I think it depends on what is causing the bad smell. Just wet dog smell isn't that bad. Can't you give him a bath today? But if he has some skin issues along with eye discharge, that isn't good. I wouldn't worry about being judged by someone else, but I hope your dog isn't suffering from rain rot or some other skin disease from being outside all the time. Good luck.

I just wouldn't tell the people the dogs never been to a Vet...or you will be judged.

I really dont have time to give him a bath today and plus it is raining again. He doesnt have any skin issues. Might aswell get him a rabies shot while im there.

Your dog is up to date on its vaccines right? Did he seep clear or yellow from his eye before it turned green? I would be prepared to buy antibotics, could be drops or salve and could be oral antibotics on top of the drops. What kind of dog do you have?

Does he have any shelter against the rain?

what kind of dog, some dogs are smellier than others. I doubt vet will judge you on smell but maybe on the "never to vet" part, maybe. don't worry about it and take him for the med care he deserves.

Something is going on for him to smell so bad....such as a skin issue that isn't visible to you. Do you have a garage, porch, or covered area he could stay in after you've bathed him........or.........just keep him inside until tomorrow? If you don't have time to bathe him today, what about tonight? Just put him in the tub or shower, no big deal.

Other option, take him to the vet as is and ask them to bathe him.

"Might aswell get him a rabies shot while im there." I'm beginning to smell a troll.

Well, he has never had any vaccines. He has always been very healthy.

I got him from a coworker when he was 2 years old and they never took him to the vet either. So while im there i might aswell get him a rabies shot since i believe they are required. I am not a troll. He does have a dog house outside.

I didnt see him seeping anything from his eyes before the one started to get all goopy.

I know i may seem like a bad owner but i do love my dog. He is my little buddy.

I know i sound horrible. I have given him flea/tick applications. But whats wrong with him being an outside dog? He does come inside occasionally.

I know he would rather be inside.

I know he would rather be inside

So why don't you let him stay inside, instead of outside in the cold and rain?

If you know he would rather be inside, why do you keep him outside? Dogs are sentient beings, not potted plants to be left in the backyard in solitary confinement.

How do you get flea, tick, and heart worm medicine without a script since vets won't dispense this unless your a patient.

It takes 10 minutes tops to bathe a dog. Give him a bath if you're worried about what the vet will say. If you don't want to give him a mere 10 minutes of your time to bathe him,ask the vet to do it.

You can get flea medicine at walmart. (advantix, etc)

nina, i seriously dont think anything i wrong with his skin. If i felt like there was something wrong i would have tooken him to the vet for that. He has been a really healthy dog since i have had him and he is the most loving creature.

And i do feel kind of bad having him outside but its more easy that way. I live alone.

Whenever he is inside he likes to chew on stuff.

I have never used a heartworm preventative but i think i will bring that up when i take him to the vet later today.

Here are some pics of him when i used to have him inside more often. His name is Bonky.

Please let us know how it goes at the vets today.

he may very well not have a skin condition but i would still ask the vet if that is a possibility. also, you will have to have a heartworm test done before you can put him on a preventative so plan to spend little more than what you would pay for a simple office visit.

as for him chewing stuff, get him stuff he's ALLOWED to chew on. when you see him chewing on something you value, redirect him by giving him his own chew toy. i'm sure he isn't crate trained although that could still be done and you could crate him for a few hours if you have to be gone. he chews on the "wrong" things because he has never been taught not to.

he's very cute! my hope is that you can get him bathed and smelling better and let him stay inside with you. speaking for myself, my dogs are the best company i could possibly have. they don't argue, leave refrigerator doors open, leave cracker crumbs in the bed, and they don't hog the remote! let that baby inside with you and you will open up a whole new relationship with him, one that you will both enjoy!

Lots of people keep dogs outside - something I don't really "get."

But anyone that would keep a dog outside and thus exposed to various diseases from various sources without protection against Rabies, Heartworm, Distemper, Lyme, and other diseases should not be allowed to keep a dog... or any other pet.

Dogs are social, they need companionship. Please share some of the above comments with your vet.

Or, is this a farm dog?

I was going to advise you to run from GW, if you don't want to be judged. Recognizing that photo, I would think you would have learned this before.

Just take Bonky to the vet. If they are unprofessional, go to a different vet next time.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2815406/my-coworker-said-my-dog-was-ugly-what-do-you-think

snookums, gosh that post was a long time ago!

It was an impressionable thread!

As far as not being able to afford vet care..I sure understand that struggle when out of the blue there's emergency vet costs. My neighbor had 3 dogs she needed to provide emergency vet care and vaccines. ..turned out the local animal shelter has a vet to help in cases like this for a very small fee. you might check into that. Or call around to different vets and explain what's happened and see if one would help your baby using a payment plan.

mamapinky0 said, "As far as not being able to afford vet care..I sure understand that struggle when out of the blue there's emergency vet costs."

The OP said:

"He's kept outdoors, hasn't had medical care or vaccines and he smells bad enough that your embarrased."

"I have never used a heartworm preventative but i think i will bring that up when i take him to the vet later today."

If you don't ever vaccinate a dog, the expense of initial vaccinations can hardly be called "out of the blue." If you do not administer Heartworm Preventative, the fact that the dog requires heart worm treatment can hardly be called "out of the blue." And finally if the dog "stinks" and you don't have time to bathe him, any complications can hardly be considered "out of the blue."

Poor dog!

Many people still don't understand the proper way to care for their dog so there is no judgement when I write this however, if he is indeed your little buddy and you love him, please treat him as such by learning how to take proper care of him.

Dogs are social animals, they need to be with people and know they are part of a pack. Leaving him outside alone without shots and a lot of interaction with family, is abusive and cruel. If you don't want a dog in your house or you can't afford to take proper care of him, do what a loving owner should do and find him a home that can because the lifestyle you're providing currently is unfair to the dog.

I know from personal experience that it's a hard choice, but adding a dog to your family means you are accepting responsibility to provide it with a healthy happy life. From what I can see in your posts, you are not doing that. You may not be doing it intentionally or with ill will but the dog definitly needs more than what you are willing or able to provide.

Years ago I was experiencing some real financial hardships and had to downsize from a house to a tiny apartment. As a result, I had to find a new home for two large purebred dogs I had invested a lot of myself and money into. I absolutely adored them and could have taken them to the apartment with me. Large dogs were allowed; they were trained well and impeccably behaved. While it would have made me very happy, it obviously wasn't condusive to their needs. Forcing them to live in the confines of a small apartment with no out door space would have been highly selfish of me, don't you think?

It took me many years to get to the point where I was able to have a dog again, so I do understand the choice is not easy but it's not about us and their needs should come first.

Salti...your right and I could have worded it better..of course its not out of the bluewhen your pet gets sick because it was not properly cared for...in this case not cared for at all except perhaps food and water.

I look at my little girl and can't imagine NOT giving her the best care and hope for a long happy healthy life....a dog that doesn't get its vaccines doesn't even have much of a fighting chance. Some of these diseases that can be prevented cause horrendous suffering if the dog should get it. And to leave it outside all the time in all the elements. ..how very sad.

I agree with Lukkiirish...if you can't or won't give your dog a real home with love and medical care..find someone that will. Theres no shame in saying I can't give this dog what it deserves..the shame is in how its currently being treated.

Also, during the winter time he is not left outside in the cold.

tlbean2004, how did it go at the vet's office?

Suzieque, They gave me some eye drops for his eyes.

He was tested for heartworms and was positive so will be treated next month. He also got the rabies vac.

I think he also peed about 5 different times while there in the office, lol.

Good - I hope that those drops help.

Oh no - positive for heartworm. That's horrible - the poor guy! Have you Googled to learn about heartworm? It's pretty nasty. The treatment isn't easy, either. It's interesting that the vet isn't going to treat until next month; I wonder why. Once the heartworms are resolved, you are going to keep him on monthly preventative, correct?

Suzieque

They gave me pills to give him before the treatment starts. They said that the pills make the heartworms more susceptible to the treatment. Yes, i will put him on a preventative after.

http://behaviormatters.com/positive-reinforcement-animal-training/

snookums2 I have had my dog for almost 5 years. I have tried to get him to learn to sit on command and nothing i do works!

He is so sweet though, that it doesnt really matter.

I had a puppy when i was a teenager and he learned how to sit on command with no problem. I guess you cant teach an old dog new tricks. lol

i'm sorry your dog has to go through the heartworm treatment but i am not at all surprised he tested positive. i do so hope you will keep him inside with you from now on. during the treatment, he will have to be kept very, very quiet. crate rest would be the best. you have a month to get him used to a crate so if you start now, it will make the treatment much easier to deal with.

Yes its a huge part of the heartworm treatment..no activity and no excitement, nothing that raises the heart rate.

I agree you should have the dog inside now getting him crate trained for his treatment. you do realize he can not be left outside during treatment? Only time he can be outdoors will be on a short leash just long enough to go potty, even than if he gets excited or agitated going out to do his business I'd recommend keeping him indoors and using potty pads. Its going to be a long hard road, but worth it. Good luck.

But he is a hyper dog anyway. Even when he is inside he likes to play and jump all over me.

What happens if his heart rate is raised during the treatment?

And do you mean keep him inside the crate at all times when he is in the house during the treatment?

he will most likely feel pretty crappy during the treatment so it shouldn't be terribly hard to keep him quiet. if he wants to lay on a dog bed on the floor or if you allow him on the couch, as long as he is resting, he doesn't have to be crated. crate him when you have to be gone or if he starts getting frisky. there are all kinds of things you can give him to keep him occupied. freeze a kong toy filled with peanut butter or cream cheese, bully sticks, chew toys if he likes them. NO RAWHIDE, it can cause a blockage because it is not digestible.

be sure to offer him water every hour so he will stay hydrated. it's a very intense treatment and it's critical that you watch him closely. and yes, leash walks to potty ONLY. no running, jumping, excitement. i recently had a friend go through this treatment with a rescued great dane. talk about work!!

Please read the linked article. Anything that raises the heart rate can force pieces of dead heartworms into the small blood vessels of your dogs lungs and cause an embolism that will kill him.
Heartworm Society Information

How exactly do they treat the heartworms? I was told i need to drop him off at the vet and then i can pick him up several hours later.

If it will be a month before treatment begins, sign up for an obedience class so you can learn how to have more control of him, plus it will be a bonding experience for both of you. You probably have trouble teaching him anything now simply because he is outside most of the time and none of the training is positive and repetitive.

Contact your town Recreation Dept to see if they offer Dog Obedience, or some of the larger pet stores offer it. Google 'Dog Obedience Classes' for your area and several will most likely pop up. Personally, I prefer classes that are outdoors simply because it's the environment you would be walking him in, more distractions for the dog to get used to and definitely not as cramped as pet store aisles!

Also, for chewing treats for large dogs, go to the meat dept of your grocer and ask for large bones, or knuckle bones. It'll keep him occupied for hours.

So, how is Bonky doing? Has he completed the heartworm treatments?