Dog yeast infections can become a chronic problem.  Dog yeast infections can affect a dog's ears, skin or digestive tract.  Dog owners can often tell when their dogs have a yeast infection because there is often a "cheesy" odor even after a bath.  When a dog has a yeast infection in the ear, dogs may have a distinctive blackish oozing discharge,  odor and debris in the ear. Dogs may also display head shaking, redness or excessive scratching of the ear.  Dogs should not have an odor. What most dog owners don't realize is that ear infections, hot spots, hair loss, scratching, itching and digestive issues---all may seem to be unrelated but are usually due to the same issue---a dog yeast infection and allergies (both food and environmental).

The first step in healing dog yeast infections is to change your dog's diet.  A dog with a yeast infection should be on a healthy, hypoallergenic diet that is low in carbohydrates. Common food allergens such as corn, milk products, peanut butter, etc. can greatly contribute to food allergies which result in poor digestion and an opportunity for a dog yeast infection to set in.

In addition to changing your dog’s diet, some supplements can really help your dog fight off ear yeast infections from the inside out. If your dog has taken antibiotics or prednisone, it is critical that you restore the balance of flora to prevent the ear infection from coming back. Antibiotics kill off the good bacteria (as well as the bad) and unfortunately if you haven’t made the changes to support a healthy digestive tract, the bad bacteria will grow back faster than the good bacteria. That is why it is so essential to supplement with probiotics (and antifungals if there is a tendency to get yeast) following a course of antibiotics and/or steroid medications.

• Odor in the ear
• Colored discharge in the ear  (frequently brown or black)
• Redness or swelling of ears or on the skin
  
• Scratching at the ears
  
• Licking genitals
  
• Shaking head or ears
• Licking paws, chewing on the fur
  

• 1) Consult your veterinarian if your dog has any of the symptoms above as an untreated infection can have serious consequences, especially when the ears are concerned.  Constant licking at the genitals could be a urinary tract infection.  Dog yeast infections and bacterial infections often occur together.
• 
  
• 2) Change your dog’s diet to a hypoallergenic, grain-free diet. Dogs with yeast can benefit from a high moisture diet such as raw or frozen food. Comprehensive, pet health consultations are available to provide your pet with a custom nutrition plan.
• 
  
• 3) Use natural, veterinary-approved supplements to give your dog fast relief from chronic yeast and ear infections.  These supplements can be used along with any prescribed medications such as antibiotics.  It is important to use a complete yeast package that combines the antifungal, probiotic and antibacterial effects to obtain the best results.  Since yeast may result from allergic inflammation, using products such as Amazing Omegas and AllerEaze in conjunction with the yeast package can provide long-term success. 
• Click here to return to the Pet Health Articles main page.
•