infection?   If you have not see your vet.  Ears can be a source of odor if your dog gets wet frequently.  I use Ketochlor which is a medicated shampoo that kills any bacteria when my dog smells.  I get it from the vet.  Dogs smell for a reason, you just have to find out why.