# Itchy Dog? Allergies or Systemic Yeast Infection?



## tamizami (May 1, 2007)

I know that many of us have malts that itch or chew their paws and that sometimes this becomes serious to the point of infection. I've recently been doing a lot of research on this topic and am starting to believe that its not necessarily allergies (environmental or food), but that it could be more likely to be a yeast infection in the dog. There are a few reasons I am coming to this conclusion:

1. yeast is not always smelly! but it might be, however because we spend so much time with our fluffs, we might not be able to smell it (kind of like we can't smell our perfume 10 minutes after putting it on, our noses get used to it).

2. maltese owners, in the quest to have the perfect white face, often turn to antibiotic treatments such as Angel Eyes....these antibiotics over time can disrupt the natural flora and fauna in the body. 

3. we love to feed our dogs good, healthy food but are afraid of high protein or high fat diets. as a result, a lot of our foods that don't contain grain, still contain higher carbs that help to feed yeast if in fact an imbalance occurs.

4. our maltese are small and over-vaccinating might compromise the immune system enough that an imbalance occurs and yeast can run rampant.

5. lastly, from my understanding allergy diagnosis is done through a process of elimination (to things like bacterial infection, HGE, etc.).....but yeast is often overlooked primarily because the symptoms can be so subtle and vague.

Crystal has provided some great info on this topic regarding probiotics and diet (i.e. the dangers of high sugar yogurt, etc). But I wanted to point something out: grain free food is not necessarily going to help combat the yeast infection! Especially if, instead of grain, the food has high sugar veggies or fruit, such as SWEET POTATO (one of my favorite ingredients) and BEETS, etc. I think PUMPKIN is a wiser choice now, but only after you have the yeast infection under control. 

Personally, I think the easiest way to try to treat this is to starve the yeast by feeding only protein and fat for 1 or 2 weeks (for instance, I use baked wild cod and hard boiled eggs and rotate oils like Dr. Harvey recommends). If that helps, then you can go back to your original diet and be sure to add probiotics to keep everything in balance. This seems a lot cheaper than expensive allergy tests and much easier than 12 week elimination trials.

If you are a Whole Dog Journal subscriber, you can access articles on this topic (and allergies, or anything else for that matter) for free. I can't recommend the products discussed on this site, but she provides a lot of good information on this topic.


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## pammy4501 (Aug 8, 2007)

I agree Tami. Carbs = sugar, and sugar feeds yeast. I am curious about this diet. Do you think it would pose a problem for some of our MVD dogs? What do you do if you need to limit protien? And what oils are you rotating? And what about garlic? That is a well known yeast enemy. And good old vinegar. Vinegar will kill yeast on the skin. Putting it directly on the effected area would be painful, but 1/2 cup in bath water will help.


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

GREAT topic Tami---this is one of the reasons I love SM! I think yeast & fungus are rampant in both humans & animals. One of the most obvious spots for dogs is the nail-bed. Vinegar & dettol have been used to help eliminate this by daily treatment. Unfortunately the entire system needs adustment also.


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## mom2bijou (Oct 19, 2006)

Great info Tami! I find adding AE probiotics once daily to their food has really helped w/allergies and staining. It's ok to continue using everyday, right?


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

You know...I'm gonna have to take this advice to heart as Archie has cronic hear aches. The last time we went to the vet, it was a yeast infection. It's like it never really goes away, but gets better and worst weekly. And his ear is always greasy from the ointment the vet gives me :angry:

He's been on Veg-to-bowl (grain free) food and now even grain free kibble. It's not helping.


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## tamizami (May 1, 2007)

great comments, i'm so happy i shared this with you all! 

let me see if i can address each point:

@pam - i am concerned with protein, which is why i buy it and cook it myself to ensure the quality. also, since i know that white fish has a liver healing enzyme, that is why its a staple in the "starve the yeast" phase of the diet (which should only have to last 1-3, maybe 4 weeks for a really bad case). and eggs are an easily digestible complete protein with good fats - especially high in omega 3. i'm using the crazy expensive Vital Farms pasture raised eggs from Whole Foods. i eat a lot of eggs, though and even my neighbor admitted that these taste amazing, even better than organic. 

great point about garlic! i use kyolic aged garlic liquid, but add that slowly to the diet a few days in because i don't want to cause any gastric distress. i'm rotating hemp oil, sesame oil and olive oil in the food. but i am giving 1 tsp per 10lbs body weight of unrefined coconut oil per day (a little throughout the day). at first you might have to rub it on your dog's gums if they turn their nose up at it, but i have found that they lap it up soon thereafter. ALSO, i treat any skin lesions, inner ear and rub paws with the unrefined coconut oil to help prevent any infections and avoid antibiotics if at all possible! i do this before morning "nap" time and before bed at night to minimize a greasy dog running around. 

and another great point about the vinegar! i have gotten into the habit of giving both of my dogs a vinegar rinse about once a month during their bath. i just wet them down, pour a 1/4 white vinegar:3/4 water mixture over them and let them sit for a minute. then shampoo and condition as normal. WDJ or dr. becker's site recommends 1 cup white vinegar:1 cup 3% hydrogen peroxide:1 gallon water for systemic yeast infections 2-4x per week (no shampoo, just dry them, the smell wears off super fast). 

@sandi - i totally agree with you! topical treatments help, bit imho diet is the quickest link to the immune system to get all of it back in balance. and the great thing about a diet of starving yeast is that we (humans) can lose a few pounds in the meantime.  although it is a TOUGH diet to stick to as a human (even for 3 days!!!), dogs definitely lean towards carnivores (and opportunistic omnivores), so a few weeks on this is almost a treat for them! 

@tammy - yes, i love the ae probiotics and use them and also dr. mercola's. i like to rotate products, once i finish one bottle i go to the other brand. i also try to avoid any probiotics that have maltodextrin or any other sugar for that matter in them - because the sugar feeds the yeast! if i had a really bad case of yeast infection in a dog, i would not use the probiotics for the first 1-2 weeks, or use a very small amount.

@pat - i love dr. harvey's, but it is high in SWEET POTATO! i loved using sp cuz i was certain it helped keep the stool firm, etc. but now i am going to lean more towards using pumpkin instead. i looked at the difference between them and its almost shocking:

Sweet Potato Nutrition Info
Pumpkin Nutrition Info

thanks for all the great comments!


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## tamizami (May 1, 2007)

i forgot to mention another great supplement i discovered reading old articles in Whole Dog Journal - Seacure. its super stinky, but the dogs love it and it is supposed to help boost the immune system, which is the ultimate goal.

and the other thing i didn't mention: when the yeast start to die off, sometimes it can cause the symptoms to flare up (more hot spots, itchier ears, etc.). it can be a little disheartening or you think what you are doing is causing more harm or an allergic response. but you just have to keep treating the skin with coconut oil and vinegar rinses for a few days to see if you can make it over the hump. obviously, if anything seems really awry, you should seek a vet (preferably holistic) for assistance. 

and one last note: i'm not big on homeopathy and strange herbs. i might turn to that if this simple approach didn't work, but so far i don't have a need to venture into that arena.


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## wscprad (Jun 5, 2012)

I have a 6 year old Maltese that weighs 6 pounds. We have been to three veterinarians for her problems. About 4 years ago she started itching and scratching really bad. They put her on prescription dog food ( purina HA), prescription shampoo and every antibiotic and steroids. She has been on Soloxine, Clavamox Dexmethasone injectrion,, neo/poly v/dexopthalmis sol, convenia inj.,SMZ, BAYRIL , AMPICILLIN, gentamicin, Chlorpheniramine Maleate, penicillin g Hydroxyzine and Depomedrol. She would get better for about a month or two and it comes back again. I had allergy testing done and was told all that she was allergic to. She would get a monthly shot with the serum for allergies. She also had a thyroid test and has low thyroid and is on Soloxin twice a day. The allergy shots did not help so they stopped the shots and put her on prednisone and atopica. I took her to another Dr. and they took her off of the prednisone, atopica and prescription dog food and put her on ground beef and green beans. He also changed her shampoo to Benzoyl Peroxide shampoo, but she still has to get antibiotic shots to help her with the infection. She is no longer on any meds except for the solaxine for thyroid and the bp shampoo. She still has very pink skin and scratching on her sides and back. She is biting on her front feet but they do not have sores nor is she loosing hair on them. She scoots on the floor because she is red on her privates. Sometime she will get sores on her mouth and her eyes will get infection in them. I *was thinking maybe she has a yeast infection but she does not smell. She does not drink much water. Her hair is not oily. She has like I said real pink skin which has a red rash on it. She will get little pin sores in spots sometime which will look like a bluster and then will pop and will turn into a sore. The veteran said she has allergies and sometimes it turns into staph. *I have been putting the hydrogen peroxide (1 cp), white vinegar (1 cp) and water (1 gallon) rinse on her daily for about a week. I have been giving her one acidophilus pill (Providing 40 million colony forming units at the time of manufacture.* XTRA Premium Blend® (40,000,000 CFU**) 3.7 mg), a fish oil (1000 mg with natural omega-3) every other day. Two table spoons of natural plane yogurt and one men’s one a day vitamin. I am spending about $150.00 monthly on vet bills. Please someone help. *


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

wscprad said:


> I have a 6 year old Maltese that weighs 6 pounds. We have been to three veterinarians for her problems. About 4 years ago she started itching and scratching really bad. They put her on prescription dog food ( purina HA), prescription shampoo and every antibiotic and steroids. She has been on Soloxine, Clavamox Dexmethasone injectrion,, neo/poly v/dexopthalmis sol, convenia inj.,SMZ, BAYRIL , AMPICILLIN, gentamicin, Chlorpheniramine Maleate, penicillin g Hydroxyzine and Depomedrol. She would get better for about a month or two and it comes back again. I had allergy testing done and was told all that she was allergic to. She would get a monthly shot with the serum for allergies. She also had a thyroid test and has low thyroid and is on Soloxin twice a day. The allergy shots did not help so they stopped the shots and put her on prednisone and atopica. I took her to another Dr. and they took her off of the prednisone, atopica and prescription dog food and put her on ground beef and green beans. He also changed her shampoo to Benzoyl Peroxide shampoo, but she still has to get antibiotic shots to help her with the infection. She is no longer on any meds except for the solaxine for thyroid and the bp shampoo. She still has very pink skin and scratching on her sides and back. She is biting on her front feet but they do not have sores nor is she loosing hair on them. She scoots on the floor because she is red on her privates. Sometime she will get sores on her mouth and her eyes will get infection in them. I *was thinking maybe she has a yeast infection but she does not smell. She does not drink much water. Her hair is not oily. She has like I said real pink skin which has a red rash on it. She will get little pin sores in spots sometime which will look like a bluster and then will pop and will turn into a sore. The veteran said she has allergies and sometimes it turns into staph. *I have been putting the hydrogen peroxide (1 cp), white vinegar (1 cp) and water (1 gallon) rinse on her daily for about a week. I have been giving her one acidophilus pill (Providing 40 million colony forming units at the time of manufacture.* XTRA Premium Blend® (40,000,000 CFU**) 3.7 mg), a fish oil (1000 mg with natural omega-3) every other day. Two table spoons of natural plane yogurt and one men’s one a day vitamin. I am spending about $150.00 monthly on vet bills. Please someone help. *


Yikes! You sure have been through it with her allergies, haven't you?

My Lady was diabetic and we battled staph infections all the time. Benzoil peroxide worked best for us. I bathed Lady in the shampoo also. Did you know that Clearasil is benzoil peroxide? I put it on Lady's skin eruptions as soon as I saw them.

One things that stands out to me is that you are giving her human supplements. While plain yogurt (Greek is wonderful), probiotics and vitamins designed for humans won't help. Dogs have very different digestive tracts than we do. I would recommend a probiotics formulated for dogs. Here are my two favorites.

Animal Essentials - Premium quality supplements for dogs and cats

4 in 1 Probiotics - GREEN

How long did you give her allergy shots? I get them myself and it can take months, even a year to see results. 

Poor baby. What's her name?


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## wscprad (Jun 5, 2012)

Thank you for your response. Her name is Paris. The reason i give her human probitics and one a day mens vitamin is because the veterianarian told me i should give her one a day. Do you have any other probitica and vitamin to replace them.


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## munchkn8835 (May 23, 2010)

I went into a pet store to get pre-probiotics and he sold me Digestive Enzymes-pre/probiotics. Is the same as just pre/probiotics? Is it okay? Want to put Ollie on fish oil, but not sure what kind to get. Is there any other way to get the Omega 3 oils?


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## wscprad (Jun 5, 2012)

Thank you Donna for the information. I went to the pet store to find the probiotic and fish oil. The probiotics has ingredients of pork, wheat or soy. Paris is allergice to all. I spoke with the Dr. there and she said it would be ok to give her human acidophilus 1/2 and 1/2 fish oil. I am so comfused. You ask how long she was on allergy shots. The dr took her off after a year.


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## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

wscprad said:


> Thank you Donna for the information. I went to the pet store to find the probiotic and fish oil. The probiotics has ingredients of pork, wheat or soy. Paris is allergice to all. I spoke with the Dr. there and she said it would be ok to give her human acidophilus 1/2 and 1/2 fish oil. I am so comfused. You ask how long she was on allergy shots. The dr took her off after a year.


I think you meant to direct your comments to me.

Not sure why you went to the pet store to look for probiotics after I posted links. You can't find either one in a pet store.

These are the ingredients in the First Choice and Animal Essentials probiotics. No pork, wheat or soy in either. 

*Ingredients: *Vitamin C, organic Barley/Wheat Grass, 
Dried Lactobacillus acidophilus Fermentation Product, Dried Streptococcus 
Faecium Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus subtillis Fermentation Product, Dried Saccharomyces cerevisiae Fermentation Product, Lecithin, Natural Flavors, Dried Whey, Sucrose, Sodium Silicate Aluminate. Guaranteed Microbiotic Analysis not less than 85 million colony forming Units/Gram.Guaranteed Enzymatic Analysis; Amylase 110 Units/gram, Protease 110 Units/gram,Lipase 8.8 Units/gram.

4 in 1 Probiotics - GREEN

Here are the ingredients for the Animal Essentials probiotics:


_*Ingredients*_ - Calcium sulfate, dried fermentation products of: aspergillus oryzae var., Aspergillus niger var., Bacillus subtilus var., Trichoderma longibrachiatum, pineapple, Bacillus coagulans
_*Guaranteed Analysis*_
Moisture (max) 10%
Alpha & Beta Amylase (Aspergillus orzye) 3150 DU/g1
Protease (Aspergillus oryzae & Bacillus subtilus) 20,500 HUT/g2
Lipase (Aspergillus niger) 265 LU/g3
Cellulase (Trichonderma longibrachiatum) 110 CU/g4
Hemicellulase (Trichoderma longibrachiatum) 100 HCUg/5
Bromelain (pineapple) 20,000 FCC/g6
Bacillus coagulans (Probiotic) 600 million per gram


Animal Essentials Plant Enzymes Probiotics Dog Cat Supplement


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## wscprad (Jun 5, 2012)

Thank you again. I will try these.


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