Nice post Aimee.
Hi Brenda:
When my dog was diagnosed with yeast overgrowth the only reason my Vet suggested a diet change was because she felt I was not feeding a healthy food; nothing to do with the food feeding yeast. She didn’t recommend outrageously priced food either, just some OTC foods that were available to me locally. I didn’t completely understand why that was the only reason for her recommendation because all the info I read on the Internet suggested eliminating carbs, mainly white potatoes. I went grain free and potato free anyway. It took close to a year to heal my dog. Bathing therapy was probably the most important part of the regimen. I have since done a 180 in regards to feeding my dog grain or potato free foods. I feed everything under the sun with no issues whatsoever.
Here are some more sites that IMO have good info pertaining to yeast conditions:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=466&S=0&EVetID=3001644
http://www.healthyskin4dogs.com/blog/2015/9/8/facts-myths-about-yeast-dermatitis-in-dogs
peteducation dot com also has good info on yeast (malassezia) infections. The link won’t post here. Just use their search under “what’s the matter” to find info for dogs.
Check out this site’s resources and blog for other info too:
http://www.healthyskin4dogs.com/
I understand having to stay within a budget. For shampoo I initially used Nolvalson skin and wound cleanser. When I ran out I started using Selsun Blue and it worked well for my dog. You don’t have to buy the name brand, just be sure the shampoo contains 1% selenium sulfide. Here’s an excerpt from the veterinarypartners site I posted a link to above, “Shampoos – While 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; however, other anti-yeast products include Selsun Blue, Miconazole shampoo, Nizoral shampoo, Douxo shampoo and more. The pet must be bathed twice a week to start and the shampoo requires a 15 minute contact time (meaning do not rinse the lather for 15 minutes).”
