bathing

I have a Jack Russell puppy just over 4 months old.  I've been bathing him once to twice weekly because he smells a little like ham.  Everything I've read online indicates that this is too much, but they all give different answers about what is just right...some say 1-2 times a month, some say every 2 months, and some (though I could never go that long) say no more than 2 times a year!  What is the right answer??  Also what can be done about the ham smell if I reduce his bathings?  He mostly stinks near his neck, so I don't think this is a gland issue, and his ears are clean and pale pink so they appear healthy.  We feed him Iams Puppy dry food.  Any assistance you could offer would be greatly appreciated.

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

If a dog has a skin disease I often have owners bathe their dog twice weekly with medicated shampoo (this is a standard universal veterinary protocol).  

Your veterinarian should be able to examine your dog's skin to determine if he has a dermatological infection or if the "ham" odor is a normal body odor for him. Skin infections can be caused by mites or other skin parasites and usually occur with secondary bacterial or fungal skin infections, or, the infections can occur alone.  Many skin infections are malodorous.  Your vet could perform a skin scraping, fungal assay, culture and sensitivity and other tests for a definitive diagnosis.

You mentioned that the smell is strongest on his neck, I was wondering if he drools?  Odor from the mouth, or his saliva could cause his skin or fur to retain the saliva odor.  If he has bad breath you should try and brush his teeth daily.