Hello,
In response to Raine (Marsh Harbour, Abaco, Bahamas) on 06/20/2013
Please know that your pup can recover from a serious yeast infection. My pup is an 80lb, 13 year old Australian Shepherd mix. Late last year my pup had been attacked by fleas which brought on the yeast infection. A couple months later he had taken a dose of antibiotics for an eye infection (unrelated to yeast infection) which in my opinion aggravated the yeast condition. He had an yeast infection head to toes, especially under his arms, the groin area, paws and even his nails beds. Not to mention he had blepharitis and mucousy eyes.
I've had to wash him once a week with a natural shampoo (I use braggs but I don't think it matters) plus borax most important. I sprinkle on 10 Mule brand borax found in laundry section and rinse with diluted equal portions white distilled vinegar and water (50/50).
I add borax to the rinse as well. You can spray his yeasty body parts with this rinse mixture a couple times a day. Let the pup air dry. In my experience, I think you have to wash your pup once a week with borax at least while he has the yeast infection.
I've also alternated using diluted 1 portion hydrogen peroxide (3 percent) to 3 portions water plus borax to spray infected areas. I've also used diluted iodine to rinse his paws.
You'll see an immediate improvement after the first wash but if your pup has a serious infection then it may take months. My pup is 90 percent better and I expect that he'll be fully recovered by the end of the year.
I added a little borax or baking soda to his drinking water. Pls check Ted's protocol on this. Hope this helps.
Multiple Remedies
I'm a HUGE supporter of raw feeding, and truly believe the pet industry including our vets keep our pets sick with yearly UNNECESSARY yearly vaccines and commercial or RX kibble YUCK..GO RAW
Acidophilus
We have a pair of Irish Wolfhounds one 165 pounds the other 220. One has had allergies since he was about 2, the other in the past few months. They will be 7 on Valentines Day. After treating the first one with prednisone, antibiotics and oatmeal shampoos over the years we realized we were on the wrong track. We fed grain free Blue Buffalo for several years and had things under control.The larger one was the runt of the litter, go figure. However, he had difficulty with his bowel movements from the time he was a puppy to the point we joked about getting him a newspaper to read. We started them both on yogurt when they were very young. About a cup each which they love. solved the newspaper problem. In our ultimate "lack of wisdom" we switched them to the higher protein Blue Wilderness not really looking at the binder in the food. POTATOES. In addition to the Blue Buffalo and yogurt, we give them scrambled eggs in olive oil and blueberries every morning, and boiled chicken breast, carrots and green beans every evening. In the past year the runt gained at least 25 pounds (potatoes)and started scratching his front legs, licking, moaning and chewing on his feet and became less active. The other who had early skin allergies, has developed a full blown yeast infection complete with elephant skin, moaning. Prior to researching the systemic aspect of this problem we treated him with fresh aloe from our garden twice a day and scraping off as much of the black scabs as possible without causing open sores. It breaks up the yeast and helps heal the new skin at the same time. It really helps with the itching and if they lick it there is no problem. We are starting the systemic detox on both dogs and will increase the probiotics and prebiotics temporarily along with the yogurt (we use Cabot plain yogurt as it is low in sugar) and Braggs ACV in their food two tablespoons twice a day stirred in cream cheese treats. We fully expect the detox to exacerbate the skin problems for a while but with the aloe and baths should be able to keep them comfortable. We changed to Zignature (limited) dry food and intend to alternate flavors as well as keep them on the eggs, blueberries, yogurt, chicken and green beans. We are temporarily stopping the carrots. Aloe plants are easy to find, grow indoors our out and have many medicinal purposes. Used it on horses for healing as well.
Cathy
Acidophilus
Glenda, you can safely feed garlic to dogs, and there are many documented health benefits.
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/garlic-for-dogs-poison-or-medicine/
Dietary Changes
★★★★★
We dealt with chronic yeast ear infections in our vizsla pup for months. Vet just kept giving us new ear washes/ointments/etc... most with steroids. Finally after switching foods many times, we found one that has ended the problem. NO GRAINS makes a big difference. We use Taste of the Wild dry food, prairie bison and venison formula and he LOVES it! No more smelly ears and he smells better overall. Poop still stinks but ears are happy! No more scratching, rubbing, or painful ears. They are cold to the touch instead of warm and red. Happy dog finally!
Dietary Changes
Best thing is to feed your furry friends RAW BONE IN chicken, turkey, pork, beef.... no grains of any kind. Do not cook any meat as this will take the necessary nutrients away. Leave the bones in. Contrary to what people think, they will not choke. The bone gives them the necessary calcium required. I have 2 rescue dogs, both are in excellent health and only require yearly check ups by the vet. Make friends with your local butcher. Feeding raw is much cheaper than any commercial dog food.
Coconut Oil
★★★★★
Pure, unsweetened coconut oil works great for yeast infection, parasites, fungal infections, cysts, cuts, and many other ailments for dogs. I have 2 Saint Bernard puppies, one is 100lbs and has a yeast infection. The doctor gave him ear drops, which made him go temporarily deaf (hearing came back). I started to give him coconut oil in his food (I worked it up to 2-3 tbsp a day, no more. Less for smaller dogs, but look up amount on Internet). I give him shredded, unsweetened coconut as well and rub a little of the oil in his ear. It cleared up the infection in 2-3 days. Even though the infection showed in his ear, you have to treat it internally. It comes from inside. Coconut oil is now a regular part of their meals as they love the taste and it has so many health benefits for them (also for us). It has also made their coats incredibly soft and full.
★★★★★
My toy poodle developed a rash on the stomach and next he had cold symptoms. He was diagnosed with sinus and broncitis. They kept giving him antibotics that put him on his death bed and he had days to live. I researched his symptoms and concluded that he had a sytematic yeast infection. The first thing I did was stop all drugs. I gave him 1/4 tsp of colloidal silver 3 x a day for 1 week, after 48 hours he was up and walking. Silver kills yeast and fungis. I ordered Oxy E drops and put one teaspoon in a gallon of water in a steam vaporizer, made a tent and gave him steam treatment in his kennel 3 times a day.
Also got anti fungal med, from vet after scrape was taken from rash, proved to be yeast. Oral intraclozone for three weeks. If your vet won't help, order from Canada, it only comes in tabs that have to be resplit to the weight of the dog. Dog also eats grain free food. If yeast is in nose and eyes I put collidal silver right in nose and eyes, cleared up completely. Dog has relaspes every 3 months which happens, I put a mixture of vinegar and water on rash and give him oral fungus med every 3 days to manage it. He is doing great and very happy.
Sweet potatoes are very high in sugar and should never be given to a dog with a yeast infection.
Avoid Antibiotics
★☆☆☆☆
I've noticed a lot of people saying that they have their dogs on antibiotics for this sort of infection. That is the WORST thing to have them on for yeast, Candida Yeast is a FUNGUS, not a bacteria. A lot of you have said that your dog is on a combination of antibiotics and acidophilus (friendly bacteria that controls fungus AKA a PRObiotic). The antibiotics are killing the acidophilus that you've bought, plus killing all other friendly bacteria the dog has, therefore exacerbating the Yeast Infection and letting the Candida grow freely without any protection from what keeps them in control in the 1st place, friendly bacteria!
Long story short, antibiotics do nothing for a Yeast Infection, they usually cause one. Candida Yeast is the same microbe that occurs in a woman vaginally as well, it's a fungus and most women know what causes that... ANTIBIOTICS
Grapefruit Seed Extract
★★★★★
I would be careful with apple cider vinegar on open wounds from licking. Also my vet said I could use neosporin on my yorkie and it wouldnt hurt if he licked it (WRONG) he started gagging and vomiting from licking it. I use organic expelled pressed coconut oil. I rub it on the skin and also give him (9lbs) 1 teaspoon in his food a day. NO MORE YEAST! Yogart can be rubbed on the skin too. Its not as good but better then nothing. I give her benadryl liquid 1 to 2 mg per pound by mouth every 6 to 8 hrs. for fast relief.
I get the coconut oil at health food store they also have it at amazon.
Multiple Remedies
Put her on RAW meat, yogurt, cheese and bathe her in a tea made of PAu D'Arco (make sure it is really the heartwood and inner bark of a particular species of the tree, the Tabebuia avellanedae, (tah-bee-BOO-ee-uh ah-vel-LAN-ee-day) (that is most prized). Also apply the tea to the skin regularly until cleared up. Add some tea to her water, as well. STOP feeding any dog food with GRAIN in it- she won't need the veggies much, either. Think about a wild dog's diet, and you will get the picture. NO anti-biotics;they make yeast infection worse. In fact, you might want to look up what these meds do to dogs... We lost our Sophie to yeast infection, as she was allergic to everything the vet gave her- long, painful experience for all. We've had another dog come down with yeast, and did what I've written- it cures it. The local butcher/meat processor here gave us meats and bones they were throwing away, and the local dairy gave us the out-of-date milk/yogurt/cottage cheese, and we crushed Acidilophus pills and added to the food. Health improved dramatically, and we keep all our dogs on this diet now, (only using the tea for ailments if they get any). The processed foods made for critters does damage their balance- dogs rarely eat grains, veg in wild- they do eat some fruit, bark berries, raw meat and bones.
Medicated Shampoo
★★★★★
Yeast Infections in Dogs: I have a Boxer who suffers from yeast infections too. I have read most of the post about this issue and knowing how awful it is for your dog, I thought I would share my findings with the group. There is one product that will help your dog and it's not yogurt. However dont stop feeding the dog yogurt cause they love it. The only thing you can do is realize your dog will probably never get rid of this problem. Why I have no idea I have taken my pup to several Vets and they all give me that answer. So with that said the Shampoo called Malaseb is the only thing that will help. You will notice that your dog will sleep very good the night of their bath. However there are a few catches with this shampoo, one is you MUST leave the shampoo on them for 10 MIN. minimum. If your dog is a short hair dog like mine then put on just enough water to lather the shampoo on the sore place, even if your dog has long hair just try to to use more soap then water atleast for the first few times. What I have found the soap does it aids in numbing the itchy spot so that they dont want to scratch and bite at it. The enzymes in their siliva makes this problem worse. So after your dog has been given a bath, you must make sure you dry them very good that means inbetween the toes. (Just be carefull not to burn your dog with the hair dryer theres alot of people who dont know how to dry their dog safely the best way to do it is keep one hand on the dog then move the hair dryer back and forth on your dog keeping your hand under the spot where the dryer is blowing at that way you will feel the heat your dog feels and if your hand is hot you know that you need to move the hair dryer a little faster back and forth or back it up a little. Do the same to the feet so that you dont burn their little toes. You will have to use a towel as well to get their feet good and dry. If your dog is afraid of the sound of the blow dryer like my little dog, I have found by placing a towel loosely over their face making sure they can breathe then they are a little bit easier to handle.) Now that you have them all dry they will be all happy and sleep so well for the first and second night, however on the third night you will have to do it all over again. Note if the problem area is only on their feet you can get a bucket of water and just do their feet but you must make sure the area is good and dry. Also for a lot of dogs Wheat may be another source of the problem so check your dog food for wheat. Then try to get them another brand of dog food to see how it works out, this will take a few weeks to do, since you will want to change over your dog food slowly so that you dont give them a tummy ache. Keep in mind that dog treats are a main source of wheat. Good luck to all me and my pup feel your itching!
My 5 year old Lab has been chewing and licking his paws for a year now. He had a yeast infection in his ear 3 times and now his skin on his belly and under arms are breaking out in a rash and the skin is turning black. He seems to be also losing his fur in spots. He broke out in hives all over his body and he now is inflamed around his rectum. Are these all symptoms of yeast infections?
I changed his food, washed him with a wash the vet gave me and antibiotics for his ear. But he is still suffering.
Could yeast come from the grass or the lake water? I just moved to California and it started when we moved. I am ready to go back to Colorado if I can't help him.
What is the dose of Acidophilus for 130 lbs dog?
Hi Sandra, Bless your heart! I know how frustrating it is, knowing that our beloved companions are suffering so. It sounds to me like your boy has some underlying issues that are not being considered or addressed. I have 8 canine rescues and 1 feline and they all had issues from kidney, thyroid, arthritis, allergies, U T I, parasites, heart worm, you name it. They all improved when I took them completely off processed dry food (even though it was grain free) and started cooking for them.
I load up my crock pot with ground beef, chicken or turkey and let it cook on low while I am at work. When I get home I add green beans, peas and carrots, and some virgin coconut oil. Lastly, I stir in 1 tablespoon organic apple cider vinegar with the mother into each dish. Some days I give them each an egg or some salmon, sardines, etc. on top as a special treat. Every one of them licks out their bowls to get every last bit!
I have been doing this for several years now, and their eyes are bright, their coats are silky, their energy is abundant, and most of the issues have resolved. I do add supplements on an individual basis if I see something unusual developing or they just need additional support. Although it may seem expensive and labor intensive to some, it has saved me hundreds over the years in vet costs. I hope this is helpful. I am holding you and your beautiful boy up to the Light and praying for a special touch.
Flower's Mom
White Vinegar
★★★★★
Jean!! You are absolutely correct. (Jean from San Marcos, Ca on 03/15/2012)
My veterinarian told me that my dog would have problems for the rest of his life with chewing on his legs and infections. He also has very stinky ears and the vet prescribed antibiotics!! So then his body and ears smelled terrible due to the yeast infections. We did out internet research- gave him a bath and sprayed him down with the white vinegar with water rinse that you leave in (50/50). The white vinegar has worked so very well it's amazing. I thought he was going to smell terrible with the vinegar but the vinegar smell quickly went away and so did the yeast smell and he is so much happier now!! I'm not too happy with my vet but glad your baby and mine are doing better! 😊
Coconut Oil
Virginia,
I have found that Apoquel does more harm than good. While it is not a steroid, it is still an immunosuppressant. I am currently nursing my sick dog back to health after having her on Appoquel for several months. She now has hypothyroidism and is one big bacterial and fungal infection. My vet wanted to just ‘up' the dosage of Appoquel, and I had to press to have a thyroid panel done. Be very diligent and monitor your dog for any weight gain or autoimmune issues. Best of luck.
Dakin's Topical Solution
★★★★★
This solution is also stellar on hot spots! It doesn't destroy the skin like some antiseptics.
Benzoyl Peroxide 10% Soap
This is an update on my dog, and my use of the Benzoyl peroxide, since January. I am still bathing him with it, and I am seeing my old dog coming slowly back to his old self. He's still not 100 % so I will continue to use it until he is. The black skin is slowly going away, and he is chewing way less, still scratching some. Biggest improvement is his energy, instead of staying in his box he is back out with the family again. will continue to update.
Multiple Remedies
Dana, try a pinch of flowers of sulphur once a day in her meal, don't overdose though. It does help with skin problems.
EC: Thank you, Susee! We were interested to learn more about Flowers of Sulphur and found this interesting article online:
Dietary Changes
Thank you for your feedback. I will keep up with the protocol. I do think that his skin is not as red today as it has been. Anything is a good sign to me.
Multiple Remedies
Hey Cobrien!
You might be over doing it with both the salmon oil and the coconut oil - cutting back to just 1 of those oils may help with the farting; also consider adding enyzmes for digestion: I use chewable papaya from Whole Foods for my pack.
I would also consider something that may have a bit more *kick* than the your vinegar/peroxide/water solution; Ted's Anti-fungal/Anti-staph dip.
You will need:
Milk of Magnesia [magnesium hydroxide]
Epsom salts [magnesium sulfate]
Borax [sodium tetraborate]
1% hydrogen peroxide solution [start with the 3% solution you buy in the brown bottle at the super market or drug store]
Process:
Empty hydrogen peroxide into larger bottle - I use an empty 1 gallon vinegar jug. Add to this 32 oz filtered or distilled water - I just refill the hydrogen peroxide bottle twice - and dump into the jug. What this does is change your 3% hydrogen peroxide into 1% hydrogen peroxide. You now have 48 oz of solution. To this add 4 tablespoons EACH of Milk of Magnesia, Epsom Salts, and Borax. I cap the jug and then let it sit in a sink of hot water to get it up to a nice warm temperature. When the solution is warm, I then bathe my dog in the tub and make sure I rinse out the soap well. I then allow the tub to drain and when the bath tub is empty I then use my hands to wipe down the body to remove as much water from the hair as possible, then I stop up the drain and then pour the jug of warm solution over my dog. I use a plastic cup to scoop up the solution from the bottom of the tub so I can pour it over my dog again. Keep this up for at least 10 minutes - dosing the dog over and over again with the solution, making sure it reaches everywhere and particularly on the affected areas. I let my dog drip off in the tub and then I put her in a crate with no bedding to continue to air dry for another half an hour - temperature permitting; you may need to bump up the heat in the house or crate him in a small room with a space heater. The solution continues to work when wet, so the air dry process in the crate allows the solution to continue the therapeutic action until your dog is dry.
Yeast infections take time to manifest, and can take a while to resolve. You may additionally consider borax to combat the yeast internally. Ted recently updated his borax protocol -here it is again FYI:
Posted by Ted (Bangkok, Thailand) on 2/12/2014 "The borax dose is the same regardless of the weight of dogs. In the end small dogs drink less than large dogs. The only difference is the sex of dogs which the female dog requires half the dosages male dogs.
So a female dog is always 1/8 teaspoon per liter dose. And male dogs is 1/4 teaspoon per liter water. Weight is irrelevant.
Timing:
Borax dosage for 1 week. Then 1/2 dosage in week 2. Stop for 1 week. Resume.
or
Borax dosage for 4 days, then no borax/water for 3 to 4 days. Continue on/off schedule until ailment clears.
Some reduce the dosage depending on weight of dog to prevent side effects but just know that beneficial effects will also take more time to see results when you reduce the dose.
This is most common dosages, just use common sense. Yes borax can be use for many unexplained conditions of dogs and human for simple reason that most unexplained conditions that cannot be cured with bacteria in majority of cases is fungus or parasites which borax does well but also is essential nutrient for the bones and hormones in mammals."
Acidophilus
I realise this is an old post, I'm putting this up for the readers. Candida thrives in an alkaline environment, ACV is alkalizing. ACV has very little to no sugar content. 1 teaspoon of ACV contains no sugar, 1 tablespoon contains 0.1g. ACV is also warming, so if you have a warm dog, then yes, avoid it. ACV balances PH and if you research, it is alkalizing... in turn it helps to keep the candida population in check
Acidophilus
Hey Carrie!
To combat the yeast from the inside out, consider alkalizing your dog's drinking water with baking soda - 1 teaspoon per liter is a typical amount to start, and you can lessen or stop after a week or two. You might also consider Ted's Borax protocol to eliminate yeast in the GI tract:
Posted by Ted (Bangkok, Thailand) on 12/12/2014
"The borax dose is the same regardless of the weight of dogs. In the end small dogs drink less than large dogs. The only difference is the sex of dogs which the female dog requires half the dosages male dogs.
So a female dog is always 1/8 teaspoon per liter dose. And male dogs is 1/4 teaspoon per liter water. Weight is irrelevant.
Timing:
Borax dosage for 1 week. Then 1/2 dosage in week 2. Stop for 1 week. Resume.
or
Borax dosage for 4 days, then no borax/water for 3 to 4 days. Continue on/off schedule until ailment clears."
To combat the yeast from the outside in, consider Ted's Anti-fungal/Anti-staph solution:
Ingredients:
- 1 - 16 oz bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide
- 1 bottle Milk of Magnesia
- 1 box Epsom salts
- 1 box Borax
- Filtered or distilled water
Method:
Dilute the 16 oz brown bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide to a 1% solution by dumping the bottle into a jug and adding 32 oz of filtered or distilled water; I just fill up the empty brown bottle with water and dump it in the jug twice. Now you have 48 ounces of a 1% solution of hydrogen peroxide.
Add 4 table spoons EACH:
Borax, Epsom salts, and Milk of Magnesia.
Shake the dickens out of the solution. I usually run a tub full of hot water and set the jug in the tub, and then when the tub cools where I can bathe my dog the solution is by then an agreeable temperature for the dog. Bathe the dog in doggy shampoo or what have you, get all the crusty lesions gently scrubbed up and loose skin and scabs off and rinse well. Now drain the tub and when empty plug it up again and now pour the jug of prepared solution over the dog. I use a plastic cup to scoop up the solution and keep pouring over the dog. I try to keep this up for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes I pull the plug, squeeze off any extra water with my hands and let the dog drip a bit in the tub, and then I take the wet dog with bare hands and put her in a crate with no bedding. Do not towel the dog off - you want as much of the solution to stay on the dog as possible, so it can 'work'. I allow the dog to drip dry in the crate with no bedding. It helps to have the house heat ON, and a nice tasty bone or high value chewy in the crate to distract the dog for a bit. After half an hour I let the dog out and towel dry as best I can and then let them work themselves dry by running all about the house. You do NOT rinse the solution off - you let it dry completely and that is it, until the next bath.
If you have a tiny dog, if you do not wish to make up such a large quantity of solution, the single batch is as follows:
- 1-1/2 cups of 1% hydrogen peroxide
- 1 tbsp MOM
- 1 tbsp Epsom salts
- 1 tbsp Borax
You may be able to put this into a spritzer bottle and spritz problem areas on your dog, of w hen dealing with the feet make up the solution and stand the dog in a basin or tub to soak just the feet, but I find it best to tackle the entire dog with a full body treatment first, before using the spot treatment approach.
I find the effects of the dipping solution last about 24 hours, so you could dip every other day. Some dogs may find this harsh to the skin, so a follow up with coconut oil applied topically after the dog has dried off may help areas that are getting dried out. Usually you can get a handle on the skin infection if you dip every other day for the first week and then reduce to every few days until it clears - it is something you have to play by ear as each dog is individual.
I would give it 3-6 weeks for results.
Please report back!
Multiple Remedies
Hey Vannie!
Clearing a dog of a yeast infection is usually a long term situation.
Upgrading the diet is a good start! You should also consider adding probiotics/acidipohillus to her diet as well; just choose a human grade product from the cooler section of the health store.
Next, consider alkalizing your dog's drinking water by adding baking soda. I start out with 1 teaspoon baking soda into 3 liters of water, and increase by 1 teaspoon each day until the ratio is 1 teaspoon baking soda to 1 liter water; I then give this dose for 5 days - after 5 days you can reduce to one half teaspoon per liter of water or go back to the ACV water. I would also add once per week one eighth teaspoon of borax to the drinking water OR mix one eighth of a teaspoon of borax into some wet or canned food. This may produce a loose stool, however borax is an excellent anti-yeast/anti-fungal.
Additionally, I would bathe my dog in a solution of 1 part water to two parts Milk of Magnesia. This is an emergency ratio and in conjunction with the baking soda water and borax water should bring some relief.
Please report back!
Apple Cider Vinegar, Rubbing Alcohol
My boxer had the same symptoms. After prescription treatment of ear wash and two bottles of Posatex (for ear yeast), she still had badly inflamed ears and paw chewing. It ended up being food allergies, so now she's on an elimination diet. Chicken is in everything (including most of the homemade meals!! ), so now she gets alternate proteins like lentils, navy beans, etc. Do a search for vegetarian dogs, or alternate proteins sources for vegan dogs, etc for a list of suggestions.
Good luck!
Recommended Diets
Hey Barbara!
The diet you are feeding your dogs is terrible and almost certain to produce the very same symptoms you are seeing in your dogs. No other way to say it. Read up on that food - plus search out a healthier diet here:
http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/dog-food-reviews/kibbles-n-bits-dog-food-dry/
If when you come to this site, if you click on the PETS tab, and then from that page click on LATEST PET POSTS - you will arrive to all the most recent posts to all the threads. Scroll down - there are others dealing with this same issue - and there may be additional ideas for you to help you get the itchies in your chee-weenie under control.
Borax and Peroxide
A month ago I took my dog to see the vet because she was scooting her bottom nonstop and also licking and biting her paws. She also had scabs everywhere. She was put on antibiotics and steroids and all the skin problems got better. Now she is off the medications but also back to square 1 where she is constantly scooting and chewing her paws. Her vagina is very swollen and it seems like that is the source of her itchiness and not the anal sacs because she just got groomed last week and had her sacs expressed. She also has a yeasty smell. I am wondering if it is safe to pour the borax and hydrogen peroxide mixture in the vaginal area? I am sure it is fine to do for the paws but I am not so sure about doing it for her private area. Also, I am not quite sure how I should apply the solution to her paws or her body. I really appreciate if anybody can help me with this. Thanks
Just wanted to tell u that mix half and half Monistat 7 cream with cortisone cream dilute with water AND put a couple drops per ear in your dog and massage the base of it. Do this once a day for 5 days straight. Make sure u do all 5 days and this will cure the ear infection due to the yeast.
My dog has this issue and my vet is very very good, he told me to do this so I wouldn't have time keep bringing him in and keeping paying for the visit especially since he knew I didn't have the money to go as often as I was. It worked wonders and by the next day my dog wasn't fiddling with his ears like he had been.
Borax and Peroxide, Dietary Changes
★★★★★
My female Lab had come down with a yeast infection a year ago. We had no idea what it was. Vet said it was an allergies. There began our quest , by elimination process of what she was allergic too, while trying to find food she could eat that wouldn't worsen the problem. What a nightmare. She was itching constantly, smelled awful and the ear infections. We were so overwhelmed. The itching became so bad she was biting her hair off. By pure luck I found this site, and Ted was talking about the borax and peroxide.. etc treatments. We did everything he suggested. Within 6 months, her ears were slightly pink, not raw. 2 weeks after that the smell started leaving herand her itching was once or twice a day. We did however have a time getting her to eat the fish oil capsules. Her diet is now absolutely no canned dog food, 1/4 cup of all natural dry food per feeding with an additive of a product called "Dinovite" (which targets the itching that garbage dog food can cause dogs) also we feed her partially cooked chicken thighs and a baked liver mixture (recipe below) we make with a few veggies and eggs in it. At present she is almost completely well. We do not trust any dog food anymore because we've tried all of them. Thanks to Ted for the initial help!
Recipe for Liver loaf:
2 small packs of beef liver, 1 tbsp of wheat grass powder, 1 tbsp of Kelp powder, 1 tbsp of spirulina, 6 eggs, 6 or 7 small carrots chopped up. Mix all of this in a food processor, 40 secs on med high. Pour into a small loaf pan bake at 350 for an hour or until a toothpick clomes up clean. We cut slices of loaf and cube it to put into her food.
You can get the powders from nutsonline.com
Good luck to all.
★★★★★
My yorkie is 4 years old and has been suffering from what I thought were allergies her entire life. I have tried every kind of food, switched to 100% natural chemical free housecleaners, detergents, etc. , I spent enormous amounts of money at the vet and everything they prescribed only made it worse. She had ear infections, rashes and sores (specifically in her armpits, chest, and between her toes), impacted anal sacs, and sneezing and coughing. I finally gave up on the allergy idea and started researching for causes and found out about yeast infections.
Since I've been treating for yeast I have found her to be unbelievable better! I feel her Raw Lamb food, and on it I put colloidal silver, yogurt, and omega-3 oil (one for each meal). I also bathe her with all natual soap (it comes in a bar) and then put a rinse of Vinegar and tea tree oil diluted in water, which I don't rinse off. Once she's dry I put colloidal silver on her itchy spots. I find that these steps help her so much! I can't believe that no vet told me about yeast infections, they just prescribed antibiotics, allergy pills, and topical treatments that made her feel worse. I think all natural is the way to go, and colloidal silver is a miracle worker!
Grain free kibble is still a problem. It's over processessed carbohydrates. I went this route and despite this we battled bloody swollen painful ear infections for several years. Put him on grain free canned food. Helped but then went to RAW food diet ( frozen in a bag product ) and that fixed it, along with A homeopathic drops which contained essentially witch hazel, white vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, marshmallow root etc. Then Flash forward a year or so and I move to France and my dog gets harvest mites from running through the tall wheat fields. Such a terrible infection not even shampoo for it helped. Vet gave him that damn Apoquel ( I have no idea how bad this is for pets ) and an antihistamine shot and antibiotics ALL at once. Temporary fix ... back in the USA again, back on his miracle raw food but this time he didn't seem healthy and had the scratching again despite no fleas or mites . No amount of aloe or vitamin E oil has helped but to soften his elephant like skin slightly . Now I'm reading it's a yeast infection in his skin due to the apoquel drug. Let's hope these natural remedies work. I no longer trust vets as they just want to throw harsh drugs at him without regard to the after effects.
Coconut Oil
Warm road kill is not raw meat?? My pupper is the healthiest, happiest boy, he eats only raw chicken feet and organic raw eggs. He's never been on grain except when I didn't know better about the supposedly high quality food I was giving years ago. I highly recommend his diet, btw he turns his nose up at the rest of the leg, he must innately know all that collagen and gristle is what he needs.
Dietary Changes
We adopted a 5 year old bichon/poodle mix. He was suppose to be white but he had red/brown marks around his mouth, ears, feet, etc. At the time, he also had really really gross gunk coming out of his eyes. The inside of his ears were red and itchy and he smelled, so so bad. He was like Pigpen from Charlie Brown, he just smelled when you got near him. He itched himself all the time, he would wake us up all night long itching and biting.
All these symptoms are characteristic of an overgrowth of candida which lives in his stomach. The first thing I did was feed him wheat free/gluten free food and distilled water. After two months he was super white and didn't smell. But he still itched his ears and he still smelled kinda bad. His ears were absoltely inflammed still and rashy!
The next thing I did was start feeding him quinoa chicken vegetable mash. This took care of the smelling. But his ears, would not change! I couldn't get him to drink apple cider vinegar until I mixed 1T of apple cider vinegar with freshly ground almond butter. (Mix it real good. Almond butter doesn't feed the yeast, peanut butter feeds yeast so don't use peanut butter) That helped sometimes but not completely.
A vet friend of mine recommended some western medicine but when I researched the side effects were really dangerous! Geez.
Then someone recommended Zymox. (And I really hope that Earth Clinic doesn't remove this product name) because seriously I am so grateful to them. His ears look amazing! He doesn't itch them, they're not red. No side effects! I wish someone would have told me what to do from the beginning! (Why didn't a vet tell me all this! So frustrating! ) It's taken me a year of trying all this stuff out. I don't think Zymox would have worked as well without the gf diet and such. (They also have shampoos that I'm going to try next)
Now I have the most gorgeous, healthy, happy white bichon/poodle! I hope this helps someone out there. Good luck!
Please know that any person or animal on antibiotics should also be on probiotics. It will destroy your pets imune system eventually. Your pet may just have candida albacan, to which you take him or her off all dog food and carbohydrates. The yeast feeds on this. I have a 70lb pit bull who has really bad allergies, inflamed from head to toe, licks her feet and scratches & chews herself. I took her to the vet, he wanted to put her on antibiotics, I said no, paid my visit bill and left. I later found out that all she needed was to be taken off dog food, no carbs & fed only protein. I give her beef heart, liver, & one beef patty for breakfast and again for dinner. She's not scratching licking or chewing and it has only been 2 days. I also give her activated charcoal (capsule) and diatomaceous in her meat to help clear the yeast. All dog foods have carbs, even the expensive ones. Hope this helps your dog. Mine is sleeping sound right now. Good luck.
Hydrogen Peroxide, White Vinegar
★★★★★
OMG! I love reading that other people are hvaing the same issues! I couln't undersatnd why my dog was always getting ear infections and licking her feet and vulva and her feet smelled like fritos.
I soak them in a mixture of 4 cups of water, 1/4 cup white vinager 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide a couple times a day and what a difference of course after I changed her food to high protein diet. EVO. I had her on a sweet potato and herring dog food and it was the worst thing I could do.
Coconut Oil
For a dog who is in such bad shape and so miserable, I'd recommend starting with conventional treatment to get some relatively fast relief. That would include oral anti-yeast prescription drugs, ear drops, and bathing in an anti-yeast shampoo like Mal-a-ket every other day and applying a topical spray from the Mal-a-ket line. It would also include good careful tests to identify whether therfe is more than one problem.
I adopted a small dog sight unseen at the vet when some people brought him in to have him euthanized because he was scratching. They were trying to figure out how to prove they owned him when I said, just give him to me. When the vet and I got him out of his crate, his skin was bright red, his ears were full of wax, and he had a terrible yeast infection. (I later discovered he also had too many of the mites that cause mange, which had not shown up in the first skin scrapings - apparently mites don't show up in 40 percent of the skin scrapings even though they are there.)
Two months of "conventional" treatment finally made things look better, but a few months later he was licking his paws, his foot fur looked pinkish, and he was scratching. Sure enough, I found out that red yeast lives in the fur/hair cuticles and also in the toenail beds, so it is very, very hard to get rid of permanently. So I am now back to the conventional baths followed with a rinse with vinegar plus water, have added probiotics (kefir mixed into soft food along with purchased dog probiotics), work Vicks Vapor rub into the nails and paw pads (this stuff totally kills human toenail fungus without damaging the liver, unlike anti-fungal pills, if applied morning and night for a month), and now will be adding olive leaf and EVCO to his diet. It's reported that Listerine applied topically will kill yeast (and reportedly the kind with menthol also soothes itchy skin.)
Dietary Changes, Baths
★★★★★
We have a 7 lb Chihuahua that is my world. She has always been very healthy. But about 18 months ago we considered putting her down if we couldn't find a way to help her. She was so sick with scratching all the time, elephant skin on her face and feet, lethargic, no appetite, and basically looking really sad and we felt so sorry for her. She had chewed off most of the hair on her feet and they were swollen and puffy like mittens and bleeding instead of thin and graceful like they had been. She chewed them constantly and scratched under her armpits and face. This started immediatly after she had just recovered from surgery for an abcess under her chin and they had treated her with very strong antibiotics. With scepticism I let the vets treat her for demodex with ivermectin. I stopped it after one month because it was making her stomach sick and not helping. Also I knew the spots were not red like demodex and she was 8 yrs old and demodex usually shows up in puppys.
So being the skeptic I am, I looked into dog skin conditions and found out about yeast. I now know that the antibiotics started her yeast problem. It killed off her natural defences to fungus and bacteria, just like in humans. I haven't tried the vinegar yet but I did some research on yeast and I have found these things to be the cure for her: Grain free food, Ketoconazole/chlorhexadine shampoo baths (weekly at first, monthly after a while). Yogurt and acidophilus in her food.
It does take patience and you have to stay on top of it, and may never cure it but you can control it. Some of the enzyme products work are a little harsh for some dogs. And the "die off" looks alarming and the dog gets so sick, so people stop the treatment before it has time to actually work, then they think it didnt work. I also couldn't afford them so tried yogurt, acidophilus and grain free food and the baths. Vets prescribing antibiotics and food with grain don't make sense if it's yeast. They just want to sell you their services and Rx meds and vet store dog food. They are a retail establishment after all. All of the foods that are not grain free just give the yeast something to feed on in the dogs gut. Look up leaky gut syndrome. And it is good also to have your dog checked for thyroid problems though just in case.
I can say our dog Lexie is now happy, energetic and healthy with a shiny coat and completely healed. But we still keep up the routine, bathing more frequently if she starts to itch again. I notice also she scratches more if we have slipped and given her any people food with carbs, but protein is ok, we give her cooked chicken or a little bite of meat sometimes.
★★★★★
I have a 13yr old Westie and he's had chronic ear infections/icthiness since he was about 4. I'm not out of the woods yet, but I wanted to suggest a few things to the other dog owners out there with problem poochies.
Oskar has had itchy, red, smelly ears, sores that crust and flake off his skin, oily, smelly skin and hotspots. We've been through it all! It really breaks my heart to keep seeing these issues flare up. We've been to the vet throughout his life for these issues and he's been treated with antibotics and steriods which never helped. So this is what I've been doing:
I feed a raw-food or grain-free dry food. Try and stay away from beef, because this is considered a "hot food" and can irritate the allergy. (Oskar likes duck, lamb and I know fish is a good choice as well. ) Also, a tbsp of Greek yogurt with live cultures and a tbsp of apple cider vinger with food once a day. This took two weeks to really notice much of a difference, but his ears started to open and I was able to clean them and then begin treatment for his ears.
It was recommended to me to use Zymox products, you can get them on Amazon.Com, I have yet to find them in a pet store. I use the shampoo and rinse, two times a week. Leave the shampoo on for 10mins and then you can leave the rinse (conditioner) on to dry if you want, or just do spot-treatment with it on your pet's worse itchy places. I've also used their ear products, I got the ones with the hydrocortisone in it because Oskar is constantly scratching his ears, and this has helped as well.
Recently I picked up their Topical Cream with hydrocortisone and have been using that in between baths, once a day and it's been really amazing. His hotspots on his back legs have healed up tremendously and he hasn't been chewing nearly as much. I really recommend this. But as a disclaimer, if you have a white dog it will turn the fur yellow to the areas you're applying it. The yellow does grow out and wash out though. I usually throw an old T-shirt on Oskar after applying so that way the oil from the cream doesn't get on anything and he can't lick it off.
Anyway, I hope this helps some. I'm still on the road to completely getting rid of his yeasty self, but this has really been helping!
I like the idea of putting a shirt on after treatment so he can't lick it off.
Acidophilus
My 10 yr old, 35 lb. PBGV, Max, was diagnosed 1.5 years ago with Cushings Disease. I am managing his disease with one Trilostane 100 mg capsule per day. He is doing extremely well.
However, he was constantly scratching and licking his paws creating bloody, hairless patches. I tried EVERYTHING my vet, dermatologist, recommended: injections, special shampoos, allergy meds you name it... spend hundreds of dollars.
Fortunately my groomer informed me Max was suffering from yeast and I should call my Vet to request a medicated shampoo for the treatment of yeast and administer Acidophilus in pill form. I ordered the medicated shampoo and consulted my local heath food store, Whole Foods, and found an ACIDOPHILUS capsule 340 mg. I administer one, sometimes two pills, per day inside a pill pocket size of an all meat hot dog... He gobbles it down, a treat!
In addition, I have switched to feeding him Blue Wilderness brand dog food with high protein, NO GRAINS, corn, wheat or soy. He likes the Salmon best but will eat the chicken and duck flavors too! The food is expensive, approx. $30.00 for a 11 lb bag but worth every penny.
Max was a sick and "ugly" looking dog until I finally found the right combination of food and medication. His coat is thick and soft, he rarely scratches and almost never licks. He walks with me a least a mile each day. He is alive and thriving. I contribute his well being to my groomer and from the information I gained from reading posts on this site.
Acidophilus
There is a comment in here from someone in March 2012 who said her groomer told her that her dog has a yeast infection and that she should switch to Natural Balance with Sweet Potato.... THIS IS WRONG! Sweet potato is a starch, starch turns to sugar and yeast feeds on sugar.
She is correct in that when on a proper treatment to rid your dog of yeast that the symptoms do get temporarily worse. This is due to the body purging the toxins at a greater rate through the dogs skin which itches terribly. However, feeding your dog an inappropriate food that contains starch or sugar will also make it get worse, but for the wrong reason.
Special made raw food (research the types online) is the number one recommendation. As well as a supplemental daily dose of pro-biotics the dog needs to replenish their system with in order to maintain the proper levels of yeast. And a medicated anti-fungal shampoo is also recommended with bathing at least twice a week. Again, research online for brands. There are also a number of homemade daily rinses that you should do IN ADDITION to all the other treatments. They involve a diluted mixture of water and vinegar, or water and lemon juice, or water and baking soda.
Diet is number one and whatever you do, DO NOT LET YOUR VET ADMINISTER ANTI-BIOTICS OR STEREOIDS!!!! RESEARCH YEAST INFECTIONS IN DOGS ONLINE AND DO IT NOW. There is a ton of information online about this and thank God I found it as our 6 month old puppy has been suffering for 8 weeks. Everyone thought it was an allergy. Vets were quick to treat some random infection they thought it was with more anti-biotics. Anti-biotics only strip the poor dog of the good bacteria it needs to fight the yeast. RESEARCH!!!!
Colloidal Silver
★★★★★
After struggling with my maltese's ear yeast infections, my chemist suggest collodial silver. Within 2 days his ears cleared up, and since then it never returned. I'm never without collodial silver now.
★★★★★
I use it both orally & externally. About 1 dropperful for 1kg when taken internally & Pepper took a 30ppm colloidal silver. She has since changed over to a patented technology & supposed to be more effective. I've found it works. For her ears I just dropped one dropperful in after flushing and swabbing out her ears.
