My old chap is 10yrs, we've had him for 6 weeks now he's a rescue. He's been through a bit of a tough time having just recovered from a bad bout of kennel cough when we got him.

He's been on drugs for his chest and has had 2 GA's since we've had him, to check his chest and heart and to do a good dental on him, on Friday he had some nasty lumps removed, but he has recovered really well from this GA unlike the last one which knocked him for 6.

We've taken things very slowly with him since we've had him needing to build up his strength etc.

So, he's had a dental and the teeth are not at all bad, his diet is very good, bowels and motions healthy yet his breath absolutely stinks, even the vet commented on it, it's a foul rotting smell and he's had it ever since we got him. Any ideas?

His coat is woolly and dry, the very top shines now it didn't when we first got him but if you look under the top it is dry and there is a patch around his neck that is flaky and has lost hair, there seems to be a hint of scabbiness there. I noticed at his 'op' site that his skin looks dry and tight.  We have not bathed him since we've had him, as we've not wanted to stress him too much.

I have brushed him gently but he is not too keen on a good grooming to get rid of the woolly undercoat. Any ideas on what I can do to improve his coat and skin from the inside out that does not involve vigorous grooming, spraying or bathing as he's not yet ready for this.

I know that in humans chest infections can give stinky breath , as can some stomach problems . Not sure about dogs tho !!

Adding fish body (omega 3) oils and vitamin E can really improve skin & coat condition.

Linseed oil or fish oil helps coat, or you could try feeding oily fish (salmon or sardines)

Could be the food are you giving him what he had previously?

A raw egg per week has always brought my dogs coat condition right up, along with Omega 3 given together with Vit E.

No idea about the breath though, if his teeth have all been cleaned. Perhaps give it a while and it may improve now he's on a good diet.

BTW I love adopting real oldies - good for you :)

> I know that in humans chest infections can give stinky breath

That does actually make a lot of sense, the smell is a foul smell and not just doggy bad breath, he's on drugs for chronic bronchitis, so maybe it is the chest, he does cough quite a bit.

He's still on the same food as the rescue centre was feeding him, AG senior complete plus tinned, I have introduced tinned sardines and tuna but I'll try the vitamin supplements and raw egg too.

He's such a glutton I shouldn't have too much trouble trying these supplements on him.

Does he by any chance recycle (poo eat)?  Is he licking his anal glands?  This will give him bad breath if they are full, and he is emptying them by licking.

Actually no this one is not a poo eater, unlike my other Shelties, nor is he bottom licker, he's not really much into personal hygiene and appearance unlike my girls. :(

The smell is putrid and reminds me of when one of my sisters old dogs had a rotten tooth and gum infection, his breath stunk, when the tooth was removed the smell went.

As his teeth have been checked and are all sound and good, I do wonder if the chest infection thing is still lingering, he's due for a post op check on Tuesday, so I'll check with the vet.

It might be worth adding some live yog to his food as his tummy bacteria may be out of sorts and so might be the cause of his bad breath.

Also I am sure a nice warm bath will do him good as you can combine this with a nice massage to relax him. I have always found this really helps the oldies I have had :-)

Pinky, Shandy's breath sounds exactly like our Megans (she is our rescued Samoyed, she's 9yrs old). My OH always says it smells like something has died in her mouth. I actually mentioned it to the vet as I was concerned that she might have had a rotten tooth or gum disease, but he checked her over and said everything looked ok. He said to brush her teeth regularly and this would help - it does seem to, do you think Shandy would let you brush his teeth? You can buy doggy toothpaste from PAH but we use normal toothpaste as she loves it!

I will give the yoghurt a go it can't hurt anyway.

He's due for a post op check on Tuesday and then whether he likes it or not next Saturday is bath and hair wash day :-D

> My OH always says it smells like something has died in her mouth.

Lovely description and it hits the nail on the head, he did have a biopsy taken from his mouth when they did the one from his flank as he has a lump under his tongue but it came back as nothing bad.

I'll try the teeth cleaning although I have tried rubbing my fingers over his teeth and gums just to see if I could get a brush into his mouth and he won't have any of it, I suppose I could clean his teeth with meat paste or something :-p.

I'm not too sure about using human toothpaste though I always thought it was not good for dogs, but I may be wrong, probably am if you're not having a problem using it.

Pinky,

You can get special dog toothpaste. It has a poultry or fish flavour and you can just rub it round the top of the teeth and gums if you can't use a toothbrush.

I use one by Virbac- it's called an enzymatic toothpaste. No rinsing required, just rub a bit on. It may help.

You never know, if the water is nice and warm he may enjoy a bath. I find putting a large washing bowl on the kitchen floor can make it easier with dogs that don't like being washed. I did my old rescue boy in the bath, but always put a rubber mat on the bottom, as the texture of the enamel was too slippery and freaked him out. He got to enjoy it with the mat.

> It has a poultry or fish flavour and you can just rub it round the top of the teeth and gums if you can't use a toothbrush.
>

Now that would be just up his street, I'll just have to make sure he doesn't mistake my finger for a 'fish finger' :-p

I bath my girl Shelties in the bath and use a rubber mat with them, as you say it makes them feel a bit more confident as they have more grip

> we use normal toothpaste as she loves it

I always believed that this was a complete no-no, as human toothpaste is not designed to be eaten. Mine love the beef-flavoured dog toothpaste.

Some human tooth paste contains xylitol which is poisonous to dogs so caution is definately advised!

Ooh I'll be very careful then. It was actually a breeder that told me she used normal toothpaste for her dogs and has done for years! I will buy some special doggy toothpaste instead then. Does the doggy toothpaste make the dogs breath smell of fish or meat ?!

I think the xylitol is a fairly new addition so if you are using an 'old fashioned' brand then it might not have any. Ours used to regularly pinch the toothpaste and chew the tube (ours not theirs :-o)so if you only use a little it might be OK