terrible odor

[labtogo]

our lab  sam started to give off a terrible odor about one month ago. we have tried bathing himbut it does very little good. the odor seems to come from the lower back area or even perhaps his rear end. do you have any idea what is causing this odor? thank you, jerry.

[Jaybay]

I'm with krndhn.  He probabably has impacted anal glands that are now leaking a bit of fluid all the time.  The material in the glands is extremely foul, and the smell gets worse the longer it remains unexpressed.  Some dogs never have this trouble, but it's not at all uncommon and easily remedied.  You'll want to have your vet do the expression - it's usually quite cheap - and make sure that he isn't developing an anal abscess.  That condition is extremely painful and requires antibiotics to clear up.  

After that, just keep an eye out for lots of rear-end licking or butt scooting across the floor.  When dogs have impacted glands, it feels kind of like hemorrhoids feel to a human: painful and itchy.  If he starts up that kind of behavior again, have your vet squeeze his bum.  We have one dog who needs a squeeze about every 6 months.  Since it coincides with regular vet visits for booster shots, we just have the vet do it at that time.

[krndhn]

Have you had his anal glands checked?  They are probably full and need to be expressed.  Best to check with your vet, but we have to have our dogs done every month or so.  Good luck