What You Need to Know About Yeast
Yes yeast is an organism that helps bread rise, and in fact I used some last night to make a pizza crust..BUT there are many yeast species, and the one that concerns me is the often overlooked and misdiagnosed organism that can cause our dogs to SMELL and ITCH.
What is Yeast?
Yeasts are the spore-like forms of fungi; Malassezia dermatitis is a fungal infection of the skin.
Why Suspect Yeast?
Yeast infections are itchy, crusty, and smelly. Often a dog starts out with a rash or with simple itching, but the skin thickens to an elephant skin appearance. The itch is extreme and the odor can be especially troublesome. Parts of the body or the entire body can be affected. Mostly dogs are affected but cats can get yeast infections as well.
Yeast are normal skin inhabitants, but can OVERGROW and cause a problem is there is an underlying allergy
Generally you should be thinking about Yeast IF your dog has
- Chronic Allergy
- Increased Itching and Scratching
- Less responsive to treatment ( ie prednisone)
- STRONG dog odor that comes back right after a bath
The following breeds are predisposed genetically to yeast infections:
West Highland White Terrier, Basset hound, Cocker spaniel, Silky terrier, Australian terrier, Maltese, Chihuahua, Poodle, Shetland sheepdog, Lhasa apso, and the Dachshund.
How is this Confirmed?
Your veterinarian can easily confirm this by using a small amount of tape on the affected skin ( ie skin fold), staining this tape at the clinic, and seeing the yeast organism under the microscope.
In practice I did this HUNDREDS of times
HOW to Treat
The basis is shampoo, BUT it must be left one for a minimum 10 minutes to be effective.
Initially shampoo twice a week to start, then once/week to eliminate yeast ( ie for 4 weeks) then as needed
1. Conventional 'Vet' Shampoo:
Degreasing shampoos such as the benzoyl peroxide (OxyDex, Pyoben) and sulfur/salicylate (SebaLyt, Sebolux) shampoos will help remove the skin oils feeding the yeast, there are shampoos that are specifically anti-yeast. Some 4% chlorhexidine shampoos called ChlorhexiDerm Max or Malaseb shampoo strip skin oil and kill yeast;
2. 'People' Shampoo
Selsun Blue, Miconazole shampoo, Nizoral shampoo- these are the anti-dandruff shampoos for people, and I used Selsun Blue in practice, and it works WELL
3. Home-made Dog Anti-yeast shampoo
3/4 of a cup of water
2 tablespoons of Castile Soap
2 tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar
10 drops of Lavender Essential Oil
The Castile Soap is an all natural, concentrated oil based soap that you can get from any Natural Health Store. It is a great base for any soap/cleaning product etc.. It is made from Olive Oil/Hemp Oil/Coconut Oil
I am now using it in my own Homemade Natural Cleaning Spray as well
The Apple Cider Vinegar is very effective for killing the Yeast and common skin bacteria (Staph), that produce the odor
The Lavender Essential Oil is also effective at killing yeast, bacteria, AND producing a wonderful smell
Mix it all together, and then after you soak your dog, fully lather him/her, focusing on the skin folds which 'hide' the yeast
As soon as you add the Apple Cider Vinegar it turns all white..completely normal.
4. Topical treatment
You can spray on diluted Apple Cider Vinegar - I prefer a solution of 3/4 cup water to 1/4 cup ACV mixed in a spray bottle. Spray the yeasty areas. If you add in Lavender, your dog will also smell nice :-)
5. Feed your dog anti-yeast ingredients.
Garlic is specifically anti-yeast. You can safely feed a dog 1/4 of a garlic clove/20lbs daily. You can also feed Apple Cider Vinegar at 1 teaspoon/10lbs twice daily and this is also anti-yeast and will also help with digestion.
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