Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 12/15/2006

Question
I have a german shepherd Mix . He's 12 week's old he dig's night and day not just his body but his ears and he crys like a baby .We thought they he may have mange or ear mites but the vet said it was caused by Flakey dry Skin. He also has a bad odor, even after a bath , even if i towel dry a blow dry his hair.  What can  i do to make the odor leave and what can i use on him to get rid of that flakey dry skin . ? PLZ HELP   you can email me back

Answer
You are describing seborrhea. Many of these things are allergic in origin, so that wouold need to be identified and treated.  For the odor, the skin can be cleaned with a special antiseborrheic shampoo to remove the top dead layer of skin and to remove the oils onthe skin. The dog probably also needs antibiotics and antifungals to keep the bacteria and yeast numbers onthe skin minimized.  it is the breakdown of the oils on the skin by these that gives the odor.