[T S]

I have a 7 month old Irish Soft coat Wheaten. Brought him home July 22 – stunk to high heaven, but oh well – he’s cute. I’ve always thought he has a worse than normal dog odor. I don’t normally mind dog smell, I get that they’re not humans. But Oscar Stinks! I noticed his first yeast infection in Sept (ear). It dawned on me then, that his front paws are all pink/rusty from yeast as well. Vet doesn’t seem too concerned, but I am. He said try to change food – so I did.
IAMS puppy was what we were sent home with. Slowly changed him to Simply Nourish – chicken. Then, I changed him to Acana Grasslands mixed with Simply Nourish LID lamb because so many people told me to stay away from chicken. He has been on this only a short while (Nov 2nd). In the meantime – once a week baths with TeaTree oil shampoo and vinegar rinses. I dry his feet when he comes in the house. Seems to help.
Still has yeasty paws and another yeast infection in his ear. (noticed yesterday) Also, the groomer said his coat isn’t as full as it should be. She does think that he is going through “greasy teen” change right now, but that his coat should be more thick and healthy.
He licks his paws and groin area often. Doesn’t really bite much, just licking.
I feel comfortable with the food he is on now. What is my next step? My husband thinks I have an over-reactive nose and that he smells fine…..
At what point is seeking a diagnosis necessary – I don’t want to wait until it’s “too late”. I am not sure what to consider as far as why he gets these yeasty flare ups, so I am not sure what to ask the vet.
Thanks from a first-time-dog-owner.

Oh…also – can the yeast live long on his brushes? I groom him often – how do I clean his brush/comb?

[pitlove]

Hi T S-

Bringing him to the vet for a skin scrape to determine that the issue is in fact yeast is a good place to start.

His yeast also may have nothing to do with food allergies at all, which is why the change in food has not helped.

You may also want to talk with his breeder to see if the parents had any of these issues or any of his littermates.

My pitbull has both food allergies (diganosed by elimination trial) and suspected environmental allergies. During the summer months I bathe him twice a week in Malaseb shampoo, which contains 2% chlorhexidine and 2% miconazole. Chlorhexidine is a gentle, but effective antiseptic and miconazole is the active ingredient that will kill excess yeast on the skin. I would highly recommend that shampoo over your current bathing regime. It makes him very soft and no dander at all.

[Susan]

Hi TS, go & see a Dermatologist, as they specialize in in dogs skin….
Yeast can be from Food Sensitivities & Environment Allergies, my boy has both 🙁
I would be feeding a raw diet, go back to a natural diet, what a dogs body is meant to be digesting, dogs have a short intestinal tract, made to digest a raw diet, not a dry kibble, you can buy the dearest kibble BUT it’s still a dry high carb/fiber kibble, most grain free diets are high in carbs & fiber, the grain kibbles that have wheat, corn, maize, rice, oats, barley etc, my boy starts to smell yeasty, itch, get red smelly paws, within 2 days when he eats a kibble with oats, barley, corn, wheat & tapioca which is most of Hills, Royal Canine, Iams & Eukanuba kibbles ingredients…. but your dog may not be sensitive to these ingredients & some dogs do really well & don’t itch & smell yeasty..

If you can afford to feed a home made raw diet then that’s the best or look at the premade raw diets or maybe feed just 1 meal raw with blended greens & the other meal a limited ingredient kibble like “Canidae” Pure Sea very high in omega 3 what is needed for the skin or look for those loaf style rolls in the fridge section, read ingredients first, there are some really good rolls around, I live Australia & we have Crocodile & Tapioca, Kangaroo & Pumkin, Lamb & Rosemary, Kangaroo & Potato specially made for dogs with IBS, IBD & Skin/food sensitivities…
Baths: you need a medicated shampoo like “Malaseb” medicated shampoo, the Malaseb kills the bacteria on their skin & it doesn’t dry out the skin, Malaseb can be used daily & helps put the moisture back into their skin & paws…It’s excellent for yeasty stinky dogs I bath weekly in the Summer months sometimes twice a week it relieves their itch as well..

Omega 3: Omega 3 is needed, some kibbles are not balanced properly & are too high in omega 6 & too low in omega 3 causing skin problems, read kibble packet or on their internet site or email & ask the kibble companies what is the omega 3% & 6% in what ever kibble your looking at feeding, the omega 3 should be 1/2 of what the omega 6% is, so if it says 3.96%-omega 6, the omega 3 should be around 1.80% these percentages were taken from the new Hills prescription diet called Hills “Derm Defense” for dogs with Environment Allergies, Hills is money back guaranteed you could give it a go if your not going to feed a balanced raw diet, the Hills Derm Defense wet tin has Ok ingredients or start with an Elimination diet, but sounds like your boy has environment allergies as well

You need to work out does your dog have food sensitivities to certain foods or does he have environment allergies, it has taken me 2-3 yrs to work out what foods my boy can’t eat & he has seasonal allergies, his vet made me keep a diary & she said you will start to see a pattern with Seasonal Environment Allergies & we did every spring right thru to Autumn then Patch & I get a break thru Winter, Patch is fine thru the winter months as long as he’s not eating foods he’s sensitive too then when spring comes he starts to itch, smell, get hive like lumps all over the white fur sections head stomach red paws, I use Hydrocortisone 1% cream on his paws but first I wash them in the Malseb medicated shampoo then a night when he goes to bed I check out his paws, head & see where’s red & put the Hydrocortisone 1% cream in between his toes with a cotton tip, around his bottom lip mouth gets red above his eye where fur is white the fur starts to thinning out & is real pink, I apply the cream I also use “Sudocrem” sometimes, it’s also excellent as well Sudocrem is sold supermarket & chemist excellent for eczema, dermatitis, rashes, pressure sore.
You both have a big journey ahead, there’s no magic drug Oh there’s Apoquel but its fairly new so please try baths shampoos, raw diet & natural things, also Apoquel doesn’t help if you have a yeast….

Canidae Pure Sea excellent for dogs with skin problems look for a fish kibble when it comes to skin problems but rotate when the season change so your dog isn’t just eating 1 protein, Pork, Lamb, Kangaroo, Salmon/fish – http://www.canidae.com/dog-food/products

Hills Derm Defense or Skin/Food Sensitivities d/d only cause the omega 3 is high in these foods http://www.hillspet.com/en/us/products/pd-canine-dd-salmon-canned

[T S]

Thank you for the advise. I have much research to do. Will consider all of the above.

Thanks again.

[Amy W]

I totally agree with finding a dermatologist. Our university has a vet school/teaching hospital- you may find a dermatologist that way. I spent a FORTUNE trying to cure yeast and allergies before finding out about dog dermatology. Food had nothing to do with it.
Finally my dog’s yeast and allergies are more or less under control, and so is my vet bill! We have also started immunotherapy- she turned out to be allergic to her own yeast! Honestly, it is less expensive than you might imagine. Your dog will be relieved more quickly and you will save valuable time and money.

[anonymous]

I would make an appointment with a veterinary dermatologist asap. My dog has environmental allergies and receives allergen specific immunotherapy with good results.

Hope this helps:
By Klaus Loft, DVM
Angell Dermatology Service
Anyone who suffers debilitating environmental allergies tied to changing seasons, pet dander or household dust mites knows first-hand the misery of a scratchy throat, itchy eyes or painful rashes.
Not everyone knows, however, that our pets can experience similar allergic reactions — and other very bothersome dermatological issues. But our pets need not suffer in silence. Modern veterinary science has evolved such that advanced, comprehensive treatments are now available to treat a range of skin conditions.
Top pet dermatological issues
Our four-legged friends suffer from some of the same skin issues as we do — and several that we do not. The most common conditions we see at Angell include:
•Parasites, such as mites, fleas and mange (scabies)
•Infectious diseases, such as Staphylococcal pyoderma (“Staph”) skin infections, yeast and fungal infections and skin fold infections
•Systemic diseases, such as autoimmune diseases
•Skin cancer, such as Squamous cell carcinoma, cutaneous lymphoma, Mast cell tumors
•Allergies, such as flea allergy dermatitis, adverse food reactions, environmental allergies, etc.
All of these conditions can become serious and, if untreated, dramatically reduce quality of life. But the tremendous strides made in veterinary innovation, however, is very good news for our pets. Specifically, the testing and treatments for allergies now rivals human healthcare in its sophistication, quality of care and long-term health outcomes.
Unlike humans, dogs and cats cannot tell us about their dermatological health issues. So we as pet owners must look for the signs. The most common indicators that a pet is suffering from some kind of allergy involve frequent episodes of ear infections, red raised or open sores on the skin, constant licking or biting of paws or groin — sometimes causing wounds that will not go away.
Allergies present a particular challenge because there can be hundreds (even thousands) of potential allergens that impact pet health, from foods to pollen from grasses, weeds, trees, dust mites and more. Today’s specialty veterinary hospitals have access to the very latest diagnostic tests to get to the bottom of what’s ailing our pet. Among these tests is the Intra Dermal Test (IDT).
IDT is generally considered the gold standard of testing for identifying allergens that cause pets to suffer from chronic skin and/or ear diseases. IDT involves injections of a series of concentrated allergens into the skin to determine which of them generate allergic reactions in a given animal. The use of fluorescein — a chemical that illuminates the inflammation caused by the injected allergens in order to visualize the strength of individual reactions — is key to accurately diagnosing pet allergies, and is just one of the many ways veterinarians use new technologies to improve care and diagnostics.
The results of IDT (as well as a review of the pet’s medical history) can then inform comprehensive immunotherapy treatments to relieve suffering. Veterinary dermatologists rely on IDT to build customized treatment plans for patients called Allergen Specific Immuno Therapy or “ASIT” for short.
ASIT involves a series of injections specifically created for the allergic animal’s skin. These injections, of diluted allergens, are designed to make a pet less sensitive to their allergens over time. In most cases these injections must be continued for life to reduce symptoms, but they are highly effective. Seventy to 90 percent of pets experience a reduction in symptoms as a result of ASIT treatment. These treatments can be delivered even more easily via droplets under the tongue, perfect for pet owners who are squeamish about giving injections to their pet.
This treatment is very new to the North American field of medicine (both human and veterinary) and underscores just how far innovation in veterinary medicine has come.
When it’s time to see the vet
Many pet owners are understandably concerned about taking their animals to the veterinarian because the cost (to say nothing of the fear some animals experience when going do the doctor) may outweigh any perceived reduction in suffering. To help pet owners know when it’s time to bring Fido to the doctor I’ve compiled my “Top Ten” list of dermatological symptoms that should never be ignored:
•Intense itching of the skin (head shaking, running the face into the carpet, furniture, etc.)
•Biting at the skin that creates red, raw crusting areas of the skin
•Multiple ear infections (head shaking, odor from ears, scratching at the ears with hind legs)
•Paw licking or chewing and frequent infections of the skin in the webbed skin of the paws
•Staining of the fur of the paws and nails on multiple feet
•Reoccurring skin infections in the groin, under the shoulders, perianal areas (on or under the tail)
•Greasy scaling skin and/or fur with odorous skin
•Hair loss, or thinning of the fur
•Dark pigmentation of the skin that is chronically infected
•Sudden depigmentation of skin
Allergies and other dermatological issues can be as frustrating for pet owners and their veterinarians as they can be for pets. I encourage any pet owner whose animal is experiencing any of these symptoms to consult with their veterinarian.

Dermatology – Common Issues

[Susan W]

I’m poor so I didn’t ask the vet for a skin scrape. I did research and discovered that yes, my pretty girl dog was yeasty, and yes, there is help. If you go to the DERMagic website, they have a TON of great info on skin conditions. They also have a great product (we’ve used it on our Golden and it works so well!). Finally, get some FOOD GRADE DE powder & powder your dog with this. It’s cheap and lasts forever, but be sure to get FOOD GRADE. It also isn’t harmful.

[Author]

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