[aimee]

Hi Tabby,

In case this is directed to me as I have posted in this thread i want to clarify that I didn’t say that an anti yeast dog diet should be low fat. I did say that the yeast on a dog’s skin are “fat loving” but this doesn’t mean a high fat diet “feeds the yeast” and a low fat diet is recommended.

The yeast feed off of skin oils at the surface.. far removed from dietary fat. The “diet is very rarely involved in the causation or treatment of yeast infection of the skin”. Diet only factors into a yeasty dog if it is grossly unbalanced or if the dog reacts to an ingredient in the diet resulting in an adverse food reaction that changes the skin.

As to what constitutes a high fat in diets it is kind of relative to the animal and it’s needs. But in general for myself I consider anything at or above 40% of calories fed as fat to be high fat for a dog. This is equivalent to ~ 20% fat on a Dry Matter basis

[Tabby R]

Hi Aimee, you said anti-yeast dog diets should consist of a low fat diet. I feed my dogs blue basics lid lamb and potato http://bluebuffalo.com/natural-dog-food/limited-ingredient-basics/dry-food/basics-adult-grain-free-lamb-and-potato-recipe/
One of my chis is allergic poultry and the other one has yeast problems on his skin. They are both picky eaters and they love this food. What is cosidered high fat in diets?

[Lane M]

Pudding poo that sometimes becomes diarrhea. Especially when she is a given a treat (possibly greenies). We have tried going yeast free and thought that was the answer. She has no other symptoms that you mentioned. We have also debated about how much to feed her and varied that to see if it would help. (Read that too much food can cause loose stool)

[anonymously]

I have been using this product (dry and canned) for 4 years now for 3 dogs (2 with issues)
with good results.

Nutrisca Salmon and Chickpea http://www.chewy.com/dog/dogswell-nutrisca-grain-free-salmon/dp/35033

Salmon, Menhaden Fish Meal, Peas, Chickpeas, Salmon Meal, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Sunflower Oil, Pea Fiber, Flaxseed, Calcium Carbonate, Salmon Oil (a source of DHA), Dicalcium Phosphate, Potassium Chloride, Dried Eggs, Natural Flavor, Tomato Pomace, Carrots, Cranberries, Apricots, Choline Chloride, Zinc Proteinate, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Iron Proteinate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Copper Proteinate, Manganese Proteinate, Folic Acid, Calcium Iodate, Cobalt Proteinate, Biotin, Selenium Yeast, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Rosemary Extract

PS: It looks like chewy carries the dog food you mentioned http://www.chewy.com/dog/victor-yukon-river-salmon-sweet/dp/120706

[Jacqie L]

Hello,

I have a year and a half old Border Retriever who has had blood in his pee off and on since we got him at 8 weeks of age. We have since figured out that he has a yeast infection as it was infecting his ears. Since nothing else has worked to solve the bleeding issue we put him on a meat and veggies diet. The bleeding stopped in 3 days. We then bought a grain free kibble diet thinking that was the issue. Now the bleeding is back full force. Now we are looking at putting him back on the meat and veggie diet for a longer period of time to totally clear this up. Does anyone have any suggestions on what could be the cause? Is yeast known to do this? Any other suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks.

[Katie K]

Whatever shampoo you do end up uskng, make sure oatmeal isn’t one of the ingredients. Most people think of it as soothing (and it is to us humans), but it is not good for dogs. Oatmeal is a grain, and just like grain in food, It will make yeast spread. I use Vital-ketodine shampoo on my westie. It has chlorhexidine and ketoconazole in it. And if you’re using the right shampoo, it won’t dry out your dogs skin. People used to say that back when everyone bathed their dogs with human shampoo. Out pH levels are different than dogs so they shouldn’t use the same shampoo we do. When Finn is having a flare-up, we bathe him between once and twice a week. One reason why I really wanted to respond to this though…

You mentioned goats milk. I give my dogs goats milk every day too. I recently heard that goats milk soap works miracles on dogs skin! A customer of mine was selling it and another customer of mine bought it to try on her dog who had been scratching like crazy. After just one bath, the dogs skin cleared up. I heard the same thing from someone else a couple days later. I can’t wait to try it. Btw.. I don’t think the whole human/dog pH level thing would be a problem with something so natural.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 12 months ago by Katie K.

[Marie C]

I like DinoVite!! I’ve been using it for my terrier mix younger dog (she’s about 8 months old) for a couple of months. She smelled cheesy when I adopted her. She had flea allergy dermatitis and who knows what else but vet said not yeast. She was always itching and chewing her feet. Now she doesn’t smell cheesy and she never itches. I put my 4 year-old lab on it and my 14 year old chow-Shepard mix on it. All are tolerating it well. :0)

[Susan]

Hi, have you joined the “Canine Pancreatitis Support ” group on face Book ? someone on the site might know good low fat wet tin foods with good ingredients cause I live Australia I don’t get a lot of the American foods, we get all the Well Pet range Wellness, Holistic Select, Eagle Pack, Earthborn Holistic range & all our Royal Canine Vet diets have different ingredients to the Americian Royal Canine vet diets the Australian R/C has a bit better ingredients cause we have very strict custom laws…..

My boy was eating theVet Diet Royal Canine Gastrointestinal Low Fat Kibble, but it has wheat & barley & Patch started to smell real yeasty & scratch & had bad fermenting breath smell so I changed kibbles again, he couldn’t eat the R/C Gastrointestinal Low Fat wet tin food cause it has rice in the Australian Royal Canine, there’s also Hills Vet Diet I/d Low Fat Restore wet tin food, it has digestive enzymes but it has rice so Patch can’t eat it… http://www.hillspet.com.au/en-au/products/pd-canine-id-low-fat-canned.html

I understand about the raw having enzymes but when a dog has a compromised immune system they can’t fight the bad bacteria in the raw that’s why I went thru a Naturopath Jacqueline Rudan from “Natural Animal Solutions” & she would not let Patch eat any of the commercial raw diets, she said I’ve seen them all being made & they all have very low grade meats & veggies, so I had to buy raw human kangaroo, fresh chicken breast & fresh veggies & make my own raw, it was pretty easy & soooo fresh, I had to put her digestive Enzymes 1/2 capsule & a human Probiotic that is dairy free gluten free 1/2 capsule with every meal to help Patch digest the raw & not get diarrhea.. but he kept regurgitating & burping up the raw even with the Digestive Enzymes & Probiotic, so I cooked the raw & stopped the Digestive enzymes & stopped the Probiotic Patch doesn’t do well on Probiotics he does better on Prebiotics… here’s her site she answers all emails & only cost me $60 for 1 hour phone consultation, she does Skype for overseas customers, every now & then Patch gets bad pain right side chest area under front paw, stomach pancreas area, he comes to me lifts his right paw whinges & wants me to rub his chest after eating certain kibbles that are high in protein over 25% protein, Jacqueline told me Patches Pancreas isn’t doing its job & working properly, all vet test came back OK but he gets all the symptoms of Pancreatitis, vets said it IBD & Helicobacter-Pylori he had Endoscope & Biopsies done 1 year ago, we tried every vet diet none worked for Patch but that’s cause of the boiled rice cause when I was first buying the Hills I/d Low Fat Restore the wet tin had no boiled rice, when we read the ingredients we must of missed rice & when I opened the tin I couldn’t see the rice he was doing really well on the I/d Low Fat Restore wet tin food, then I must of bought a different batch when I opened the tin the top was full of clumps of boiled rice, I rung Hills & said whats happening she said the I/d Restore is made at 2 different places, it sounds like the rice wasn’t grounded & has clumped all together, do I know the Batch numbers of the I/d Low Fat wet tin foods he was doing really well on, I said NO but I have the Batch numbers of all these tins full of rice, so I had to take them all back to the vets for refund, I was so disappointed even though, I hate Hills it worked & you start to not worry what the ingredients are when they start gaining weight & doing better, I tried feeding the i/d wet tin with the rice & scoping out most of the boiled rice but he started having his yellow sloppy smelly poos again farting rumbling bowel noises that you could hear in the next room, his breath stunk so his vet put him back on the Metronidazole for 3 weeks & gave me 3 repeat scripts for when it happens again I don’t have to keep seeing her just for some Metronidazole, the Metronidazole clears everything up I can’t believe how good it is the vet wanted to keep Patch on the Metronidazole she said she has a few dogs like Patch & they are on a low dose of Metronidaole once a day, but I just use when needed I have found since Ive been cooking chicken breast, sweet potatoes, broccoli, zucchini & kangaroo some days & using 1/2 spoon of the Natural Animal Solutions DigestaVite Plus-100 Patch is slowly getting better……I can’t believe it all these years I thought he couldn’t eat cooked food but it was the stupid rice it ferments in their stomach & was iratating his bowel….he can eat grounded rice in kibble just not boiled rice.. I contacted Jacqueline the Naturopath for help naturally.. her diets are under “Information” you pick 1 to 2 proteins I started with just the 1 protein Kangaroo now I feed chicken more then you pick 2-4 veggies & 1-2 fruits, I picked apple when he was eating raw but now I cut up watermelon & give as a treat or Paw Paw, Paw Paw is suppose to be excellent for the somach it has natural digestive enzymes..I freeze inice cube tray, its Summer here in Australia
http://www.naturalanimalsolutions.com.au/intestinal-flora-imbalance.html

[Susan]

Hi Brenda,
There has to be another cheap dog food with better ingredients then Pedigree & Purina brands, I have a yeasty dog, so I’ve been feeding less kibble… I find the Grain free kibbles make him smell more, probably the potatoes & peas, your dog might be different & be OK eating potatoes & peas all dogs are different & react to different foods, like carrots as soon as I put carrots in his meals he starts scratching his ears after 2 days from just adding carrots.. Patch does best on a fish & rice kibbles, I feed cooked meal for breakfast & kibble for dinner, some days he gets chicken, kangaroo, broccoli, zucchini, sweet potatoes, pumkin then when the cooked kangaroo is finished in 2 days, I feed Chicken, Salmon, broccoli, zucchini, etc whatever I have left over I add to meal… buy some tin sardines in spring water, add a couple sardines with the beef & veggies even try adding some rice instead of the kibble, my boy has IBD & the cooked rice irritates his bowel but the grounded rice in a kibble is OK….sardines are packed with omega 3 fatty acids, Coenzyme (CoQ10) & vitamins excellent for the skin & heart….
Do you have a Costco near by they sell 6 tins Sardines in spring water for $10 or the supermarkets have their brand sardines real cheap, make sure they’re in spring water not tomato sauce or oil also Costco’s Grain Free dog food “Kirkland Signature” Nature Domain Salmon Meal & Sweet Potato 35lb bag is made by Taste Of The Wild & cheaper…or Sportmix Wholesome Fish meal & Rice chewy sells 40lbs for $30 these kibbles may be a bit dearer but it will last longer & need less per meal then the Pedigree/Purina kibbles & your dog will be healthier in the long run…also bath weekly in an anti fungal anti bacterial dog shampoo…I use Malaseb medicated shampoo, I’ve seen a cheaper antibacterial shampoo at Walmart for around $7…. so maybe just changing to a better food & bathing weekly his skin will improve & still add some cooked food with the kibble once he’s doing good again…

[aimee]

Awesome post Bobby dog!!!

Love Love Love the link from healthyskin4dogs. What a goldmine of accurate information to combat all the myth perpetuated about yeast dermatitis! Everyone with any questions should read it

I especially love the cartoon on the page regarding fact checking internet information!

[Bobby dog]

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).”

[aimee]

Hi Brenda,

The homemade diet you are proposing is very unbalanced. Also diet is very rarely involved in the causation or treatment of yeast infection of the skin so a diet change is very often not needed. Unfortunately there is a common misunderstanding regarding diet and yeast. Lower carb diets have been recommended to control symptoms of Candida yeast overgrowth in the intestine of people. This information has been misapplied to the treatment of a dog’s yeast infection, but the yeast infection of the dog’s skin is completely different problem. The yeast itself is different. Yeast in the human intestines is usually, Candida a carbohydrate loving yeast. The yeast on a dog’s skin is nearly always Malassezia which is a fat loving yeast. An oatmeal shampoo won’t specifically address yeast but it won’t feed them either.

Here is an article that addresses treatment of yeast infections in dogs http://www.itchnot.com/images/Malassezia_Dermatitis.pdf

[Brenda T]

All these different brands of dogfood sound wonderful but checking out the prices, I cannot afford any of them, especially if trial and error is involved. What if I cooked beef liver or chicken thighs…. perhaps throw in green beans or broccoli? I’ve been mixing in plain yogurt with his regular food (I mix canned Alpo sliced beef with either Alpo dry or Pedigree dry). It’s pretty obvious that store brand are not the best but it’s what I can afford for my yeasty dog. Antifugal shampoo is the best? I know oatmeal only feeds the yeast so I won’t use that. I need to find a new vet as the one I am using has not been very helpful.

[Debbie H]

Thank you for all of the advice. We bought 4Health dry, 5lb to start. She loved it and it appeared to love her. However, now she’s back to not eating, vomit a couple times a week, and loads of feces. The feces are good consistency, but she’s pooping out a lot. She is fed 2/3 cup twice a day which matches the calculator. She only eats 2/3 of a cup, though and most often has to be encouraged to do that. I’m starting to wonder if she is sensitive to foods. She’s had yeasty issues w/her ears since we got her as a pup. Vet said she had ear mites and gave us an ointment. It would clear some, but always come back. I can’t believe it’s mites after a year. She has no other animal contact. A friend suggested she might be having an issue w/chicken because it’s a common, though not primary, ingredient in both food choices. Back to the search.

[Sherri P]

Hi, God Bless Everyone,

My Lab Tank Drake, likes these bones. He is a very sensitive doggy & everything seems to upset his tummy. The vet recommended this, so My husband & I started buying him Grain Free dog food by Rachel Ray which has helped him tremendously & this DreamBone which is rawhide free, cause our boy tank cannot eat rawhide either, without vomiting all over the place. I have read a lot of your comments & I am posting what the ingredients are in this: which I am copying right off the bag. DreamBone- (Dino chews) Grain Free, Gluten Free, Sugar Free, Helps maintain healthy teeth & gums, natural added vitamins…. Sweet potato, flour, pea flour, chicken, vegetable glycerin oil, dried brewers yeast, calcium carbonate, peanut butter, fish oil, dried kelp source of chlorophyll, dried tomato, calcium ascorbate source of vitamin c, vitamin e supplement, rosemary extract. Plus no GMO’s. All I can say Tank hasn’t vomited up by eating them. Which makes Dad & Mom Happy & Doggy Happy too 🙂

[Boo S]

I’ve read on these forum pages several things to do with irritated skin for pit bull mixes, but there is ALOT of information. Prior going to the vet — what are some DIY things I can do for her?

My pooch is otherwise fine but has been licking inside her legs, and now there is a red raw rash like thing happening. She doesn’t do this incessantly, but just now and then. She doesn’t seem that uncomfortable.I don’t know if this is an inner or outer allergen, but the licking seems to cause the rash itself or at least make it work.

I don’t know if it’s yeast or another allergy, but do want to give her relief. Apple cider vinegar? Lemon Juice? Something topical? Food change? (She has a sensitive stomach and has been doing great with some high-quality kibble, infrequently, and usually, trader joe’s can food)

Thanks i advance for your help.

[Kelly S]

Both my dogs are producing an over abundance of yeast…I’ve looked everywhere for a good that is low in carbs and fat for them and am just overwhelmed. Any suggestions on what brand to get?

[Toni M]

Wow! I am new and overwhelmed as well!! I am a new BC Mom to a 1 1/2 year old rescue.
He was on TOTW as a puppy. After reading recalls and reviews etc. I was terrified so I switched him to Simply Nourish (for the last 6 months.) He recently started biting his paws and they smelled a little yeasty, so I start looking for a new food. Back to TOTW but he seems reluctant to eat it. Read more reviews = more anxiety.
TOTALLY CONFUSED. Grain-free or not * Potatoes or not * Chicken or not * Peas?No Peas?? * High Protein, low protein * 5 star foods with history of recalls????? Just trying to be a good BC Mom (without breaking the bank as we have 4 sons in college.) Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Susan]

Hi Allison, the black spots are yeast, a lot of people think grain free kibbles are the best, but they’re not, most of these grain free kibbles are higher in starchy ingredients like Potatoes, peas, tapioca, chick peas, lentils, etc… I’ve found that kibbles with Sweet Potato & Barley with no peas or Sweet Potatoes & Quinoa with no peas or another grain works better then these grain free kibbles with starchy potatoes, starchy peas, starchy tapioca, chick peas etc….

It’s very rare for dogs to be allergic to a protein…..Grains, Starchy veggies yes they’ll get itchy, smelly skin, red paws, itchy smelly ears, etc, you wrote “we tried different kibbles in the past” were they all grain free?? with starchy veggies ?? you changed the protein but did you change the ingredients?

Wash dog in Malaseb medicated shampoo weekly until the scratching goes & the black spot start to go away..Malaseb is an anti-bacteria shampoo….a dog probiotic will also heap strengthen the good bacteria in the gut & make the immune stronger to fight off any yeast over growth..
Try & feed something else besides kibble, “The Honest Kitchen” Zeal is low in carbs…. or the Honest Kitchen has their Base Mixes & you add your own meat… http://www.thehonestkitchen.com/dog-food/zeal
K-9Natural Freeze Dried is also very low in carbs… Ziwi Peak another excellent Wet tin or air dried food your dogs will love Ziwi Peak its expensive but worth it.. http://www.ziwipeak.com/
there’s a heap of really good foods around instead of kibbles…. Kibbles need the carbs to bind the kibble….

[Susan]

Hi, yes the starchy carbs Potatoes & peas would be causing the yeasty skin problems, I use Cortic-Ds 1% cream (Hydrocortisone acetate 10mg/g cream) from chemist & every night before Patch goes to sleep, that’s if he has red paws & red under chin & around bottom of his mouth…. I look at his paws & if they’re red I get cotton tip & put the Cortic-Ds 1% cream in between his toes & up his paw very lightly, then if Paws are still bad thru the day I bath in Malaseb medicated shampoo…. Malaseb is excellent kills the bacteria on the skin I try & leave the Malaseb on Patches paws I put a face washer on the bath edge & lift his 2 front paws up on the bath edge & then massage his body in the Malaseb shampoo as long as I can, it says leave on for 10mins but 5 mins does the job if you have a dog that hates baths….I’ve been bathing every 5-7 days again now spring is here..

I’ve been cooking for Patch for Breakfast & Dinner, I’m looking at starting K-9Natural Freeze dried, you just add water or they have the Frozen raw, I’ve been giving the K-9 Natural “Green Lipped Mussel” snacks..
Can you feed a raw diet cause that’s the best, as soon as I started Patch on a raw diet all his skin problems went away in 3 days but Patch kept regurgitating the raw into mouth then swallowing it then he was having acid reflux from burping up the raw…I’m making Sauerkraut tomorrow, its a natural probiotic they need a healthy gut once they have more healthy stomach bacteria they wont have these yeasty skin problems as bad…. or Kefir if you can get some kefir for his stomach & get the healthy bacteria to take over….

[Madelon H]

Hi Susan – we actually talked earlier this year when he was first diagnosed. He’s currently on TOTW Pacific Stream – he has had several bacterial skin infections and yeast infections – possibly has ringworm now – getting cultured and also has pseudomonas infection in his paws and yeast infection between his toes. We are going to see a dermatologist December 14 – I was just thinking ahead about carbs possibly contributing to the infection

[Madelon H]

Hi have a 1 1/2 year old GSD diagnosed with EPI in May. He has been having yeast and bacterial skin issues ever since. I’m looking for a recommendation for a dry dog food that is grain free with fiber of around 3% and LOW carbohydrate – does anyone have any suggestions?

[Julie S]

I have a three year old Maltese, he weighs 11 pounds, and for the past almost two years I have been feeding him Nature’s Logic Dog Kibble because that is what my local pet store said was one of the best. Around May of this year I started to notice stuff in his ears and took him to the vet where they confirmed it was yeast. I went through the washes, drops, and antibiotics but it still grows back within 3-4 days. I am so sick of it! I hate seeing him irritated with the itching, he does also chew at his paws every once in a while. I am now desperate to try a different food, and another local pet store recommended Now! Fresh Pet Food. Has anyone used this? I have started to go through list after list of dog food ingredients and still find Potatoes, grains, peas, and rice in all of them. Help!

[Olga M]

Since my buddies are big, and in the interest of time, I make a big pot of food and freeze it in daily portions. when I serve them, I include whatever fresh veggies I am having that day as well. I’ll give you a list of some of the ingredients that I use.

For protein – lentils, chickpeas, and black or red beans.
Grains – quinoa, whole oats, brown rice, and barley. However, I don’t add them all the time.
Veggies – pumpkin, sweet potato, carrot, zucchini, squash, peas, green beans, kelp, kale, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower.
Fruits – apple, blueberries, coconut, mango and watermelon.
Herbs – lemongrass (my dogs will graze on it), oregano, turmeric and parsley.
Oils – Coconut, safflower, flax
Supplements – Nupro joint and immunity support, Nutritional yeast, Green Mush (Green Mush and kelp is supposed to be easily absorbable and contains thousands of phytonutrients, protein, and amino acids), L-Canitine, food grade diatomaceous earth, and digestive enzymes (prebiotics and probiotics)

I cook in a big pot of water whatever beans I am using. I use lentils a lot because they love them. If I am using a grain, I’ll add it also. Once they are soft, I add the chopped harder vegetables like the pumpkin, sweet potato, etc. Once they are softened, I add the shredded softer vegetables, e.g., zucchini, kelp, yellow squash, peas, peeled apples, etc. I cook that for a few minutes, then take the pot off the stove and add the chopped leafy greens, 1 clove of finely minced garlic, oregano, lemongrass, and turmeric. I have a garden, so the herbs and many of the vegetables are fresh picked.

I cool down the food by adding ice before adding the oils and supplements.
I add coconut, safflower and flax oil; some Nupro, nutritional yeast, diatomaceous earth, and green mush. The digestive enzymes I sprinkle on their food when I serve them. Occasionally, I’ll ad a capsule of L-Carnitine in their bowl when I serve their food.

I make enough for at least 6 days, and most of the things they eat (except for the Nupro), I also eat. They devour the veggie stew I make, although the Mastiff will eat anything that is not tied down. LOL

It is my belief that eating the carcass of an animal that has been tortured in captivity their entire life, is not healthy for anyone. Also, the food you make will be healthier than any packaged food, and you can always start by adding some of your food to the kibble. Remember though, that if you are giving them soft food to give them things to chew to keep their pearly whites in good shape. Mine love biscuits, balls, toys, antlers, tug ropes, etc.

Thanks for asking about vegetarian food for dogs, I was beginning to think that I had grown a third eye.

[Amy W]

Hi Ken,
I’m pretty new to the site too. My dog has seasonal allergies (watery eyes and nose) and also a chronic yeast issue. The vet says they feed off of each other, compromised immune from environmental allergies make opportunistic yeast more rapid spreading. I have a French Bulldog with lots of folds, so yeast has a great place to hide. Like you, I wanted to cut out all sugars, which feed yeast, too see if it helped. I chose a freeze-dried raw from this site (TruDog) which has been less complicated from a safety standpoint. They have Turkey and Beef ( which it looks like your dog is allergic to).

I do try to keep her off as many harmful meds as reasonable, but I have found that despite my best efforts, she still needs allergy meds during seasonal allergy times. We will see if after a good freeze, the yeast slows down with the other allergies. I regularly clean my dogs “folds” and ears, and soak her feet. That helps some with yeast.

I guess basically what I am saying is the whole allergy/food/environment/ genetic thing is complicated, and while I personally think cutting the sugar with a raw diet seems like a good plan for dealing with yeast, I am finding that if I really want to do right by my dog, just the diet won’t alleviate all of her issues. You might check out a freeze dried raw. There are a couple on the site. A little more quality control for my piece of mind. Good luck, itchy is complicated!

[Ken Y]

Hello Everyone,

As the title reads, I am currently having a diarrhea with bright colored blood, which has been on and off twice now for about 2weeks. This is my first post and I read a few other posts on here about my dog’s current condition, but didn’t find exactly what I was looking for.

I have a 5yo Male Boston Terrier named ‘Hammond’ who was brought up on Taste of The Wild (Fowl Mix) dry kibble. He is my dog, but my father has grown quite fond of him and takes him during the work week and I get him on the weekends. He has been allergy tested due to an ongoing itchy skin condition since he was 1yo and tested positive to an abundance of substances. The main allergens consist of beef, venison, milk, dust mites and certain grass. I recently read an article that seemed to indicate that his skin condition may be a result of a yeast infection and have since switched his diet to a carb free raw diet.

He has been on a raw organic, no additive, low sodium chicken drumstick and thigh diet for about 4-5months now. He was about 28lbs before the raw diet and has since slimmed down to about 25lbs. His calculated serving size totals to be about 1.25lbs a day. I have found a prefered brand I like at a local grocery store and my father has been feeding him an organic brand from Costco with similar listings. He was perfectly fine with the switch with only one or two incidents, which involved bile throw up since the switch until recently. He has had about 2 separate incidents this past 2 weeks involving diarrhea and bright red blood spots. I took the appropriate steps and fasted him for a full day and gave him some rice and boiled chicken to see if symptoms improved and then went back to the drumsticks and thighs. Everything seemed fine for a few days, with the exception of softer stool than usual, but just yesterday, my father told me the diarrhea and blood was back.

We are taking him to the vet this Sat, but I’m more than positive that the Dr. is going to tell us to switch back to a reg dry kibble dog food as most vets don’t approve of raw diets.

Both diarrhea incidents happened when my father had him, feeding him the Costco organic chicken. Is it possible that maybe he got a bad batch of chicken? I have ordered a supply of the ‘Premeasured service’, chicken necks and green tripe from Reel Raw as recommended from this site and it will be arriving today. I made sure to list his allergens in the ground mix.

Should I stop with the raw?..

Thank you for the long read and any advise is appreciated.

[karen t]

I have a 61/2 month old boxer. I do cook for my dog. I feed him Fromn’s w cooked chicken and beef. I’d say he gets 2/3 Fromn’s for lg. breed puppy’s and 1/3 meat. since I own a market he also gets fresh ground raw hamburger mixed w/ his food at times. I also give him yogurt once a day. also he gets Nyzmes antioxidants granules every morning in his food. occasionally an egg/ cooked. the meat mix is cooked in water. I would say be careful of the fat amount w/ the cheese spread. my former dog got systemic yeast from to much antibiotics. this took several yrs. to figure out since I had a bad vet at the time. I found the cure myself- Nyzmes, and they where the one’s who turned me on to Fromn’s dog food. I think that if your dogs are eating at least 2/3 kibble they will get all the nutrients and elements they need. my dogs always turn fussy. I think because they smell all the cooking and want people food. that’s why I mix cooked food in w/ the kibble. Fromn’s is a very good kibble/ not sure if 4 or 5 stars. this time I’m taking no chances that’s why I give the Nyzmes and yogurt good luck!

[Pitlove]

Hi- Firstly, thank you for rescuing her and I hope the fighting dog was rescued as well and rehabilitated and given a chance at a home as most are not.

Since Aurora is still a puppy and was probably not fed a proper diet if she was being used as a bait dog, its critical now that she recieve proper nutrition. She is a large breed and large breeds, especially GSD’s, are predisposed to orthopedic and growth disorders that are devastating for both the dog and the pet parent. I would highly recommend keeping her on a large breed puppy food that has controlled levels of calcium and phosphorus til she is at LEAST a year old, if not older. However, I did switch my large breed to an adult food at a year and he is fine. GSD’s by breed standard are on the thinner side, so make sure she is not underweight, but at an ideal weight for her breed and age. Extra weight from overfeeding also contributes to these growth disorders.

A lot of her issues could be brought on from stress, especially if feeding her a protein that I highly doubt she was exposed to didn’t help. Also, and this may seem obvious, but make sure you check her really good for fleas. GSD’s have thick double coats and with the conditions she was likely in as a bait dog, I doubt she was on a flea preventative. Fromm is an excellent food, so I think thats a great choice. Both of the Taste of the Wild puppy formulas are safe for large breed puppies so I’d go with High Prairie since you have already tried a fish based formula that did not work. Also cleaning her ears regularly with an ear wash and removing the gunk with a cotton ball or gauze will help reduce any ear infections or yeast in the ears.

My vet told me that licking the paws is usually associated with an environmental allergy, so its possible that something she is being exposed to now outside is affecting her.

[InkedMarie]

My dog had yeasty paws & yeast ear infections and they cleared up when put on ground raw, no produce.

[zcRiley]

Zignature Zssentials or ZiwiPeak lamb. Yeast and all other ailments disappeared, I kid you not.

[Susan S]

What dry dog food does anyone feed for a dog with constant yeast? Someone recommended Taste of the wild pacific salmon. Is this food considered nutritionally complete and balances?

[James S]

Hey There! Yeah, my 11 year old female Pit, Nefertiti, has had, “The Bumps”, off & on all of her Life. After many failed remedy attempts & vet visits, I heard that it might possibly be some sort of a yeast infection, which kinda makes sense-She licks herself, then her paws, then scratches herself-Boom! Yeast infection. So, it could be something like that. Although, I’m not sure how males would get it?
Whatever the source, what I’ve found to work best, is . .
STEP 1-I give her a bath using a Human Dandruff Shampoo like Neutrogena. The brown T-Gel works as well, but smells horrible, & seems a bit harsh, while I haven’t ever tried Head & Shouders, because the article that my ex read that suggested this remedy, said that there is a certain ingredient to look for (Wish I could tell you which one), & Head & Shouders either lacked it entirely, or didn’t have as much as the others.
Anywaze…I know they get cold quick, but I’ve found the longer you leave the Dandruff Shampoo on them, the better the results. (Like 3-5 minutes tops should do the trick. I find singing to Nef helps with her desperation)
STEP 2-I rinse her off, which warms her up, & then it’s time for the Hot Spot Shampoo. Just a normal lather, maybe wait a minute before rinsing, then. . .
STEP 3-A nice, normal Dog Shampooing. Nef & I have been digging Burt’s Bees Products lately, but any Oatmeal/Lavender/Chamomile style one should work just fine. Now, I’m NOT an animal dermatologist, but I would definitely keep in mind that some of the Shampoo’s Ingredients might have an effect on Your Pup’s Coat as well. I feel keeping it as close to Organic is always best. This way there’s no need to panic…Because it’s Organic. I digest….
STEP 4-After all that, I’ll dry her off, (while she shakes off on me) then apply Hot Spot Medication (I think it’s just the Hartz one-Not Sure-Just a small bottle-The liquid is yellow in color, & can be found in purrty much any box store, or ordered online) liberally by using a Q-Tip, or by sort of pouring it onto The Bumps &/or Hotspots (depending on the severity of the outbreak) as she tends to get both at the same time.
Well, I Hope This Helps! Again-I’m not a dermatologist, but I’ve been using this method for six years now, & it works better than anything else that I’ve found in the previous five years of failed attempts at relieving my Big Lil’ Girl! when she gets The Bumps.
P.S.-I’ve found that mixing a little olive oil, or coconut oil in with Nef’s Food (about a Tablespoon per bowl tops) helps keep her coat Nice & Shiny. Good Luck!!!!!!

[Woof1]

Snowflake – It’s interesting you brought up Hardy Pet as I was just looking at it myself. After reading guidelines on WedMD, I’m not sure I need to use one for all my dogs, but I do have a couple older ones with health issues I feel could benefit from something. But reviews are so confusing. I had found a dog vitamin review website as I was reviewing Pet Tabs (I agree – stay away from them), but they highly recommended Hardy Pet. Conveniently there was a link to their site and they said that was the best pricing. But after a little searching, each of their review pages for any brand wound up with Hardy Pet at the bottom. That’s a little strange for a place that reviews products. Like Dog Food Advisor you would think there would just be a scale of stars and their review. Then I went to Amazon. Even if you don’t buy your products from Amazon, you can usually find reviews. I pay attention to 3 stars or less, they tend to be your most honest. Sure enough, there are reviews questioning this product – one person had an emergency with their dog after taking the product and couldn’t reach the company (the question wasn’t so much if the product caused the issue as it was why wouldn’t the company answer calls, emails, etc). One person never did get their money back even though it was returned within 30 days; and another said all their products list the same ingredients regardless of it’s ‘specialized’ formula. I haven’t delved into it that much yet to see if that’s true (just found it today), though maybe it depends on the amount of the ingredients in each formula, but I do see they include Brewer’s Yeast which can cause allergic reactions in many dogs. They do state they’ve done clinical trials, whether they’re independent trials or not though it does not say, and results aren’t listed. I also noticed on their FB page that some questions go unanswered. So I’m going to keep looking right now. Hopefully someone here can report if they’ve used Hardy’s and what the results were or what is recommended.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by Woof1.
• This reply was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by Woof1.

[Alex p]

Not long ago Publix recalled their chicken treats. I can’t find the ingredients of their food online, but I think it would be best to stay away from them. I recommend looking at Acana Regionals Grain-Free. Amicus is another good dog food. It’s very high quality and contains superior ingredients. I would try to stay away from any brand that has had recalls recently. Iams is a low quality food and contains poor quality ingredients such as corn meal, chicken by-product meal, dried beet pulp, brewers dried yeast and caramel. But, I wouldn’t feed Publix, if I were you.

[Kim S]

Hello Norene, I have a 9 yo yellow lab that has skin issues and found out wheat was her problem early on. A little over a year ago she began to scratch and bite herself to the point of being bloody and raw. I started researching and this is where I found DogFoodAdvisor. I have found many other sites that have helped too. I looked an environmental issues, allergies, flea/heart worm meds and food. My vet was not able to help much and I took to the internet. I found that grains can greatly effect a dog and we knew that wheat was a problem for her, I went grain free only to find that potatoes are a big fill in for them and she ended up with a widespread yeast infection. I did try raw but she ended up being sensitive to chicken and lamb so that didn’t work. Here’s what helped and I highly recommend to anyone with skin issues. We did a Alternative Sensitivity Test by Glacier Peak Holistics, all done by mail. That gave me a wealth of information and confirmed all my suspects. She is now on Orijen 6 Fish and doing wonderful. I’ve also added a daily probiotic, digestive enzymes, coconut oil to her meals. I have nothing to do with Glacier Peak but there are other companies that perform these tests and sell the same products. I also have found very informative websites such as Dr Karen Becker, Only Natural Pet and obviously you’ve found Dogfood Advisor. Beware of the flea and heartworm products, they can cause a number of issues and there are natural remedies. House hold cleaning products, laundry soaps, fabric softners, fragrance sprays and such can effect your dog. I now have a green home as much as possible. Good luck and hope you find the cure. I can tell you that it will be up to you and not your vet and I do like my vet very much.

[Peggy]

Hi Bobby_dog! Good to be posting with you again.
Yes this issue popped up for both Tebow and Lady at the same time. I actually noticed it on Tebow first, as he was scratchng more intensely, rubbing his back on the carpet and scooting around on his butt.
Lady was scratching too but being sooooo laid back, not as bad. Of course first thought is FLEAS. I checked, combed, brushed and bathed them. Not a single sign of fleas anywhere. PLUS the fact that I myself am a flea magnet. If we ever have fleas (which we have not had in years), they are all over me. Yet the scratching has continued.

At the vet, after their examination, which included a search for fleas, flea dirt, etc., we talked to the board certified dermatologist who is on staff there. LOTS of questions about changes in environment, cleaning products, etc. He did quite a bit of testing, skin scrapings were taken to test for mites, mange, yeast infection, etc. Blood test for worms, and I don’t know what all else.

Since everything came back negative, the dermatologist narrowed it down to 2 things – either food sensitivities, or ragweed allergy. It is BAD here this year.

We’ve had issues with food allergies before, a couple of years or so ago, they were diagnosed with food sensitivities, We switched to grain-free Pure Balance, and the symptoms disappeared for almost 2 years. Yet here we are again. I’ve been wracking my brain about their food, and realized I have gotten a bit lazy about what I feed them. A couple of times I have veered off the grain-free food. I don’t know if that’s it or not.

Thank you for the information, Shawna.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by Peggy.

[C4D]

Are you using the kefir to help treat a problem or just as a general probiotic to keep the gut healthy? I give my 12 lb dog a tsp once a day as a general probiotic since she doesn’t have any health concerns.

Here’s a couple of links:

http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/so-long-yeast-hello-kefir/

http://ottawavalleydogwhisperer.blogspot.com/2012/05/foods-rich-in-probiotics-beneficial-for.html?m=1

[Pitlove]

Hi Kevin- You’re right there is a lot of debate about whether or not yeast feeds off of carb heavy foods. I don’t think there is a concise answer out there as far as I know. I know that low glycemic foods are recommended for diabetic dogs, which obviously need to avoid carbs. IMO it is not going to hurt your dog to try to feed a low glycemic food to see if it controls yeast better.

Also regular bathing with an antifungal shampoo is what has made a noteable difference for my dog with some yeast problems.

[Kevin R]

I am reading too much contradicting information regarding lower glycemic diets. Are these recommended for dogs with yeast issues or not? Will potatoes, rice, etc “feed” the yeast?

[SdianeM M]

I have had so many issues with Sadie’s ears and yeast. I have tried many dog foods, and we are still trying them …. kibbles are a no-go for her, makes her problem a lot worse. Tried a commercial raw, but she got to where she would not eat it. Had her on a raw diet, but I am concerned about her receiving the proper nutrition.

I just purchased a 10b. bag from The Real Meat Company that is air dried. She likes it, it looks and sounds good, but I want to check with some of you and see if you have tried it. Also, possibly if you have even tried a similar product and had good results.

[Pitlove]

Brie- Sounds like a good idea, let us know if switching proteins helps at all and keep us updated.

I’m sure that once her discomfort goes down she will probably be in better spirits about meeting people (hopefully). I also really can not imagine why some guy would continue petting her when she was growling! WOW! Some people are just dense as can be. In my opinion, while she is in “retraining” and “resocializing” I don’t think for one second that it would be rude to tell someone how to approach her and to back off if shes feeling uncomfortable. The reason I say you should be stern with people is because we all know the stigma pitbulls have. I deal with it, even though my boy is super friendly. I’ve even just mentioned to people that I own a pitbull and they go “is he aggressive?” Depending on where you live, you could face some serious consequences if she were to be provoked enough to bite someone. In parts of Texas, there are shelters like the Houston SPCA that euthanizes any and all pitbull and pit mixes before giving them a chance for adoption. And of course as you know they are banned in some counties and parishes in certain states still. My point being do not hesitate to put someone in their place who is aggravating her before she does.

As for her ears, make sure you are doing regular cleanings with an ear wash. My boy used to get yeast infections and regular ear washings after his bath has eliminated them completely. Also my dog gets the same dime sized domes you’re talking about. I believe its a skin condition called seborrhea, though it has not been diagnosed. I have some of the anti-fungal vet shampoo still, but when I’m out I’m going to give this shampoo a try.
http://www.chewy.com/dog/veterinary-formula-clinical-care/dp/43539
have a look at it and see if it could work for your pup. And also look up seborrhea and see if that matches the discription of her problems. It sounds just like my boy and I think thats what he has.

[Brandon D]

after a trip to the vet yesterday it was determined that this is likely environmental allergies, and not a yeast infection. His skin is a little pink but he doesn’t itch much, chews a bit at a single paw. On benedryl 25mg three times daily for a week to see if the pink skin clears up, vet didn’t think any need for any steroid. If benedryl works( seems to help) then Zyrtek once a day for maintenance.
Appreciate all the responses, still going to consider some other food and bathing options as well.

[stacey m]

Hi,
I am a dog groomer and have had a few clients with the noticeable ‘corn chip’ scent along with itching, licking, moist armpits and what looks like red angry feet, ear infections.
These dogs were always chewing and licking. Under the vets care they were given steroids and as soon as the dose was over the issue would come back.
I’d like to share what worked for these dogs with yeast issues.
The food has been changed to Nutrisca, which is a very low carb food.
No extra treats and every week they are bathed with GNC Medicated anti-bacterial/anti-fungal shampoo (left on for 10 minutes) and followed up with a moisturizing conditioner.
The dogs are also on one fish oil daily (which is anti-inflammatory) and daily benadryl (adjusted to dogs weight). The dogs ears were treated for the infection by the vet, the rest was the above mentioned protocol. The dogs who followed this are now about 95% better. Love to say 100% but every now and then one will lick but the smell, angry red inflamed skin is gone! Important to follow through with weekly baths and continue protocol for the comfort of the dog even after symptoms have disappeared.
Both Nutrisca food and the GNC shampoo can easily be bought online.

I am not a vet, I am just passing along some info that worked for some of my clients :o)

[bill s]

Hi Brie. I found this really good organic dog food called Dogs for the Earth. They are starch and grain free and owned by a holistic vet whom is also an animal nutritionist. They are extremely nice and very knowledgable. My dog had reoccurring yeast infections and within a month of using this food along with a probiotic that i had to purchase seperately, i have seen no issues in over half a year. so happy. It can be a liitle expensive but they have good ideas of how you can stretch it out.

[Susan]

Hi, try Racheal Ray Lamb & Brown Rice it has the least ingredients also Walmart has a shampoo like Malaseb medicated shampoo but I don’t know the generic name someone on a dog allergy site said it has the same ingredients as the Malaseb & 1 /2 the price of the Malaseb medicated shampoo, just look for an anti fungal or anti bacterial shampoo & bath weekly baths this & the new feed should help your dog….I’d say the Pedigree is causing yeasty itchy skin from the ingredients, the Pedigree in Australia has Gluten added to their wet tin food, I didn’t know all this years ago & my dog would scratch every time she ate the Pedigree wet tin, now I know why…..

[DogFoodie]

Allison,

Have you attempted to figure out to what your dog is reacting?

It’s likely either a food or environmental sensitivity. Your dog won’t improve until the stimulus is eliminated.

My dog gets yeasty ears when he reacts to any of his food or environmental sensitivities. I have a good handle on his diet, but environmental sensitivities present a unique challenge. I managed them very well using Quercetin with Bromelain and Papain, plus an Omega 3 supplement.

[Pitlove]

Yeast infections in the ears are very easily managed with regular cleaning of the ears with an ear wash. My dog has had one yeast infection in his ears and not a single one after that with regular ear cleanings.

[Pitlove]

I use a vet prescribed shampoo that treats fungal and microbial infections. We used to soak my dogs feet in it because he would get yeast infections under his nail beds. That helped a lot.

However, the licking at the paws is usually associates with an enviromental allegry and given the fact that he is in the water so much, there is a chance that something either in the water or somewhere else in the environment is causing the reaction. I would suggest keeping him away from the water and excersizing him in another way until you can get to a dermatologist and see if it helps.

[Kristin C]

Do his paws smell like corn chips? If so, yes it’s probably yeast. Try a vinegar foot bath.

[Suzanne N]

I’ve heard coconut oil can be used topically and orally for yeast infections. as with any supplement, it’s not 100% guaranteed to work but it’s worth a shot. here’s one of many articles outlining the greatness of coconut oil:
http://dogwalkerworld.com/health_nutrition/coconut-oil-dog-nutty-idea/

if that doesn’t work, or in the interim, perhaps bring him to a groomer to have his paw fur trimmed down so that they dry thoroughly.

good luck!