# itchy dog, Yeast....



## andy198712 (May 9, 2011)

Hello, 
Long time no posting!

My boy Rubén is 4 and for the last 6 months or so he's been getting a rash. At first it was summer and I thought maybe grass bringing up red patches on his belly around his willy and under the rear legs. Kept him in and this changed nothing.

Months went by and a trip to the vets which gave him antibiotics and steroids, this did little to be honest.

He was smelling too, yeasty, mainly his ears and his red belly and arm pits (front and rear now) would flare up regularly.

Back to the vets and skin scrapings sent to the labs, this showed a large yeast over growth and a slight staficocus (sp) the bacteria that's present on everyone's skin. 
The vet also picked up on the yeast smell. Also got a months worth of antibiotics and steroids....
When I got home and did some reading on yeast it seemed antibiotics would make things worse in the long run so I gave him neither of the meds.

They did give us medicated shampoo to use called Malaseb
This stuff does seem to help a little and turned the red patches a sort of grey colour?

Sort of lost faith in that vet as I paid £60 for meds that were only treating the symptoms not the cause...?

He's flea' with advocate.

He's since started getting the flaky itchy skin under his chin too.

He was on a hypoallergenic salmon and rice.
Have now brought a grain free food called Canagan to try encase it's that too...?

I've tried lemon juice rinse. That didn't do much.

Been cleaning his ears regularly as he does get a build up or dark waxy stuff (yeast) and I've found Apple cider vinegar and water mix works well for that (wondering if I should spray it on the body)

Any thoughts? He's fur less under his chin and armpits from the licking, chewing and scratching and I'm running out of things to try?
Anything nicer smelling then vinegar or something I can add to it? (The smell I absolutely hate!) 

Will try get some picks up later of him, he seems very well in his self and full of energy and happy ect. 
He's only been grain free for about a week now also.

Cheers

Andy


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## KB87 (Jan 30, 2012)

This is sounding reminiscent of what we experienced with Haeden about 2 years ago. We did many rounds with ear cytology, steroids and antibiotics. We tried numerous ear washes. We tried baths. Nothing really seemed to ease the yeasty ear infections (lord how they smelled! And the black goop!) and rashes. We seemed to be at the vet over and over. Finally, our vet suggested that we may be dealing with a food allergy which then clicked as I had recently tried a new food for the boys. I had no idea food allergies could present as ear infections until I started doing major research.

Once we gathered that it was likely a food allergy presenting as yeast, we went to the hypoallergenic, hydrolyzed protein prescription diet for almost 3 months until his symptoms weren't presenting any longer as it takes months for the effects of the old food to subside. We eliminated all treats except for hypoallergenic treats and did not give any human food. Once his symptoms subsided, we slowly transitioned back to the food that seemed to work for him and just waited with fingers crossed. The process was very successful for us and it did end up being food allergies.

We did have to go back to the hydrolyzed protein diet a second time after Haeden got into my mom's dog's food while he was staying with her during our honeymoon. Within days of picking him up, he was yeasty again. A few weeks on the prescription diet and we transitioned back to his food and all has been well. We now only feed Taste of the Wild as it's the only food that seems to work for him. We also only feed unique proteins - bison, venison, lamb. We avoid chicken, turkey and beef as they are the most common allergy causing proteins. We also stay away from yeasty carbs in his food.

I would definitely check into food allergies. If you do a prescription diet, please give it a few months time on that exclusively without any outside foods. When it comes time to transition back onto "over the counter" food, find a unique protein and carb combo and try that. The limited ingredient grain free diets are fabulous foods to transition to as you can identify exactly what you're feeding and it's a fairly short list. The process is slow, unfortunately, but the elimination diet process is successful when done properly. I'm certain your vet can shed some light on the best way to approach food allergies for your dog but the above is the process we used.

Good luck to you and your V! I hope all is figured out soon and your V finds some relief.


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## andy198712 (May 9, 2011)

Thank you for the reply,
I forgot to add that coconut oil is helping a bit in his food and topically.

I think it's food too, this one is a very good food, seconded only to Origen (sp) which will be next after a few months of this if no joy  

Hopefully something works for him! Breaks my heart!!


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## gingerling (Jun 20, 2015)

Andy, food allergies as well as immuno issues can cause chronic yeasts, I think you should definitely get a new vet who will run some diagnostic tests. And although the fix here might be down the road with a specific dietary change, until then, I'd encourage you to try the meds the vet gives you. I don't like potions either, but when the dog is really suffering, you should be giving them (and everything else) a try to help alleviate the symptoms, if not the source.

The other thing to consider is to contact the breeder and let him/her know what's going on and see if there's not some genetic link here, that info will make the diagnostic process that much shorter.


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## andy198712 (May 9, 2011)

Forgot to add, I'm giving him those good bacteria drinks too (so many things I've tried)

The others in the litter seem fine when I saw a few last, will post pictures on a separate thread, they had a great time!!

Yes I have a new vet in mind so will pursue that option and just go with what they suggest and see if it works. I thought about thrush cream too but again I feel something is causing it and I want to get that nipped in the bud. 

I'm going to try the new food for a month and see the situation then if no improvement that way, sort out tests with the new vet, guess an allergy test or something will be next? 

Thank you for the helpful input


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

What I found with yeast is you have to stay vigilant when treating it, and then proactive to keep it from raising its ugly head again.
It normally starts with a allergy, or a dog that is routinely in water/moister. Dogs that chew on their feet, either from allergy,injury, or just habit, are prone to yeast. Same is true for dogs that have moister left in their ears. From that point they can spread it just about anywhere on their body by scratching. 
I would suggest you see a dermatologist. Your going to need to try and get the allergy under control. I'm not a big fan of steroids, but when used sparingly they do have their place. The antibiotics may have been needed, if there was a secondary infection going too. 
They do have medicine in a pill from to help with yeast, its also not something you want to have to use all the time. Long term use has its own set of problems. 
Apple cider vinegar is good to use as a preventive, and also good when used along with the vets meds. The mixture is 1 part vinegar, and two parts warm water. Use it twice a day to treat yeast, and twice a week to keep it from coming back. You can use it on the whole dog, but be sure to keep out of his eyes. Mix up a big warm bowl of it, and stand him in the bath tub. Dip a wash cloth in the mixture, and start rinsing him down with it. Wring the cloth some before wiping his face to avoid any contact with eyes. Make sure you dry him well, because yeast loves moister. Ask your vet if they sell MiconaHex+Triz wipes. I've found them to be a big help for ears and feet, when combined with the vinegar rinses to keep yeast at bay. 

Just a side note. Vets don't need to scrape when checking for yeast in ears, or around toenail beds. Clear tape and a microscope is all that's needed.


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## andy198712 (May 9, 2011)

http://www.cityroadvets.co.uk/dermotology/

That guy seems to be the only dermo vet in the county, might give him a try and see what he says if this grain free doesn't clear it!


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## andy198712 (May 9, 2011)

For a little update, the change to grain free food seems to be making a good impact and he's getting better, just a slow process for the fur to come back now


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## SandraDee (Oct 19, 2010)

If your dog is having frequent ear infections and losing hair y may want to discuss sebaceous adenitis. We have been dealing with issues for almost 3 years and our dog has recently been diagnosed with SA (if you google it y will be horrified, but don't be, our dog has never gotten as bad as the dogs you will see pictures of). we thought Scout had just scratched off all the fair on his ears and neck, but it turns out its SA

To deal with the yeast we have switched him to a raw diet. We tried everything, grain free, hypoallergenic etc, and the dry dog foods just seem to fuel the yeast growth and it wasn't until he was put on the raw diet that we saw a significant change and clearing up of the yeast problem. 

I am not a big advocate of raw diets or anything, and would gladly feed my dog a dry diet if I could without it causing problems, but after trying everything under the sun with our dog, raw is the way to go to deal with yeast.


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## nozomi (Mar 25, 2016)

Did your vet check thyroid hormones? Our Cala, now 5, was getting bare patches. See the picture below. Out vet noticed that she was also cold to the touch. When tested, it turned out that she was pretty severely hypothyroid and didn't have enough hormone. Her skin also had lots of yeast and I think the same bacteria you mentioned. In addition to antibiotics and the same shampoo, Cala was started on thyroid hormone. Within about two weeks, her hair is almost all back. She is still itchy, but looks very different now. I was told that the low thyroid hormone promotes yeast and bacteria growth. Good luck with this.


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