Yeast infection, I think?

Lhaymond

I believe my 3yo white mini boy has a yeast infection. He has dealt with a variety of minor coat problems since his puppy years. All of which seemed to be seasonal and brief, but this has persisted. We feed natures variety (dry and canned), supplement with solid gold sea meal. His symptoms are: redness and irritation around his rear end, arm pits and a couple spots on his neck - plus gooey stuff between his toes.

First, does that sound like a reasonable diagnosis. If so, can you help plot a course of action.

Thanks - Luke

BulliesofNC

Lately we are seeing many new posts and discussions pertaining to skin problems. You've probably already read a few of them within the "Bull Terrier Health and Wellness" category. With this said I don't want to bore you by regurgitating the same recommendations. http://www.bulliesofnc.com/BTforum/discussion/1818/bull-terrier-immunity-problems#Item_6

Nature's Variety Instinct is an excellent 5 star grain free food. I'm unfamiliar with Solid Gold Sea Meal but I'm assuming it's an excellent source of Omega's. Do you know if this supplement is beneficial for a dogs immune system?

My major concern with your Bull Terrier is his age. Being that he is 3 years of age and fully matured he should be in peak health and it's usually at this time where a Bull Terrier develops a stronger immunity towards the ailments that effected him as a youth. Often many will explain that skin problems went away on their own by the time their Bull Terrier became around 2 or 3 years of age. Unfortunately your Bull Terrier remains with skin issues which leads me to think he either has an immunity deficiency or has a skin allergy disorder that may require professional testing to pin point the cause.

However, prior to investing in expensive tests my advice would be to make some changes within her diet. Nature's Variety is a great food but that doesn't necessarily mean it's good for your particular Bull Terrier. I would give another brand a food a try just to see if there was some ingredient within Nature's Variety that isn't working well with your Bullie. I would also recommend putting him on a supplement that would boost him immune system in hopes it would defend him better against the skin problems that are presently effecting him. In the event results are bleak I would encourage you to look into having an Intradermal allergy test on him. This article may provide helpful insight to allergy testing: http://aadconline.com/content/skin-testing

Please keep us posted on his progress.

Lhaymond

Steve,

1) Would an allergy potentially be at the root of a yeast infection? Or are you saying that you don't believe it's a yeast infection we're dealing with?

2) Can you recommend a pro/pre biotic.  He has been on anti biotics and steroids at various times and whether that would address these issues, or not, I would like to start him with some guidance.

3) Solid Gold Sea Meal After dealing with Demodex as a pup in our now deceased standard - we added SG Sea Meal and never had any further skin issues. our Mini did not have it in his early years and we had skin issues, so we started him)

SeaMeal contains 60 trace minerals, 12 vitamins, 22 amino acids, digestive enzymes, and flaxseed meal. We recommend using SeaMeal with all our foods.

Protein, Min. 9%
Fat, Min. 4%
Fiber, Max. 13%
Moisture, Max. 12.2%

Ingredients

Dried Seaweed Meal, Flaxseed Meal, Dried Lemon, Dried Aspergillus Oryzae Fermentation Product, Dried Aspergillus Niger Fermentation Product, Pineapple, Lactose

Thanks so much for your prompt response

Quinnofhearts

Hi there, my dog had a yeast infection that has been treated. She will be 3 in May. Hers manifested itself mainly in her feet. Her feet always looked dull and dirty and she had a reddish brown gunk that was always between her toes. Her toenails (which are clear) also were brown at the base of the nail. She has some hair loss on her feet and she often has the same reddish brown "dirt" on her belly, where the fur is thin.

First I have to ask are you feeding Nature's Variety Instinct or Prairie? Instinct is grain-free, but Prairie is not. I have read that yeast infections will feed on grains, including potato and sweet potato, and it is wise to knock them out of the dog's diet completely. I switched Quinn from Acana's Limited Ingredient diet to Acana's grain-free food. All her treats are grain-free. I also started a supplement of coconut oil as it is a natural anti-fungal remedy that can be given topically or orally.

Yeast infections are not caused by allergies. They are fungal infections. If your dog has a suppressed immune system, this can make yeast infections worse, therefore allergies can affect the yeast infection in a negative way. Steroids should not be used to treat yeast infections. It's usually a diet change and/or application of some kind of anti-bacterial/anti-fungal wipe or ointment. Quinn was given special wipes to treat her skin that I applied twice a day and gradually tapered off, and then I started the coconut oil, orally. You can apply coconut oil directly to the skin, but you must heat it slightly so it is workable and it's got to get to the skin, not just the fur.

BulliesofNC

Great advice Quinnofhearts. I had someone else call me today on the phone with the same yeast infection problem on their EBT's feet. It always seems as though it's occurring with very young Bull Terriers that are still developing and not fully mature. I'm confident the wide majority of these problems stem from immunity problems. I've treated many rescues with these skin problems and seen 99% of them recover quickly simply by a change in diet and providing them a good supplement. However, something to always keep in mind is that a happy Bull Terrier is often a healthy Bull Terrier. You can provide the best nutritional diet in the world and give them the most expensive supplements in the world but if they aren't receiving the attention they deserve and getting plenty of time to release their coped up energy the stress and anxiety they may be going through will break down the immunity within any dog and potentially cause health issues. I'm sure there are plenty of EBT owners who may be feeding their dog a 3 star food and providing no form of supplements and their Bull Terrier is as healthy as a horse. However, that Bull Terrier may be around people all day, every day who are providing constant exercise and attention. Once the Bull Terrier turns around 2 years of age, matures, and chemicals become balanced their immune systems usually have no problems fending off the allergies, yeast infections, effects of mites, etc. To be honest a dog with a weakened immunity system can have major issues caused with a few flea bites where as another dog would barely be affected. It's sad when I see photos on line of a EBT riddled with demodectic mange knowing it could have been prevented had that dog had a stronger immune system to combat the effects of mites that are common on all dogs.
Obviously some Bull Terriers are born with hereditary faults to include abnormally weak immune systems where it would be very difficult to correct no matter what was provided. This can said with every breed of canine. Saddly though, I think the EBT requires more attention to diet and exercise than most breeds. But it's well worth it.

Lhaymond

Yep, we're feeding grain free instinct. We also just started the coconut oil supplement. I think the main problem was created by steroid and anti-biotic treatment of minor skin issues as a pup (up to two years) throwing his gut into a weakened state. I would like to start probiotics but could use some guidance there? Also, we have used a topical steroid - Genesis spray. Would you recommend we stop that? We're also using a ketoconazole shampoo - that seems to make the spots more obvious - should we go to vinegar and peroxide instead? My plan is to maintain the food choice (wild calling grain free canned with instinct kibble), get over the current bout of yeast and start probiotics.... Thoughts? And thanks for the input.

BulliesofNC

I'd cease on all the medications especially knowing the problem still exists after 3 years. Again, my concintration would be on 3 elements:

• Proper Grain Free Food  - You seem to have that going on right now but don't be afraid to change to a different brand just to see results.
• Daily Supplement to improve her immune system (I recommend NuVet which I provided a link to)
• Exercise - Increase her daily activity and ensure she isn't crated for prolonged periods of time where stress and anxiety can be factors in lowering her immunity strength.
  

These 3 elements is what I focus on with every Bull Terrier I receive as rescues that are in need of help with skin problems and other health conditions. It is an effective combination of natural remedies that have always provided me with success in getting a Bull Terrier back into proper health and condition. If all else fails drop her off with me and I'll gladly work with her.

Quinnofhearts

I agree with Steve, I would stop most, if not all the medications. Definitely stop the steroids. As for the probiotic, I don't know of anything other than going out and buying plain yogurt. There's a certain active culture that is in most of them (Lactosomething really long, usually labeled with L. thesecondword) and rumor has it it's good for the intestines and for yeast infections.

I had to look up that shampoo you are using. It came up as Nizoral, a shampoo that I used to use occasionally...are you using a human shampoo on your dog? Most of the time that's not recommended due to the strength of human shampoos. Maybe Nizoral isn't as abrasive? I don't know. Yeast infections also can start due to moisture in your dog's skin, especially in folds of warm spots (feet, belly, privates). So bathing may not be the answer here. All I know is stay away from oatmeal shampoo.

Can't give any advice on supplements. But it sounds like you're doing a lot...