[theBCnut]

It all sounds food related. You need to try a higher quality grain free food. Do you know of any specific foods they have trouble with? If not, I would start with eliminating chicken, grains and white potato and see if you get any improvement. You could easily have a yeast problem too at this point. I would try Brothers Complete or Natures Variety Instinct. Anal glands producing so much fluid can be due to food intolerances, but the leaking is likely due to all the extra weight and not having a firm enough stool to cause the glands to empty when defecating.

[donna rothschild]

Thank you pugmomsandy for the quick response. I took your advise and tried the recipe ( minus the alcohol and adding boric acid ) . Her infection isn’t just in the wrinkle, it surrounds two thirds of her eye and my vet thought the alcohol a bit risky that close to her eye. We also started the anti inflammatory to jump start the process. I’ll keep you posted on the progress. Thank you also for the link to pug village ! I’ve owned pugs for 35 years and , somehow , was unaware of the sight.

[pugmomsandy]

Here is an ear/nose wrinkle cleaning recipe from pugvillage.com:

1/3 C. rubbing alcohol
1/3 C. white vinegar
1/3 C. witch hazel
10 drops tea tree oil (give or take)

I’ve read where using Zymox in the wrinkle also helps. It helps with yeasty ears so it should help with yeasty wrinkles. I also clean my pugs wrinkles out with Stridex for Sensitive Skin and use Neo-predef powder (Rx) for ones with deep wrinkles. You might try Nature’s Logic kibble or Nutrisca kibble or Back to Basics High Protein, Amicus. They have some non-chicken and non-white potato recipes. There’s a list of non-potato grain free foods here in the forum. I think it’s under “Dog Food Ingredients”.

[DogFoodie]

Hi Somebodysme,

Yes, Orijen replaced white potato with chickpeas and lentils when they reformulated earlier this year.

I wish the trend in dog food hadn’t taken the apparent direction of putting chickpeas and lentils in place of white potato. The trade off for poor Sam was yeast for some serious GI upset and has still resulted in an awful lot of foods he cannot eat.

Sweet potatoes in place of white potato would’ve been a much better trade for us.

[donna rothschild]

My eleven year old pug developed a yeast infection around her eyes about nine months ago . I treated it ( religiously ) , with malecetic wipes, to no avail. Several months ago, we opted to have a portion of her facial wrinkles removed. The vets were careful not to remove too much for fear that it would dry her eyes. The infection has returned and we only really saw improvement when she was taking an anti inflammatory for a leg issue. I’m so reluctant to start a medication regime for the infection but I’m at my wits end. I should also mention that because she has a tendency to gain weight, I recently switched her to Wellness Core Weight management and she seems to be chicken sensitive. This was done well after the infection started. Any help would be so appreciated.

[dogmom2]

I have been using on Hanks feet lately. It seems to soothe his pads. It apparently is helpful in controlling yeasty feet…so we shall see.

[kateagray]

Hi!

I’ve been posting in different threads with questions on different dog foods/supplements and then just realized…HELLO…there are forums on this website as well, thanks to Inkedmarie who suggested I check out a sub forum with different dog foods that were grain free with no potatoes. Thanks! I’ve decided to send my question out forum wise instead of post wise so I can keep better track of the advice that I am receiving.

Here is my dilemma:

In 2006 I took Nikki, my 13 year old Miniature Schnzauzer in for allergy testing – she is allergic to pretty much everything environmental is what I found out. She was on a duck and potato formula then. She had a couple of bouts of pancreatitis due to some pain medication she was prescribed for something else and then because someone in my family was naughty an fed her some sausage. My vet put her on a prescription diet of Purina HA. I believe that my vet is being super cautious as schnauzers are prone to bladder stones, pancreatitis/hyperlipidemia, and hypothyroidism. Nikki seems to do ok on this dog food, which I get but every time I ask her for an alternative she says absolutely not this is the only dog food she can tolerate. I don’t like that answer. There has to be alternatives.

I called them back recently and got a different vet in her practice – my regular vet is out for a time due to sick family member, and he couldn’t figure out why Nikki was on this dog food. He thinks it’s because of the food allergies. I ask him what food allergies and he can’t answer me. I thought she was on this food due to a sensitive stomach. So, I’m confused. I was also told to give her rice cakes as treats and tofu to give her any medications so that is all she has been getting. She can’t eat anything other than that is what she tells me and she pushes low protein which I’ve been reading may not be the answer. She’s been on this prescription diet for a few years and everything I’m reading now says that it might not be good to have a dog on that diet for so long. She’s been on and off antibiotics, anti bacterial pills, temaril p for years to help with her allergies and yeast infections. Nothing really seems to help and I’m worried I’ve just completely ruined her system with years of this. Purina HA has a low protein (18%) and fat content (8%) with hydrolyzed protein of soy. I honestly feel I can do better by her with a different dog food.

About a year ago Nikki was diagnosed with Melanoma. A tumor on the pad of her paw that was removed (but not a clean removal). She has been taking the Melanoma Vaccine every 6 months. The cancer does not look to have come back so far. (knock on wood) She also has gallstones that don’t seem to bother her but do show up in x-rays. She has a heart murmur and Also, on her last urinalysis I was told there was protein in her urine. We did a protein/creatinene ratio and it came back ok, so I’m told I don’t need to worry about that right now.

I’ve been researching dog food and supplements now for about 2 weeks and am now more confused than before. I purchased a probiotic from Nusentia (waiting to get it in the mail) that supposedly should help with her yeast issues and possibly allergies.

Do I stay with her current food and just give supplements or do I completely switch foods over (slowly)?

She’s 13 years old with a lot of health issues – I don’t want to rock the boat, but I also want to do my due diligence in finding her something to make her healthy and happy for the remainder of her life.

Thanks in advance for any info you can provide. I may have left some things out and if so, I’d be happy to clarify.

Kate

[Anonymous]

I’d think dog stomachs to be more sensitive than a chickens. Heck, I’ve seen chickens eat broken glass. Even still, there are writeups based on the nutritional value for things like poultry @ http://www.alpa.org.ve/ojs/index.php/ojs_files/article/view/22 . The protein it adds is the yeast and I’ve seen more and more of this in many foods now a days as it’s dirt cheap and easy. I end up with with massive amounts of it a year with other hobbies so it’s never been an issue to me. Just remember, it has a strong laxative effect in quantity and that might not be something you want to give your dog. 😉

Another option might be some mold derivatives that break down the same substance without causing the alcohol byproduct (which is what the mother is added to eat) if you’re going to go this route. Perhaps Monascus purpureus (Red Rice Yeast) or Aspergillus Oryzae (White Koji) mold with a yeast kicker would be a better option to accomplish the above task as they would further break down the starches and minerals plus create more yeast byproduct. They could also be done with the protein present without hurting anything at least for short periods of time. Be careful of the Red Rice Yeast if you go that route though as large amounts can be hard/dangerous on the kidneys.

In any event, when brewing fermented beverages the PH and alcohol content helps to kill off the dangerous pathogens. Similar thing with things like Sauerkraut minus the alcohol. But open air fermenting for short periods of time will up the rate of mold growth too so you wouldn’t want to do very much and feed it IMMEDIATELY after a short “fermentation.” Also, depending on your locale, open fermentations can produce some nasty flavors. We keep some dried sourdough starter to activate for making bread every so often since the flavors of open air done sourdough here are just terrible.

[InkedMarie]

Hi patty,
It’s brown but I can’t tell you about the smell as my sense of smell is diminished. I don’t notice much smell. I assumed its yeast, same stuff he’s always had, that was diagnosed as yeast from a vet. From what you said about diet, I believe what I’m feeding (Darwin’s, Hare, Brothers soon-to-be NV Instinct lid and Zeal) is fine.

I can’t remember the name of the cleaner I use, it’s cucumber is all I remember, but I’ve used it for years. Should I replace it with what you suggested above? I thought alcohol wasn’t good to use with ear issues?

[theBCnut]

Hi Marie

What does the gunk look like and what does it smell like? If you think it might be yeast, then the humidity and dampness definitely affects it. The type of yeast that is usually found in ears is not known to be sugar fed like systemic yeast, so not feeding sugars will not necessarily knock it out completely. It helps when you have a dog that is sensitive to grains, because the grain sensitivity causes skin problems, which causes the skin to over produce oil, which feeds this particular yeast. This yeast likes warm moist non acidic environments all of which probably describe Boones ears.

What I would do is make some swimmers ear solution, 1 part vinegar and 1 part rubbing alcohol, and after you clean his ears, fill the ear canal half way with that, insert a cotton ball, gently massage the base of the ear, use the cotton ball to absorb any extra solution then wipe down the rest of the inner flap of the ear, make sure you get inside that little fold of skin along the back edge of the earflap. Repeat this every time you clean his ears, while he is showing signs. Then do it twice weekly and after every swim or bath for another month. Then do it weekly and after swims or baths for another month. Then whenever you do anything that gets his ears wet, bathing, swimming.

The swimmers ear solution acidifies and dries which makes it a hostile environment for a lot of the bacteria that like to grow in ears too. If there is any raw or broken skin in the ear, it stings like the dickens.

I hope this helps.

[Newfs]

thank you very much HDM
What do you think about diets Husse and Enova for large breed puppies?
http://www.husse.co.uk/dog-food-products/dry-food-for-dogs/?product=110
Composition:
Chicken, rice, animal fat, wheat meal, wheat, beet pulp, hydrolyzed chicken protein, linseed, dried fish meal, salmon oil, yeast, salt, dried whole eggs, fructo- oligosaccharides, lecithin, tagetes extract, sea algae, grape seed extract.
Analytical Constituents:
Protein 29.0%, fat content 18.0%, crude ash 7.5%, crude fibre 2.5%, calcium 1.2%, phosphorus 0.8%, chondroitine-glucosamine 1000 mg/kg, taurine 1000 mg/kg.

Additives: Nutritional additives:
Vitamin A 17500 IU/kg, vitamin D3 1600 IU/kg, vitamin E 500 mg/kg, E1 (Iron) 200 mg/kg, E2 (Iodine) 3 mg/kg, E4 (copper) 8mg/kg, E5 (Manganese) 60 mg/kg, E6 (Zinc) 100 mg/kg, E8 (Selenium) 0.2 mg/kg; Antioxidants: tocopherols.

http://www.enovapetfood.com/photoVideoGallery.aspx?cid=4680&mid=18452
INGREDIENTS
Dried chicken meat, rice, brown rice, poultry fat, egg powder, rice gluten, flaxseed, dried beet pulp, rice bran, protein hydrolysate, dicalciumphosphate, dried yeast, cellulose, fish oil, dried carrots, dried tomato pomace, dried seaweed, potassium chloride, sodium chloride, glucosamine, chondroitine sulfate, rosemary. Antioxidants: tocopherols, propyl gallate.

ANALYSIS
Crude protein: 27,0% – Crude fat: 16,0% – Crude fiber: 3,5% – Crude ash: 7,5% – Calcium: 1,0% – Phosphorus: 0,9% – Moisture: 10,0% – Omega 6: 2,5% – Omega 3: 0,9% – Metabolizable Energy: 16,1 MJ/kg – Glucosamine: 1.000 mg/kg – Chondroitine: 1.000 mg/kg.

ADDITIVES PER KG
Vitamin A: 15.000 IU – Vitamin D3: 1.200 IU – Vitamin E: 150 mg – Copper (as copper sulphate): 10 mg.

[Newfs]

Hi,
once again would like to ask for help in choosing food for my 3.5 month Newfoundland from food available in Poland: Fromm Gold http://frommfamily.com/products/gold/dog/dry/large-breed-puppy-gold or Husse http://www.husse.co.uk/dog-food-products/dry-food-for-dogs/?product=110 or Enova http://www.enovapetfood.com/photoVideoGallery.aspx?cid=4680&mid=18452 or
Enova ADULT Breeders BAG GRAIN-FREE SIMPLE!
Complete food without cereal with fresh chicken meat. It can be administered to dogs from 2 months to 7 years old.
food without grains
addition of fresh chicken meat (min. 20%)
contains glucosamine and chondroitin supplement
Ingredients: dried chicken meat (min. 23.3%), fresh chicken meat (min. 20%), potato flour, dried green peas, chicken fat, dried beet pulp, flaxseed, dried egg protein hydrolyzate, dried yeast, fish oil, dried carrots, dried tomato puree, dried seaweed, sodium chloride, glucosamine, chondroitin.
Analytical constituents: crude protein – 31.5%, oils and fats – 19.5%, crude fiber – 3,5%, crude ash – 6,5%, calcium – 1.25%, phosphorus – 0.95% , moisture – 10.0%.
Extras: antioxidants. Dietary supplements in 1 kg of feed: Vitamin A – 15,000 IU Vitamin D3 – 1200 IU Vitamin E – 150 mg Copper (as copper sulphate pentahydrate) – 10 mg.
Analysis
protein: 31.5%
fat: 19.5%
Crude fiber 3.5%
ash 6.5%
humidity 10.0%
omega – 6 2.7%
Chondroitin 250 mg / kg
calcium 1.25%
phosphorus 1.0% – 0.95%
copper 10 mg / kg
selenium 0.2 mg / kg
iodine 2 mg / kg
Vitamin A 15,000 IU / kg
Vitamin D3 1200 IU / kg
Vitamin E 150 IU / kg
Niacin 135 mg / kg
I know that these food contain corn, but such are available in Poland as normal, not a cosmic price :/
Greetings

[NectarMom]

I am glad to hear something positive about this particular food since I just ordered the CC Venison. I do not have the issues you have with your baby but mine do have yeasty smell to them and yeasty ears and itchy constantly. One of mine has something else going on that I am hoping it isn’t the same issue we had before. I think shes allergic to turkey and may be having intestinal allergies to it so we are switching.

Did you just do a switch over with your dog or did you mix with his previous kibble? Glad your baby is doing so well on CC 🙂

[InkedMarie]

Bella,
Head on over to the dog food ingredients forum, I have a stickie of grain/white potato free pods, which seem to work best for yeasty dogs.

[Anonymous]

I joined as I have a problem with what to feed my Lab with yeast infections and itches. A small amount of fish and above ground vegetable are the only things that seem ok for her. I don’t think this is healthy long term, but maybe sometimes we have to choose between this or medications. She is down from 2 pred a day to 1/2 every other day since feeding this and looking good.

I am not a vegan or vegetarian. I love veges, but do eat meat and chicken.
She loves veges and at the market have to watch she doesn’t eat the greens. When I caught my other Lab in the refrigerator trying to get the ham and cheese, she was under the table eating a bunch of chard. I use beans as treats as she loves them so much.

[DogFoodie]

Yes, ITA with Patty about Nature’s Logic! I’ve been using both the canned and kibble and have had great results with both. The protein is right where you want it; you can check here on their site: http://www.natureslogic.com/products/dp.html. I think it’s surprisingly affordable for a product of its quality. Nature’s Logic has earned my respect ~ they’re a very ethical company.

I’ve heard a lot of people say they had good results with Victor. I had a question about the product and was exchanging emails with someone there. They didn’t answer my question and when I emailed back specifically asking them to identify a particular ingredient, I never heard from them again. I was asking about the specific type of yeast extract that they use ~ thinking it could be MSG. I was disappointed, but crossed it off my list. I probably still would’ve been OK with the ingredients if it was MSG (I feed quite a few different foods so one questionable ingredient for a bags worth of food wasn’t a big issue), but it was the fact that the guy totally blew me off after I asked that got me wondering about them as a company.

Another product that’s budget friendly and that my crew loves is Dr. Tim’s Grain Free Kinesis. Dr. Tim Hunt makes himself very available to answer questions to as well.

I’m fine with Wellness. I’ve used it, but my dogs haven’t loved any of the varieties I’ve tried. I wouldn’t use TOTW, since it’s made by Diamond.

I love Orijen, but the new formula isn’t working for one of my dogs (both really). One gets a lot of gas and abundance of stool and the other gets a bit constipated. I think it’s the chickpeas and lentils that have cause some gastro issues. I was happy to get my hands on a couple bags of the “old” formula, but won’t be able to use the new formulas any longer. My two never cared for Acana and after several weeks developed loose stools (from both Grasslands and Ranchlands). So, I don’t use Acana in my rotation either.

Nutrisca is a great budget friendly food, that I actually have in my dog food stash, but after the Orijen chickpea fiasco, I’m afraid to use it.

Of course I think Nutri Source is great and the Super Performance would meet your criteria although it’s not grain free. Earthborn is great too, Primitive Natural would be your best bet there.

And then there’s Shep…, naw, just kidding.

[somebodysme]

Huuummmm…I wonder how that millet would be with the allergies or yeast problems? The reasoning behind using millet sounds valid…more logical than potatoes which a wild dog(wolf) would never ever eat…would they?

[theBCnut]

The yeast starvation diet is how I started feeding raw. It really worked amazingly well for my dogs.

[pugmomsandy]

jochurch63 & cavalierluvr,

There is a yeast starvation diet you can try. http://homemadedogfood.com/yeast-starvation-dog-food-recipe/

[theBCnut]

For yeast issues getting the carbs out of the diet is a really big issue.

[Cavalierluvr]

My cavalier was having a lot of digestive issues. The vet discovered a lot of yeast in his stool and gave me FortiFlora. However, FortiFlora wasn’t helping him and I too was wondering if a change in food was also needed. But a few on the forum recommended the Mercola Complete Probiotic. I went ahead and ordered it. It is pricey though. I started him on the thearaputic dose, which is twice a day, and saw immediate relief. He is now on once a day and is doing great!

[Cavalierluvr]

What type of issue is you dog having? I originally thought my 4 year old Cavalier was allergic to Chicken and/or dairy products. He would get an upset stomach and would always want to go out and eat grass so that he could vomit, not his food, but mostly bile. I would switch brands (I was using Fromm Gold) to Canidae Lamb and Rice. It would make a difference for a while and then it would start all over again. Switching a recipe would help occasionally until this past Spring and nothing I did seemed to help. The vet checked him out and found that he had quite a bit of yeast in his stool. Grain-Free foods didn’t really seem to help him, so the Vet recommended a probiotic. He had Purina Forti-Flora in stock, but after 2 weeks it wasn’t making a difference. I went on a forum here and someone recommended Mercola Complete Probiotic for Pets. What a difference this product has made! I saw immediate relief. It’s hard enough trying to get your pet to switch to a new dog food if his original recipe has already been changed. I would highly recommend giving the probiotic a try! Good Luck!

[NectarMom]

Thanks HDM! I just ordered some off of wag.com, it should be here Tues. I know it isn’t the Raw making them itch and the only thing that someone that I trust pointed out in the turkey and egg that could possibly be the itchy culprit is carrot. My dogs are not flaky skin and no fleas or ticks but do once again itchy and the yeasty ears are back too.

[NectarMom]

We feed Hare Todays ground rabbit mixture in the morning and in the evening we feed Brothers Turkey and Egg. We have been back on Turkey and egg kibble for approx 8 weeks since our bout with Pancreatitis and now We have been feeding 1/2 Raw and 1/2 kibble a day and my dogs are more itchy than ever. I am wondering if it is the carrot in the kibble because carrot has natural sugars in it and sugar feeds yeast as in result causing sugar to feed on the yeast so I am wondering since the ingredients are similar in the Turkey and egg as Natures Variety Instinct but NV has no carrot added , I would switch to the NV Rabbit LID. Yes once again considering a food switch because it is not atopic allergies, for them to smell yeasty it is food allergy. I kept going back to turkey and egg because I was told it takes 6-8 months to rid their systems of Candida but after doing a ton of reading up on it and asking another legit source it should only take 3-4 months at most. Any thoughts?

[somebodysme]

I like the ingredients of that Annamaet Aqualuk! I should see if I can buy that anywhere, I don’t believe I’ve seen it here though. What I notice is it doesn’t have all that fruit which would just serve to feed the yeast. Even if a dog doesn’t have yeast…it looks like a good recipe!

[InkedMarie]

An online friend has a Frenchie with yeast issues, his paws were a mess. She put him on Annamaet Aqualuk and they cleared up!

[somebodysme]

I am still hung up on getting your dog to the vet asap. Unless you are really familiar with what yeast really is, you most likely will not know the difference between a smell of this and a smell of that. A lot of things can make them stink. If you are wasting time treating for yeast and it’s not even yeast, then you have wasted a lot of time and effort into some unnecessary treatment and caused your dog lots of grief. As dieseljunki said, you do not have to do or buy what the dog says. Question why they want you to do this or that. They will want to give you prednisone and all that will do is mask the itch. The reason I keep saying vet vet vet is that you need to really know if it is yeast or not and I don’t think the average joe really knows unless of course you have already had this before and it was diagnosed yeast and you are familiar with yeast. Certainly if your dog has a history of yeast then you would know if it is or not.

[somebodysme]

You know what gmc, if you look at the ingredients of Acana Grasslands, it really has a lot of “sweets” in it which would severely affect a dog that has yeast issues, if that is the problem. Have you looked at all the fruits and high carb veggies it has in it? I had thought about Acana for my dog and I’m glad I saw this. Now I’m going to go take a more thorough look at our dog food next…gah….dogs just don’t need all those “sweets”!

[somebodysme]

I found the Nutrisca recommended on a website that was all about yeast in dogs because that is what I believed my dog was suffering from. This might be something to try. When I was at the petfood store, a lady overheard me talking to the manager about my dog’s issues and she had to come up to me carrying a bag of Nutrisca and told me it was the greatest food EVER! She said her dog had so many skin problems and she researched until she thought her eyes were going to come out of her head and decided on Nutrisca and she said she has all her friends buying it too. She told me all her dog’s skin problems went away.

Don’t forget about stuff like raw hides too. Those and others can cause allergies too.

[theBCnut]

BTW, the vet would probably put your dog on antibiotics but that is in essense delaying true healing, because antibiotics wipe out the good bacteria as well as the bad and right now your dogs body is only supporting the bad, so that is what will grow back, then you’ll need antibiotics again, and again, and again. The probiotics are good microflora that compete for resources with the bad ones so they help cut back the bad ones and at the same time rebalance the good ones. They also compete with yeast and help with healing there too. Just one thing to be aware of, as your dog gets better, it will probably have healing crisis along the way. These are episodes where the skin may start itching again for a couple days or there might be a short bout of diarrhea, the eyes might gunk up. These are times when the body is getting rid of some of the junk that has built up in the system. They don’t last long and they shouldn’t be as bad as original symptoms were in intensity but they can be strange. My dog had his skin go red and start inching intensely for a couple days then 2 weeks later his eyes started gooping up for a couple days. After that it was his ears, or his skin all of a sudden got seborretic, then he got a single sore on his leg that had pustules in it. That was the last one though, now as long as I keep him away from most grains and chicken, he looks like a normal dog.

[theBCnut]

For yeast problems, it is important to feed the lowest carb food that you can. Sugar feeds the yeast. You have to stick with a restricted carb diet for about 8 months to allow the body time to get back in balance. It’s also very important to give digestive enzymes and probiotics at this time, because of the damage that yeast does to the gut wall.

[somebodysme]

That yellow discharge could be infection and that smells nasty too. It really to me sounds like food allergies. The allergies start at the feet. I saw it explained why but of course I can’t remember now…like that’s where dogs sweat so that’s where the toxins come out? I actually had two vets tell me it was most likely food allergies and to try something without grains and without chicken. My vet had to give her an antibiotic shot for the infection in her paws…it was that bad. To me it smelled like stinky cheese…kind of like cheetoes or parmesan cheese which I thought was yeast. I just think it’s best to go at least to the vet so they can tell you if it’s yeast or not and if there’s infection…it won’t heal up without antibiotic. At least if it’s not yeast, you won’t have that to worry with. My vet suggested a venison or duck limited ingredient food and also said that fish would be ok too. If it’s yeast…one of the few dry kibbles I’ve seen that is supposed to be ok for yeast is Nutrisca. I would definitely stay away from chicken until you figure it out. My dogs symptoms were swollen infected paws, itching bald spots in various places on her body, watering eyes, pink inside to ears with some brown discharge and itching in them, just a whole lot of scratching going on all over but mostly the paws. She was having to wear a cone because she was chewing her paws. I really wasted a lot of time trying to self diagnose because believe me I am so anti-doctor it’s ridiculous. HA! If the vet tells you it’s food allergies, you do not have to buy their dog food! When I made a face at the suggestion of IAMS RX…my vet suggested a venison or duck grain free food of my liking…HAHAHA! But she had to have a shot to clear the paw infection! Believe me, I am kicking myself for not taking her to the vet sooner! It would have saved us both a lot of pain and suffering!

[gmcbogger38]

I did bathe them in some flea shampoo I got at Walmart and I haven’t found any fleas on them lately. I will look into that boric acid, thanks. I have looked up pictures and symptoms of all kinds of skin issues and can’t really find one that fits them 100%. But my Saints ears and in between her paws are definitely yeasty and my American Bulldog has some areas on his skin where the skin is peeling, but it isn’t dry and flaky. It is kind of moist and has some yellow scabby discharge. I may just end up having to take them to the vet, but if this is diet related I want to fix it myself and not be told to buy some prescription crap from the vet.

[theBCnut]

It is true that yeast has a particular odor and seborrhea has a different one. Seborrhea has kind of a musty, moldy, rancid fat smell to it. I have to actually get near a yeasty dog to smell it. I can smell seborrhea from across a crowded room.

[gmcbogger38]

Thanks for your input. I know a lot of people say yeast smells like corn chips. I looked into the flea dermatitis online and I’m thinking it could be that more so than yeast now. Especially since my American Bulldog is showing the same signs and he has never (knock on wood) had allergies to any food, even when I ignorantly fed them Purina. I didn’t put them on any flea medications because I couldn’t afford what I used to use (Trifexis) and I guess maybe the fleas were left to bother them too long and it caused a reaction. They never had fleas until primarily outside dogs came to live at my house for a few months and I think they got fleas from them. I’m just afraid if I go to the vet she will want to put at least my Saint on some kind of medication, plus having to pay a fee just to have them looked at. I know that sounds horrible, but any chance I can avoid a trip to the vet I will do it lol. I figured that by at least supplementing their kibble with raw will be enough to clear up the issues they have.

[somebodysme]

After having been through all the self diagnosis and then taking my dog to the vet to get correct diagnosis…please don’t just assume it’s yeast because I thought my dog was yeasty and the vet told me “OH no…yeast smells a certain way and I don’t smell any yeast on her”…but to me I thought it was yeast I was smelling. They also get stinky from skin irritation which could just be from a food allergy which is what my dog has, most likely the chicken but I’m in the process of figuring that out. Anyway…my point is to take your dog to the vet and see if it really is yeast. I can’t remember what it’s called but their skin produces a secretion that stinks when they have irritated skin from allergies.

[NectarMom]

I feed Raw in the morning and kibble in the evening and my dogs do fine that way. If your dog is yeasty then he would need to stay away from what Marie stated above but also any veggies and fruits in a kibble that may contain sugar, Sugar feeds yeast and even in very very small amounts if it is in the kibble you are using then that is why your dog is yeasty and not because of fleas even though he could also be allergic to fleas and then he could have flea dermatitis.

[InkedMarie]

It’s fine to feed one meal of raw and one of kibble. I want to comment on kibble. If you go to the dog food ingredients forum here, you can see a stickie I made with a list of grain & white potato free foods. Yeasty dogs do best with no grain & white potato.

[gmcbogger38]

Here is my story: I currently feed ACANA and I rotate between the different varieties and all 3 of my dogs have done wonderfully on it. But after a rare bout with fleas my Saint Bernard has terrible yeasty skin with a horrid smell and my American Bulldog is starting to show signs of what I believe to be yeast issues, too. I have no idea if the fleas caused this or if it is just a coincidence, but I want to fix it soon. From my research I know raw is the way to go for the issues my dogs are facing and just plain better for them period. I am a full time college student with one more year of school, so feeding a homemade raw diet is not possible right now, but that is my goal one day. Anyway, I was thinking of feeding 50/50 raw and kibble. I wanted to feed Tucker’s Frozen Raw in the a.m. and kibble in the p.m.. I will probably switch my dogs to Orijen kibble because I know that white potato and sweet potato will feed yeast and Orijen does not contain those ingredients while ACANA does. I also will be feeding raw meaty bones once in a while. If I feed the 50/50 split will it still be beneficial to add a supplement like Nupro Silver? The people who owned my Saint before I got her did not feed her correctly as a growing pup (39 pounds underweight when I got her at 2 years old and was fed Iams), so since she has hip issues supplementing with glucosamine is something I really want to do and I figured the other natural ingredients in Nupro Silver wouldn’t hurt. If there are other supplements out there that are better please let me know. Just from my research the Nupro will be cheaper for me to give than the NuVet supplements I am giving currently. I also know that feeding duck feet is a natural source of glucosamine and I will be giving her some of those every now and then. I am just wondering if this plan sounds like a good idea or if it is stupid. I really don’t know a whole lot about raw, but I want to learn more. Any input would be greatly appreciated!

[pugmomsandy]

It’s trial and error to find the right foods sometimes, especially when you have a dog mixed with two breeds with a propensity for skin issues!! Or at least my mom’s bichon does! I get several foster pugs with skin issues for sure. What are the ingredients in the boutique food and the guaranteed analysis and how long have you been feeding this food? Have you tried any other limited ingredient diets? Have you tried a grain free diet? Grain free and potato free foods seem to work well since pugs are prone to get yeasty. I’ve been feeding the fosters Nutrisource grain free lamb and Nutrisca lamb. They all seem to do well on it. One of them gets Sojo’s Complete or The Honest Kitchen Zeal. They don’t have very many ingredients.

[pugmomsandy]

I’d get the food that the pup was weaned on and then start transitioning a short while later after she gets acclimated to her new environment. Sometimes the stress of going to a new home and a whole new routine is enough to stress them out and give them GI issues and you won’t know if it’s the new food or just stress. Get some probiotics and start her on that to help strengthen her gut/immune system before changing foods. You might also want to get a colostrum supplement. I thought my dogs did fine with regular foods but noticed improvement when I introduced grain free foods and even had more improvement with grain free/potato free foods. They are now odor free/yeast free/ear infection free (which alot of pugs are prone to). I feed anywhere from 30% protein to 60% in kibble and also feed raw, and canned foods and freeze dried foods. Just find a couple foods that work well for her and switch it up every now and then. You can even rotate with every feed.

[theBCnut]

The oatmeal, rice, and pasta may be feeding the yeast in his ears. That’s why all the different kibbles didn’t work either as they are high in carbs too.

If you are going to home cook, you should invest in a couple books on preparing balanced meals for dogs. Steve Brown has “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet” It isn’t even a very big book, but it is packed with good info for understanding how to fix your dogs food. It was written primarily for people interested in feeding raw, but if you want to cook the meat then just make sure you use boneless meat and then add back 800-1000mg of calcium per lbs of meat. Cook the meat about as rare as you can stand. Raw meat is better, but I can understand wanting to kill off any contaminants on the surface.

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

[NectarMom]

The thing with Darwins is that the website is misleading or misprinted , its a known fact that Duck is higher in fat than turkey but thats not what they say on their website or on the phone. I have gone to 5 legit people asking them about duck being as lean as they say and no one agreed and this is why my dogs got Pancreatitis. Plus I am not a fan of veggies and fruits in a raw mixture, especially when you have yeast build up. But thats just my opinion and my unfortunate experience.

[InkedMarie]

I personally wouldn’t bother with allergy testing. When my now 7 yr old dog was four months old, he started ith ear infections. An online friend gave me a list of ingredients to keep away from: chicken, corn, wheat, soy, rice & flax. I found out that he can have organic flaxseed, none of the rest but no yeast. Its lol trial and error.

He eats half raw and I was hopeful that raw chicken would be fine but its not. Oh, well.

[NectarMom]

I work for a vet and even if you decide to do the allergy testing it is not 100% accurate and cost at my vet is $270. There is no perfect kibble out there and with Raw from my expierence my dogs cannot handle high fat Raw so we are going to try low fat Raw meat such as Rabbit and Young beef but we will not be adding any veggies due to my dogs right now are smelling of yeast more so than they ever have and from what I have heard from a long time Raw feeder CO is that some veggies such as carrot have sugar in it and that just feeds yeast. Its all trial and error and just doing research and learning what your dogs can tollerate.

[Wwhorse13]

Hi all,

I will try to make this as short as possible. I have a 4.5 year old male Irish Setter who has always had a pretty sensitive stomach. Back in February he started having diarrhea with a bit of blood in it and wasn’t as excited to eat as he usually is. He was put on metronidazole for five days and it cleared up. A few days after he was off the metro, he had diarrhea again. We did blood work which showed everything looked great but his amylase and lipase were elevated (not SUPER elevated like in pancreatitis but still elevated). The vet put him on Hills Prescription Diet I/D Low Fat and prescribed metronidazole and metoclopramide for about a month. He did great during that month, ate great, great stool, etc. Retested blood work at the end of the month and it was back to normal. However, a few days off of the metronidazole, he started having diarrhea again. We did an X-ray and ultra sound and both looked normal. Retested bloodwork a bit later and the lipase and amylase were elevated again. The vet thought it was more likely elevated because of inflammation and irritation in his stomach. We put him on Forti-Flora and it cleared up the diarrhea!! However, like 5 days later he started vomiting! It usually happened early in the morning (like 5:30am) and it was yellow, bile — sometimes if he wretched enough, it would have a tiny bit of blood in it.

We had him allergy tested via bloodwork and it showed that he was positive (allergic) to barley, beef, beets, lamb, cow’s milk, oats, pork, venison, yeast, banana, green beens and borderline for white potato.
So he is totally fine with things like chicken, fish, corn, sweet potato, etc

They gave me a list of dog foods he could eat but I am worried about all of them! Here is the food:

Active Care Healthy Joint Formula Chicken & Rice HPP Prescription Diet H/D
Hills Prescription Diet Z/D Ultra Allergen Free
Hills Prescription Diet D/D Rice & Egg
Hills Prescription Diet T/D Small Bites
California Natural Chicken Meal & Rice
California Natural Low Fat Rice & Chicken Meal NCN California Natural Grain Free Salmon & Snow Peas
Nature’s Variety Instinct LID Turkey Meal Formula
Purina Veterinary Diet HA-Formula
Royal Canin Vet Diet Early Cardiac
Royal Canin Vet Diet Anallergenic
Hills Prescription Diet C/D
Hills Prescription Diet T/D
Hills Prescription Diet J/D
Hills Prescription Diet J/D Small Bites HPP SD Adult Oral Care
California Natural Chicken Meal & Rice Puppy NCN California Natural Grain Free Chicken
California Natural Kangaroo & Red Lentils PNV Instinct LID Duck Meal Formula
Royal Canin Therapeutic Kangaroo & Sweet Potato RCW Vet Diet Urinary SO
Thrive

So here are my issues. I think the Hills Prescription foods have such junky ingredients! So many carbs in them! California Natural scares me to death because of all the recalls P&G have been having. Royal Canin I think is probably fine, but the more prescriptioney type stuff is loaded with junk, too. Nature’s Variety is also owned by P&G and I hate P&G as a company. Active Care appears to be ‘okay’ but I have NEVER heard of it before and don’t know anything about it!

I am so lost at what to do! I want to help him and if I knew that what they say he is allergic to is actually what is causing him issues, then I would switch. I just want him on a healthy food but none of those seem terribly healthy!! Any comments, suggests, support would be SO GREATLY APPRECIATED!!

[NectarMom]

I totally missed the phone number on the site but Tracy called me this afternoon and told me what I needed to do. Shes very knowledgable on the Raw topic. I placed my order for ground Rabbit and Rabbits small chunks and some ground Sardines. She recommended no veggies or fruits. I think she is right on the fruits and veggies being that even some veggies have some amounts of sugar and when trying to clear up yeast issues it is best to stay clear of them and she said they are not a part of a wolves diet in the wild so same for dogs. The Rabbit was the lowest fat and next would be young beef which we will offer that at a later time. Tracy said a month at least on the Rabbit then slowly introduce beef and the other meats but she said my girls need to build up their systems on Lean raw before we offer other proteins.

You are correct Patty, Goat is not a low fat but it isn’t really high either. Tracy recommended Rabbit for now since it is a white meat and eventually we will need to feed a red meat. I just wonder if I can use Steve Browns mix with the Rabbit or would that be over kill? I bought 3 bags a while back and need to use them. They are in my freezer right now.

[NectarMom]

I have a few questions. I know my dogs cannot handle high fat in raw and I am going to keep them on Brothers Turkey and Egg as the main diet and they have been back on Brothers for 6 weeks but they just smell so yeasty even though they get their tea tree and aloe baths and they are itchy and chew the heck out of their feet. I know since our Pancreatitis episode we have to get past the Candida yeast again since antibiotics but I feel if I just start them off slowly on lean young beef with Steves topper for the added vitamins mixed with the lean young beef that they might benefit from that quicker than just being on kibble 100% of the time?? I would order it from My Pet Carnivore. They just smelled so different than when on kibble. Am I trying to fix this sooner or do you feel this would be ok to try in small amounts?? Please I seriously need some help here.

[Annette]

My dogs started out with same problems you mention. I got them when they were about 3 months and everything was fine. When about a year old they began having problems with loose stools/diarrhea. Switched their food a few times over next 1/2 year. Vet thought allergies and through process of elimination found my dog Gracie had allergies to things like artificial flavors and grains. George improved a little but then began to have frequent ear infections. Ended up using a limited ingredient diet but George just kept getting loose stools/ear infections, then began having yeast and bacterial skin infections. Turns out George has allergies to artificial ingredients, certain proteins (lamb & chicken for sure), grains, potatoes, peanut butter, and unknown outdoor allergies. After blowing up my brain with all kinds of research and having an extensive talk with the vet, I put both dogs on a low glycemic, organic, grain free diet (Nutrisca Salmon & Chickpea dog food). George began improving within 4-6 weeks but, I did have stay on top of things by keeping him bathed, daily ear cleanings, etc. At that point I began to add organic coconut oil into his diet. It is 1/2 tsp per 10 lbs but you must do it gradually or they will get gas and greasy loose stools. I have mastiff mixed breeds (110 lbs) so I started with a teaspoon and gradually increased about every 3 days or so. George’s skin and ears have improved greatly and no more diarrhea! This is the first time ever in 2 yrs I have gotten to a 3 month point without seeing the vet! (I should mention that they get a little fish oil and the treats I give them are organic, grain & potato free – made with pumpkin and turkey and they like them.) I will be adding some probiotics into their diet this month but haven’t decided exactly what brand yet, I’ll talk to the vet about it when he goes in for his shots. These things may or may not work for you but worth a shot.
Anyway, the site I found most helpful (besides Dog Food Advisor) was the Whole Dog Journal. I could have saved my brain a lot of damage by looking at them first. They had a canine allergy download that explained canine allergy issues thoroughly and in a way I could understand so that I could have meaningful discussions with my vet. I am less frazzled now and feel I have a better handle on helping my dog live a healthier life. Lol, did that just sound like an ad for them? If, knock on wood, we have George’s food issues pretty well cleared up then we’ll be tackling the outdoor allergen issues next. Keeping my fingers crossed!

[harpersmom]

Can anyone suggest great supplements for a 4.5 year old, Otherwise Very Healthy ,Female Akita who just had TPLO surgery, and will go back in in 8 weeks for the other leg? She’s no dummy, naturally cutting back her own calories when free feeding kibble- due to the reduction in energies spent. I feed Wellness kibble along with a Multitude of Fresh proteins & whole foods. I rotate, advocating variety: chicken, buffalo, salmon, mackerel, fresh caught river trout , a bit of seaweed for iodine, raw farm fresh eggs, some cooked whole grains (everything from barley to quinoa to oatmeal, i rotate), some greens, some fruit & veggies (avocado yesterday). I give a Fish Sourced Omega Oil supplement w/dha (extra now, for inflammation), glucosamine/chondroitin MSM, I’m making fresh chicken broth to give her collagen, and mixing the broth with gelatin for chicken blox treats. Extra protein right now for healing skin, ligaments, muscle. Normal supplements include daily and rotated treats, too: brewer’s yeast, marrow bones, cultured dairy (she LOVES my homemade creme fraiche and yoghurt), probiotics (daily, especially since she’s on antibiotics right now…wellness kibble has prebiotics in it, too), seasonally: fresh raw local honey w/pollen for allergies. Perhaps i’m leaving some basic vit/min supplements off this list, but are there any supplements that will specifically aid in healing, recover, address inflammation, or help reduce pain that i’m missing? The vet has her on Rimadyl, antibiotics, tramadol. Thank you… And if you’ve personally gone through a TPLO with a Big, Young, Active dog, i’d LOVE to ask you some very specific questions, if anyone has the time… I appreciate your help.