My dog has bad breath, diarrhea, and excessive shedding. What's wrong?

I recommend to discuss ruling out a food allergy and hypothyroidism with your veterinarian .Without any further information it’s hard to know which is best but your regular veterinarian should be able to guide you. Food allergies are easiest to diagnose when pets have a proper diet trial with a hydrolyzed prescription protein. Thyroid disease is diagnosed with a straightforward blood test. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to post them. Best of luck.

It's odd that it improved when the [Giardia](https://www.petcoach.co/dog/condition/giardia/) was treated. My first suspicion for the ongoing odor is that she may be licking at her anal glands or eating her own (or someone else's) poop. Ideally, have her examined by a veterinarian just to make sure there are no wounds, irritation, etc in her mouth or throat that maybe contributing. You r vet can also check her anal glands to see if they seem full or irritated which could lead t her having a tendency to lick at them a lot. If her anal glands are fine, and her mouth is fine, use a daily product for dental health. [CET products](https://us.virbac.com/cet-veggiedent-fr3sh-dental-chew-for-dogs) contain chlorhexadine which kills bad breath causing bacteria. [Water additives](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zymox-oratene-water-additive) are great too. I hope thats helpful for you. Thanks for asking PetCoach! Good luck!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Many cases of diarrhea can be directly linked back to the diet or an imbalance of GI bacteria. If Mason has been on the same food for a while now, I would initiate a bland diet as outlined below and then transition back to the regular dog food 3 days after the diarrhea resolves. If he is still having diarrhea, I would consider switching to a low fat / GI / sensitive stomach formula such as Science Diet or Royal Canin. As for the gums, just because he does not have much tartar does not mean he doesn't have bacteria in his mouth. He may have a larger than normal bacteria population in his mouth causing the bad breath. If he has not had a dental cleaning ever or its been a while, I would recommend having a veterinarian professionally clean his teeth to help with the bad breath. Products such as Plaque Off, Oravet and CET toothpaste can help with the bad breath as well as help prevent tartar formation. If the diet change does not help, I would consider adding in a probiotic such as Purina Fortiflora. If he continues to have diarrhea after switching the diets and the probiotic does not work, I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look at Mason so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further! GENERAL INFORMATION A bland diet is a diet that is soft and highly digestible. It is low in fiber, fat and protein and is high in carbohydrates. Bland diets are generally composed of a single carbohydrate source and a single lean protein source. The most common bland diet is boiled rice and boiled lean chicken breast, without skin and bones. Since bland diets are low in fiber, stool production slows and defecation is less frequent. Bland diets are fed to rest the gastric system and to help promote normal stool formation. Animals that are physically sick should not be fed bland diets as a method of treatment. PRIOR TO FEEDING A BLAND DIET Pets should be fasted for 12 to 24 hours. Young animals should not be fasted for more than 12 hours. Fasting will allow the intestinal system to relax and minimize acid secretions that may irritate and inflame the intestinal lining. During the fast small amounts of water or ice chips may be provided. Never fast a sick animal, it may cause disease progression and death. BASIC BOILED RICE AND CHICKEN BLAND DIET RECIPE CARBOHYDRATE SOURCE: Boiled white rice LEAN PROTEIN SOURCE: Chicken breast, no skin and bones BOILED RICE: 1 part white rice with 3 parts water boiled for 20 – 25 minutes or until the rice is easily crushed. BOILED CHICKEN: De-fat chicken breast and boil in water for 10 – 15 minutes or until the chicken meat is easily pulled apart and cooked all way through. MIXING INSTRUCTIONS: Finely chop the lean protein and mix 2 cups carbohydrate source and ½ cup lean protein source. STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Bland diets can be premade and stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of 48 hours. The bland diet can be cooked in a batch and frozen in feeding sized portions to minimize preparation time. Thaw and warm the frozen diet prior to feeding. PERMITTED LEAN PROTEIN SUBSTITUTIONS Pork loin, egg whites, low fat cottage cheese. 7% low fat hamburger, plain low fat yogurt. PERMITTED CARBOHYDRATE SUBSTITUTIONS Boiled potatoes, boiled spaghetti, Minute rice. PERMITTED COMMERCIAL BLAND DIETS Science Prescription Diet I/D, Eukanuba Veterinary Diet Low Residue, Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Intestinal HE. FEEDING INSTRUCTIONS Estimate 25% of your animal’s diet and feed that amount of the bland diet every 6 – 8 hours. Smaller animals will require less and larger animals will require more adhering to the same carbohydrate to lean protein source ratio. The bland diet should be fed for 4 -5 days with no treats or other food sources until stools are firm then transition to dog food

Poor Diego! The diarrhea could be due to a number of causes including dietary indiscretion (eating something he should not have or isn't accustomed to), bacterial imbalance in his GI tract, a parasite, or inflammation of his colon due to stress. The chronic swallowing problem is more concerning for gastroesophageal reflux, a problem with his lower esophagus such as megaesophagus, or even potentially cancer. His bad breath could be due to persistent bacteria in the mouth, a tooth problem, or potentially related to his swallowing trouble. I recommend having Diego evaluated by a veterinarian for these issues. A fecal test would help to determine the cause of his diarrhea and how to treat it. The swallowing problem is something that will require an oral exam and possibly x-rays of his neck and chest or a more advanced swallowing study with contrast material. Or, your vet may recommend some medications if reflux is suspected. I hope this is helpful and you can find some answers!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It looks like you have done everything you can to help with this at home. However, this may be due to impacted or infected anal glands that may need veterinary evaluation and treatment. I recommend that you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to diagnose the issue and treat it accordingly. Best of luck!

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. The skin infection may be due to a resistant bacteria, so you may need to play around with various other antibiotics to see which works best. I would also recommend using a topical approach using the following products and see if this helps. As for the diarrhea, I would also add in a probiotic such as Fortiflora and test the stool for intestinal parasites. 1. Douxo PS Chlorhexidine combination shampoo 2. Malacetic conditioning spray 3. Essential 6 spot on by dermoscent Mojo is a breed where we do see skin infections and abnormal skin problems show up commonly. The diarrhea could be from something such as a dietary indiscretion, intestinal parasites, GI inflammatory disease, cancer, etc. You could use Tylosin powder (an antibiotic) and see if this helps calm down the diarrhea. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

I don't think this is seasonal shedding. I would be concerned about causes of hair loss and itching in a puppy, including fleas, mange, lice, infections (bacterial or yeast), and ringworm. A vet examination will be able to help you figure out the cause and best treatment. I would also discuss the diarrhea with the vet. Possible causes include food intolerance or allergies, intestinal parasites, dietary indiscretion, bacterial or viral infection, stress colitis, among others. Even though Bear was dewormed, the vet should probably do a fecal floatation test to check for intestinal parasites.