Hi EVERYONE!!!
I know that this thread is really old....2006 woooo.....but I'm going to answer anyway to give ya'll another opinion....
I'm going to be honest...there aren't very many options that you have aside from going to the vet for this issue.
It may help to change to a higher brand of dog food, some of the better brands that my vet recommends are Hills Science Diet, Eukanuba, and Royal Canin. Some dogs are allergic to common ingredients in food, those pets usually do well on vegetarian diets. (If you change the food be sure to mix it together for a few days, on day one just sprinkle a little bit of the new food on top, then gradually decrease the amount of old food and replace it with the new food, over the course of 5-7 days. This prevents upset stomach.) You could also try 3V Caps (Fish Oil), they are over the counter capsules filled with liquid that you can either a.) crush and put on your dogs food, or b.) (if the dog doesn't like the first option because sometimes the smell detracts the dog from the food) put it in a tasty treat (squeezy cheese, bologna, canned food ball). Some other things that you can try are an aloe and oatmeal shampoo (Animal Pharmaceuticals sells a really good one that is scented with Cucumber Melon) (don't bathe more than once a month unless directed by a vet, as frequent bathing can dry out the skin and cause itching) and a flea and tick prevention, such as Frontline or K9 Advantix. Some pets have flea allergy dermatitis, the pet doesn't even have to have fleas to get break out, a random flea could jump on your pet and bite him/her and your pet would react. Please do not use the cheap flea preventative that is sold in stores. There is no guarantee that they are safe, These are more expensive, but I find that they are two of the best preventatives out there.
If your pets skin has an odor, the concern is that there may be a secondary infection of the skin that can only be treated with antibiotics. Also, there is always a possibility of mites and ringworms, the only way to diagnose these are to do skin scrapes and cultures to look for the mites that are causing the issues. They have different treatments and I must warn you, some mites are zoonotic (which means that they can be passed from pet to owner, people that are at high risk are young children and the elderly, watch for extreme itchiness of the skin).
I think I have covered as many angles of your issue as I can think of at this time. I hope this helps.
~T
P.S. www.1800petmeds.com is a good place to browse
Under Flea and Tick I would click on topical applications (It lists Frontline, Advantix, Advantage, etc.)
Under health I would click on skin and coat (scroll down to where it says "Omega 3 and Omega 6 Fatty Acids/Supplements" there it has the 3V caps and DermCaps)
under medications, choose skin care, under this list scroll down until you see Shampoos/Conditioners, the aloe one I told you about isn't on there but Epi-soothe is, that one is a very good one as well) GOOD LUCK!!!