# Help with Smell/Dander/Shedding diagnosis



## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

My thought is that the shedding is probably normal. He's about that age when they really blow that coat. <- And thanks to the weather, my adult dogs are also shedding more than normal right now. 

The smell is probably related to the ear infection.


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## angilica (Jul 27, 2011)

Thank you for responding Megora!
He does not currently have an ear infection. His ears are completely clean/healthy and the smell is not coming from the ears. Its more his skin, neck, back, all of him!

His shedding is like this year around, is that really normal? I have never had a Golden before, but I understood that they blow their coat during season changes, not all the time?


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

angilica said:


> Thank you for responding Megora!
> He does not currently have an ear infection. His ears are completely clean/healthy and the smell is not coming from the ears. Its more his skin, neck, back, all of him!


My thought is ear infection because sometimes you get that draining down the neck and mane. So even though the ears are not as inflamed as they may be at worst or sporting gunk, they are still draining down the neck. Or that's something we experienced with our guy before we cleared up his allergy problem... 

The other thing is it could be some kind of bacteria thing going on with his skin. My dog would most definitely get this if I didn't give him a bath after swimming outings. I think there are medicated shampoos that would help... 




> His shedding is like this year around, is that really normal? I have never had a Golden before, but I understood that they blow their coat during season changes, not all the time?


I think this depends on how long he's been shedding? Our guy did a major league coat blow when he was about a year old. Considering he sleeps on my bed at night and during the day, it was a nightmare. : I think that went on for a couple months, not a year. 

Goldens DO shed all the time. But it won't be this bad.


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## Boscorelli (Sep 25, 2010)

I wish I could help you with the smell, but i have no idea what that could be. However, our Golden is 13 months old and also sheds and sheds and sheds. The amount of hair every day is amazing. We realised that Goldens are known for their shedding, but did not realise it would be continously. In our case, Bosco has no health issues, gets great food, gets brushed several times a week, no bold patches or skin issues. Maybe some Goldens shed more than others? Or maybe (hopefully) it gets better once they are a bit older...... I hope so


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## angilica (Jul 27, 2011)

Yes the shedding is intense, but I would mind it a lot less if he was not dander-ing so extremely. He just flakes and flakes, and once you add the smell, eeek! I air out our house as soon as I get home from work, as the smell is very strong and overwhelming.

Megora, I have another vet appt tomorrow, and definitely will bring up ear infection (the kind you can't see) and the bacterial skin infections. Thank you!
It would be lovely if it was that easy, but I cannot believe after how many visits we have had that not one vet has picked up on this.

We have been dealing with the problems for over a year now, as we got him as a 3-month old puppy.

Can the dog have allergies, and be completely not bothered by them? No itching/scratching/licking?


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## HiTideGoldens (Dec 29, 2009)

Have you researched _Ichthyosis__?_ Here's a previous thread with some links:  http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/golden-retriever-health-anatomy-physiology-breed-standard/46318-ichthyosis.html


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## Finn's Fan (Dec 22, 2007)

Angilica, this sounds like yeast overgrowth. Check out the article on the Great Dane lady's website at www.greatdanelady.com/articles/system and then look at the list of symptoms at a commercial probiotic website at www.dogprobiotics.com/dogyeast-yeast (my copy and paste isn't working, so I may have missed something on that one). All the antibiotics and medicated shampoos in the world won't fix it if this is a systemic immune problem. Certainly something to discuss with your vet! Good luck; it's a pain not knowing what's wrong with your pup.


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## Jige (Mar 17, 2011)

If he was my dog I would switch him to a raw diet. I would start out with something bland like rice and boiled hamburger for a week to 10days then I would start to introduce other foods gradually. I would start him on flax seed oil for his skin and hair. The dander and the shedding go hand in hand. I think that if you get the dander under control the shedding will decrease too. It does sound like a yeast infection and 2 weeks of antibiotics is not enough time to get rid of something that has been going for a yr. I hope you have better results at the vets this time around.


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