My 9-year-old mini-dachshund has been very stinky for a ...

Question:

My 9-year-old mini-dachshund has been very stinky for a long time. My vet says she has bad teeth, so we have her on an antibiotic maintenance, one week each month. We haven''t scraped her teeth because she used to have seizures a few times a year.Since I changed her to a grain-free diet, the seizures seem to have stopped, but she is still very stinky. Her blood has been checked for parasites, and she''s OK with that. She also developed an itching problem several months ago that we haven''t been able to figure out, but it''s being treated with prednisone.I recently started converting her to a raw diet and am hoping that once she is completely raw we can wean her off the prednisone and see if that helps the itching. Any ideas regarding these issues are truly appreciated.

K.B., Carlstadt, NJ May 20, 2007

Answer:

As I advise routinely, dogs with seizures often show some improvement when put on a grain-free diet.Get your dog used to having her teeth brushed, and give her a raw marrow (beef shank) soup bone to chew.Check out my Web site (www.doctormwfox.org) for my article on Endocrine-Immune Disruption Syndrome, one sign of which can be chronic skin problems. Share this with your veterinarian, and have your dog''s thyroid function evaluated -- a common contributing factor in some skin conditions in older dogs.