Canine Yeast Infection

Canine yeast infection, a common ailment among dogs, is caused if the immune system is unable to stop excessive growth of yeast. Read on to find more about its causes, symptoms and treatment.

Do you find your dog scratching itself quite often? Of late, have you found your dog giving out a strange foul smell? Then take care, your dog may be suffering from canine yeast infection. Usually, it begins as a rash on the skin, which later thickens, and becomes 'elephant like'.

Causes of Canine Yeast Infection

Yeast infection in dogs is caused due to the overgrowth of a type of yeast commonly called Candida, and is most common around the dog's ears. If the immune system of your dog is poor, the chances of yeast multiplying is high. In most cases, the capacity of the immune system to resist foreign body diminishes due to excessive use of antibiotics, used if it suffers from some other disease, which not only kills the harmful bacteria but also destroys the useful ones. If your dog suffers from any other disease and is on antibiotics, the pH balance of the gut gets imbalanced, which then facilitates the growth of yeast. The most common reasons for this imbalance are the diet quality being poor, a diet in which grains are the primary ingredient instead of meat, and lack of digestive enzymes. Some of the other factors include overuse of vaccines, problems of the thyroid, environmental stress, heartworm medications, etc. Read more on dog ear yeast infection.

Canine Yeast Infection Symptoms

Some of the external symptoms of yeast infection include smelly, itchy and crusty skin. The infection can be in some parts or on the whole body. In most cases, moist and warm areas of the dog's body like interiors of the ears, and inner parts of the skin folds are infected. Maltese, Silky Terrier, Bassett Hound, etc., are some breeds which are most susceptible to canine yeast infection. If your dog suffers from gastrointestinal problems, lethargy, depression, and fatigue, besides smelly and itchy skin, it's better to consult your vet, as they may be signs of canine yeast infection.

If you find any of the symptoms mentioned above, you can test and confirm it yourself if there is any excessive growth of yeast. You need to take samples of the infected skin and observe it under a microscope. The following points give you some tips on how you can collect samples of your dog's skin and test it for canine yeast infection.

Take a slide of a microscope, and press it on infected part of your dog's skin to collect samples.

You can also use a clean tape and press it on the skin to collect samples.

You may opt to scrap a part of the skin with a blade.

A piece of cotton swab will also do the trick, take a piece of moist cotton and rub it over the infected part.

Skin Biopsy is the best way to diagnose canine yeast infection, as it provides a complete picture of what the actual cause of the infection is. The procedure involves removing a small part of the skin with the help of a biopsy machine. You need to use local anesthetic for this procedure, or else your dog may be hurt.

Once you have collected the skin sample, have a look at them under a microscope. If there are strings of round cells, you can be sure that there is an overgrowth of yeast in your dog. Read more on yeast infection in dogs.

Canine Yeast Infection Treatment

Once you have found out that it's yeast infection that your dear pet is suffering from, the next question that arises is how to treat yeast infection in dogs. There are two treatment options from which you can choose from - oral or topical. Topical treatment is helpful if a small area is infected, but if the infection is all over a large part, you are recommended to use the oral treatment. If you opt for oral treatment, be sure that you would be able to follow the specific schedule for administering the doses. One of the most commonly used oral drug to treat canine yeast infection is Ketoconazole. Though expensive, it is one of the best available in the market.

Anti-yeast shampoos have also proven to be effective in dealing with canine yeast infection. If you are using shampoo to control yeast infection, make sure you use the shampoo at least two times in a week. Besides these measures, you can also opt for some natural remedies for curing canine yeast infection.

Natural remedies include healthy nutritious dog food and a balanced diet for your pet, besides a big no to dog feed available in the open market. Make sure to include beef or chicken besides a lot of green vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, squash, wax beans and green beans in the daily diet. You can try using tea tree oil on the infected parts, but make sure that you don't use it for internal use. It helps in soothing your pet from the scorching pain besides healing the infected area. Make sure you dilute the tea tree oil using a carrier oil and apply it after cleaning the infected area. However, if the yeast infection is systemic, try adding plain yogurt to its diet everyday. Bacteria in yogurt helps destroy yeast tissues, but ensure that you don't add sweeteners in it, as sugar will nullify the effects of useful bacteria. Read more on dog yeast infection treatment.

So don't be worried if you find your favorite pet scratching itself and emitting a foul smell everyday. It may be due to canine yeast infection, a common dog health problem, which can be cured simply by taking care of its diet and maintaining a hygienic surrounding.