Your Dog — November 2017

Health

Dog Answers

EXTRA

THE YOUR DOG

EXPERTS

50 Your Dog November 2017 TELL US YOUR PROBLEMS. EMAIL [email protected] — FACEBOOK WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/YOUR DO

Health

Dog Answers

EXTRA

Roberta Baxter MA,

Vet MB, MRCVS,

qualifi ed from

Cambridge University

Vet School in 1993.

THE YOUR

DOG EXPERTS

My 10-year-old Golden Retriever

has had quite a powerful,

distinctive, and unattractive smell

for a year or two now — it even puts off

fussy family from visiting!

William loves to roll in clean grass, swims

most weeks in fresh water, and has no

problems with his skin, teeth, or anal glands.

I bathe him no more than once a month,

brush him daily, and his food is exclusively

for dogs with sensitive digestive systems,

apart from the odd dog chew.

What should I do?

Jill Keith, email address.

Roberta says: Smelly skin is usually

associated with a bacterial/yeast

imbalance, called a dysbiosis, on

the skin surface, and may be helped by

feeding an omega 3

essential fatty acid (EFA)

supplement which

helps the skin barrier

to stay healthy.

Washing a dog too

often can actually

make him smell worse.

Help with

allergies

Q

My two-year-old cross-breed

bitch has been diagnosed with

severe allergies. She is allergic

to beef, corn, potato, milk, and various

types of grass and trees. We give her

Apoquel and obviously check every

item of food that she eats, but is there

anything else we can do?

Julie Greenway, email address.

A

Roberta says: Allergies can be

really diffi cult to treat. In addition

to avoiding known environmental

allergens, and feeding a low-allergy diet

(avoiding known allergens), anti-histamines

can be helpful, and essential fatty acid

supplements can help to maintain skin

health and the skin barrier, which helps

prevent allergic reactions.

Anti-infl ammatories such as Apoquel

can be helpful, as can hyposensitisation

treatment, which involves preparing

a vaccine for the animal to gradually

increase that animal’s tolerance. I’d advise

you go back to your vet to discuss this.

His smell is

so off-putting!

Bathing more than once a month is not

usually helpful, as it can contribute to stripping

natural, protective oils from the coat, which

can make the skin smell worse. However, in

certain conditions, more frequent bathing

is advisable.

In my opinion, one of the most effective

things you can do is change his diet; lots of

people fi nd that their dogs smell better if they

go for a low-allergy food. A variety of good

foods are available, while there are specifi c

low-allergy foods aimed at helping skin issues,

such as Eukanuba Dermatosis FP. Some

owners also feel their dogs’ skin is better when

fed on a raw food diet.

I’d suggest changing your dog’s food and

putting him on an EFA supplement. If things

don’t improve, it may be

worth getting him checked

out by your vet to ensure

he has no underlying

parasites, allergies, or

An omega 3 supplement hormonal conditions.

can help skin stay healthy.

Holly Mash BVSc,

MRCVS, specialises

in herbal medicine,

acupuncture,

and nutrition.

50-53 DA Ant+CS SWCC.indd 50 22/09/2017 12:44