Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was telling my business partner about this site, which I just found today. I think it's terrific. He owns a trucking company and will be joining when he's back home. He asked me to post a concern that he has. His Dachshund, Bailey, who is 3 years-old, has an odor that he cannot get rid of. It is hard to explain, but the odor is comparable to the way a ferret smells. I've advised him to give his dogs a better grade of food, but he's been using the same brand of junky kibble-type food for 18 years, and swears by it. He also supplements with canned food. Anyway, I do not have much knowledge regarding Dachshunds, and thought I'd see if anyone else has had this experience. Bailey's background: he is friendly, active & playful. He loves to eat, and always finishes his meals, but he is extremely (dangerously?) thin. You can clearly see his spine and ribs. Bailey goes for regular check-ups at his vet, and we were told that he has curvature of the spine; no treatment is necessary at this time for his spine, and the vet is not impressed with his thinness. Thanks, and I look forward to responses! Peggy

Hi,

I'm not a vet or an expert of dogs of any type, but I'd strongly suggest changing the food to a much better quality dog food. The vet should be able to recommend something better than the dog is getting now. It sounds to me like the poor thing has an allergy of some type. I hope you get some better answers than this from others though.

Melody

Thank you Melody! I appreciate your response. I have a sneaking suspicion, too, that it's the food. He has two other dogs and a cat, and I've been telling him for years that junky food is just that - junky. As for other things . . . I have a German Shepherd, and I've never known another Dachshund until I met Bailey. Wow, if he is typical of his breed, then they truly are wonderful! He is so playful and loving - very, very affectionate. And terrific with other animals. He's not too crazy about little kids, but then again, he was not exposed to them until a few months ago. So that's understandable. Well, thanks again, and have a great day

Peggy

>>Thank you Melody! I appreciate your response. I have a sneaking suspicion, too, that it's the food. He has two other dogs and a cat, and I've been telling him for years that junky food is just that - junky. As for other things . . . I have a German Shepherd, and I've never known another Dachshund until I met Bailey. Wow, if he is typical of his breed, then they truly are wonderful! He is so playful and loving - very, very affectionate. And terrific with other animals. He's not too crazy about little kids, but then again, he was not exposed to them until a few months ago. So that's understandable. Well, thanks again, and have a great day
>>
>>Peggy>>>

Hypothyroidism is very common in dogs, and can cause a lot of skin problems. Besides getting the dog on a quality food, good thyroid testing (through one of the 6 approved labs--the vet needs to send the blood off--Michigan State and Cornell are 2 good labs on the approved list) could help protect the dog from other complications if he does have a low thyroid. The values that especially need to be checked are Total T4, Free T4 by Equilibrium Dialysis and Thyroid Stimulating Hormone. If the dog is used for breeding, the Thyro-globulin Auto-Antibody (TgAA) test should be done, too, since a lot of hypothyroidism is hereditary. Which of course is why it's becoming more and more common.
-----
Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com