Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 12/14/2011

Question
Hi,
My dog has had a really offensive stale odour for the past few months. I've bathed her in tea tree shampoo and dryed her well after but the smell returns in a day. She has  dandruff and a crusty discharge around her nipples though she doesn't itch. She does not like being brushed and lately can get quite snappy about it (fortunately she only blows her coat 2x a year). She had a really terrible gas problem that was getting progressively worse 2 the point of waking me up at night!.. Till someone told me 2 try activia yogurt which worked instantly but the coat smell appears 2 have gotten worse since i cured the gas problem. She only needs 1 small tub every 2 weeks 2 keep the offensive gas at bay.   
   
She is getting stiffer and appears 2 have trouble getting up now, but I've been putting that down 2 age (11yrs).

Thanks for your time,
Sal

Answer
Many dogs with skin disease as well as intestinal problems are allergic to their food.  That can cause the skin to secrete oils that are broken down by the bacterial and yeasts on the skin resulting in that awful smell.  You might ask your vet to help you diagnose that with a hypoallergenic food trial.  The dog will also require a specific shampoo to degrease her skin and either an antibiotic or an antifungal (or both) to help keep the numbers or microorganisms on the skin minimized.