Beat Pet Yeast Infections: Raw Diet & Natural Remedies

Hi all!

About 3 months ago, our poor 1 1/2 y/o coon hound Sadie developed this nasty itchy rash on her underside. At the time there were no other symptoms, and I am a ferm believer in trying to find a way other then shoving meds down ours and our furr baby throats to try first. First thing I tried was some topical benedryl in combination with a leotard that I converted into a doggy yoga outfit to protect her from herself.

At first it worked (about 1-2 weeks) a bit and I thought we would be in the clear, but when she started to loose some of her chipper playful personality we said enough and decided to take her to the vet. We demolished our savings with this visit, got her new heartworm and flea meds that were of a higher quality as they vet said it could have been a bug bite allergy or reaction and they also gave us prednisone and an antibiotic. We also changed her to a much higher quality grain free food. The prednisone worked beautifully for the 7 days she was on it, but 1 day after she was off of it and continueing on the antibiotic it came back something fierce! On her toes, brown waxiness in her ears, rash on her tushie, also some redness and swollen along the edges of her mouth.

In a panic we called the vet letting them know that the prednisone worked so well but we understood it was not good for long term use. We asked if there was anything else they could put her on to help with the allergy. They prescribed apoquel. Said there was a chance she could end up on that the rest of her life. It was tough to swallow as it was super expensive 4 pills a day at $1.30 a pill, but this is our baby and we wouldn't do any less if it were our human child. We committed to this drug.

Two weeks in it helped, but never cleared up the underside of her tummy. We were on our last dose of both the apoquel and the antibiotic and decided there was no way we would be paying $90+ a month on meds for her that never truely worked. It was time to go back to plan A.... time to find something home based that we could do.

Hubby and I researched and spoke to friends well educated in alternative medicine for dogs, and came to the realization that it probably started as an allergy issue, but because the vet put her on the antibiotic it made everything worse rather then better. We then decided on the following:

-First things first, we needed to protect our pup from herself. We bought her a cone, and I devised an outfit made from a towel wrapped around her torso only that has loops coming off of the top and the bottom that feed through her collar. This way she had protection but also the freedom to move freely, go to the bathroom etc. Kinda like a doggie version of overalls lol

-We started sadie on a probiotic powder to start building the good bacteria back up in her digestive tract.

-We also started giving her baths with a medicated shampoo (with the ingredients funny enough, mentioned in this original article).

- We remove the outfit nightly for a sponge bath of a AVC and green tea mixture, and a coconut oil massage. We let this air dry for a few hours each night, or for as long as we see that she's not starting to bite or lick, before putting her outfit and cone back on. We keep her confined to our room with one of the two of us during this time for close monitoring. We also clean her ears with ear wipes ever 2 days or prn.

- By the time the meds were up, it had also started affecting her tush and her girly parts. I decided the best way to treat that is diaper rash cream 2x a day. That's worked beautifully to clear up that area as long as we stay on top of it. Please please please know you must use that product with caution. Our Sadie is in a cone and cannot luck this area at this time. DO NOT USE it if your dog can lick the affected area, as it should not be ingested.

- Lastly, we have started giving her benedryl 25 MG tabs. She is a larger dog and the reccomended dose (please check with your vet first before starting this) is 1 MG per pound of the dog. Our Sadie is about 65 pounds and we just give her the 2 per dose twice daily. This has helped greatly in the itchy department and provided much relief to her, however does make her a bit drowsey which is probably good thing at this point. Rest heals. Period.

We have been on this plan for about 2 weeks now and most of all the rash and redness is gone, just have the occasional scabby that'll show up if she rubs her tush in the grass, on her bum or ankle. These I treat with a little neosporen. The main thing we still battle is that her tummy is still sensitive. We touch it lightly (anywhere) and one or both of her legs start going. I wish I could find a way to relieve that for her. Overall she seems to be doing pretty well on the new routine. After reading most of your posts, I understand this could very well be a long and possible chronic battle. Just hoping that winter will provide a little bit of a break for her body to finish recouping. This florida heat and humidity could in no way be helping the issue. It's a tough routine, but as I said before, she's our baby (one of our two furr babies), and I would do nothing less for her then my own daughter.Thank you for all of your entries on this thread, as it's only encouraged us to be strong on our journey and to not give up! Please let me know if you have found anything natural to help with the sensitivity to touch on the skin where the yeast rash used be!

We then started him again on the daily dose. Went back to the vet (for shots) and again prescribed antibiotic/steroid therapy and to discontinue the atopica to clear up his skin before giving him his yearly shots. I knew this was a bad idea but as desperate as we are, we'd do whatever it took to make him well. For three weeks, everything was great. But I knew that once he was off of the therapy, his scratching would resume. It did. My next plan before stumbling upon this website was to take him to a dermatologist, but after reading so many stories, I decided to give some of the recommendation that has been put on here as one last ditch effort to combat this yeast on my own.

This is what I do for Mason:

Wysong Epigen 90 (starch/grain free) about 1/2 cup a feeding with Wysong wet food (about 1/4 can). 1 acidophilus pill, 2 benadryls, and a few squirts of anchovy oil, an about a tablespoon of virgin, unsweeteneded coconut oil. Two times a day.

I also bathe him with anti-fungal/anti-bacterial shampoo with tea tree oil until my order of Malaseb comes in as well as a vinegar/peroxide/water combo rinse and let him soak in it for at least 10 minutes. He hates being in the bathtub so it can be a little difficult keeping him still. I pat him dry, especially his paws. I'll be doing this 2 times a week.

We're on day 4 and his scratching isn't as incessant as it was. He still has a yeasty odor but he'll get another bath/rinse tonight. His stool/farts has the most awful smell ever. I'm going to assume it is from the change to his food and/or the added supplements.

I am hopeful that this will work for him. It breaks my heart to see him like this - he came from an abuse/abandoned situation before ending up at the shelter and then in my home. I promise him everyday that no matter what, if my husband and I end up in the poor house, he will be healthy and happy and itchy free.

Finally, I thought about Lactinex a pro-biotic, which is what I take when I'm on antibiotics so I don't get a yeast infection. I have been giving it to her for three days now, and I can see a definate difference in her. She is actually getting some rest, and not spending every moment scratching. I have felt so desperate to give her relief, that I have been considering putting her to sleep because to live like this is so miserable. I don't know why I didn't go on-line to see if there were any remedies to try, it just dawned on me today. I feel terrible, I could have saved her so much torture if only I had been using my head. I am going to buy gallons of ACV to help her along with the yogurt. After spending over $500.00 on meds & lab work at the Vet, I hope we can finally give her some peace. If all this works........ I am going to give my Vet a piece of my mind! I have a lot of animals, (horses, cows, cats, dogs) and my vet earns plenty of money off me every year. I feel like telling him he owes me a lot of money back, or at least credit to my account.

Thank you all so much for sharing your stories about your experiences with your best friends. I feel so much better knowing that euthanasia will not be the final option for relief.

We tried various foods to help her, including Wellness, Core Wellness, California Naturals, Innova (which gave her horrible diarrhea), and even a raw foods diet. None of the foods seemed to have any effect. Her vet insisted she had allergies, and after trying various medications, medicated shampoos, and a 6-month food trial, Lilo continued to get worse and worse. She began to lose fur on her neck, belly, armpits, chin, tail, between her toes, and around her eyes. Her neck is the worst, and she would frequently scratch it raw and bloody. She looked like a burn victim.

The vet has suggested that Lilo is "just an allergic dog" and that we go see a canine dermatologist. I suggested that there might be something else wrong, but the vet was firm in her diagnosis and I began to become skeptical, especially after doing some research on canine allergies.

After months of research and watching my dog chew her own skin off, I desperately changed my focus from "allergy cures" to anything else that might be wrong with my dog. After reading about yeast, I just KNEW that this was what was wrong with my dog, especially since black spots are evident on her skin. That is when I found this site, among a few others, that have helped. Here is what I came up with to battle Lilo's skin problems:

1. Soaking baths with Epsom salts, _____'s ACV, and a little Witch Hazel. This seems to soothe her skin and is helping with the smell.
2. Nightly application of _____'s ACV directly to the affected areas.
3. Nightly use of a wonderful, all-natural product called DermaPaw. This is a salve made from essential oils, petrolatum, and beeswax. It soothes itching and speeds healing.
4. Dietary supplements including Omega oil gelcaps, vitamin tablets, yogurt, and Acidophilis.

I have only been using these remedies for a few days now, but I have already seen an improvement. Lilo does not wake us up at night as often, and has begun to have more playful energy. Her dandruff is subsiding, and the skin on her neck is healing. Her armpits are slower to improve since she's kind of a sweaty dog. Even though she isn't completely healed yet, I feel relieved that I've finally found something that is helping.

I had no idea dogs could get a yeast infection! Pats, our 10 year old border collie, was chewing herself raw and her odor was absolutely minging! I was looking for a natural treatment for mites, I was told that she had mange, and came across greatdanelady's testimonial. After going to the website included with the photos I realized what her problem was. I felt really bad - I've had a yeast infection before and I know how maddening it can be!!

I had been feeding her a mix of Pedigree canned and Beneful dry food, plus Liva-snaps as treats. I stopped that and went with liver/chicken/hamburger and brown rice, and mix in plain yogurt and cranberry sauce, a splash of ACV, a splash of olive oil and a good sprinkle of turmeric. I've been bathing her with an oatmeal shampoo and rinsing with a mix of ACV and water, then following it up with a baking soda rinse. I've been brushing her 3 times a day (she loves it!) and doing everything I can to make her comfortable. She hates the padded collar I made to keep her from biting herself again, but other than that she's doing much better and her hair is starting to come in again. Still a little stinky, but better!

Thanks for this website!!