Ear and Paw Yeast or Fungus

[Buckeye_V]

Anybody have any experience and success treating this? We used to think it was a food allergy, but now I am not so sure.....

[mcbosco]

I know of dogs with the problem. While it is not an allergy in human terms, it is believed to be diet related. Too many carbohydrates and poor overall diet are believed to incite the growth of yeast.

Sad thing is many vet's don't know how to treat it. Based on what I have seen in rescues, a dog-specific probiotic and a high protein/low carb/high fat diet will the help the dog dramatically.

Is the science clear on this? Not to some but there is no downside to trying this and I have seen dogs improve dramatically on some of the newer diets like Evo, etc. and Bac-Pac-Plus or Berte's.

This is not a substitute for a vet's care, rather it should compliment it.

[Buckeye_V]

Let me add this. The dog is on a high protein diet (not telling you the food because it will just start the conversation I hate about what food is best). The dog has been on about 7 different foods and none has totally resolved the issue. The dog receives regular vet care. The thing is no vet I have been to has been able to figure it out. We treat now with an ear cleaner when it flares up. I would rather know what the heck causes it so we can fix that.

[ezzy333]

Anybody have any experience and success treating this? We used to think it was a food allergy, but now I am not so sure.....

Have never had the problem but the friends that have had did not cure it with a change in feed. It has to have moisture to grow or survive so if you clean the area and keep it dry the problem should go away.


Ezzy

[mcbosco]

Let me add this. The dog is on a high protein diet (not telling you the food because it will just start the conversation I hate about what food is best). The dog has been on about 7 different foods and none has totally resolved the issue. The dog receives regular vet care. The thing is no vet I have been to has been able to figure it out. We treat now with an ear cleaner when it flares up. I would rather know what the heck causes it so we can fix that.

It sounds like you are having this problem now? Is that the case?

[Buckeye_V]

Yeah. The problem flares and subsides and then flares again. If we let it go too long I know it gets uncomfortable. The dog whines and scratches at his ears (if it gets bad) which causes it to continually break open wounded ears from brush-breaking. This then causes blood splatter all over the danged house which causes the wife to be irritable. I've got one heck of a gem for a wife, so I'd like to figure out what is the deal with the dog..... :roll:

[mcbosco]

Yeah. The problem flares and subsides and then flares again. If we let it go too long I know it gets uncomfortable. The dog whines and scratches at his ears (if it gets bad) which causes it to continually break open wounded ears from brush-breaking. This then causes blood splatter all over the danged house which causes the wife to be irritable. I've got one heck of a gem for a wife, so I'd like to figure out what is the deal with the dog..... :roll:

And the dog chews at his feet?

[Buckeye_V]

Yes. the bottom of the foot, between the pads. That's why I thought it was a fungus - like athletes foot.

[mcbosco]

Hmmmm...foot chewing is sign of an allergy to something, diets, contact, etc. Maybe the resident Vets will chime in.

Have all the foods you have used shared a protein, like chicken, beef, eggs, wheat gluten?

[Buckeye_V]

One vet thought it was a beef allergy. WRONG. One thought it was a corn allergy. WRONG I have tried lamb and rice. I have tried TOTW (all formulas). I have tried chicken. Corn -free, grain-free - you name it. "bleep" frustrating it is. I was thinking maybe the allergy is not to food but to the carpeting we have in our house. I know sounds funny.

[mcbosco]

Could be an allergy to something in the house, could be triggered by an ear infection, mites, fleas, etc. That is what is frustrating about these things.

What do you clean the ears with? Do you mix up the "blue stuff"?

If it was confirmed as yeast, you can try a probiotic specifically for dogs, not what you buy at GNC for people.

For about $10 a year it seems worth a try.

It still can be an allergy to protein, but you have to find one the dog has never eaten, like catfish.

Have you considered raw feeding?

Does it coincide with anything? Weather, stress, vaccinations, topical drugs like Frontline?

[nitrex]

I had a dog years ago with very similar problems. She would get the "ear itch" several times a year. Sometimes she would start scratching so hard that it would cause a hematoma. We never figured out what caused the yeast infections to start with, but tried to managed the symptoms.

Ears: flushed with a cleaner/dryer and treat with a Rx of "Ottomax" There is a recipe out there for a cleaner with alcohol, glycerin, and a few other products that someone else my remember.

Feet: Clean and try to keep dry.

Good luck!

Nitrex

[mcbosco]

INGREDIENTS:
16 oz. Isopropyl Alcohol
4 Tablespoons Boric Acid Powder
16 Drops Gentian Violet Solution 1%

This is the best ear cleaner. Use only pharma grade Boric Acid. If the ears are that raw use Witch Hazel instead of alcohol. Mix and put in a squirt bottle, shake well.

[Buckeye_V]

Will try those. Is there a way to determine if it is yeast or a fungus? Microscope? My wife is a biochemist, so she can take it into work I guess.

[jlp8cornell]

I had one of my friends who is a vet tech read this. She said the symptoms sound exactly like an allergic reaction to something- whether it be environmental or food allergies. One of her brother's dogs exhibited the same exact symptoms. He had the dog allergy tested and it turned out the dogs was allergic to many things. The dogs actually gets allergy shots like humans do and is on a special diet- duck and sweet potato and it is doing well. Allergy testing is expensive....maybe try a diet with a novel protein such as duck, venison, salmon...Wellness has a whole line called Simple Solutions. If you have the $$, maybe the allergy testing would be a good idea. Good luck.

[mcbosco]

I would try a diet specifically geared for allergies. I know you have tried a variety of foods but you might as well try a limited ingredient formula with a novel protein. See if that helps. Duck-based formulas are easy to get and not as pricey as venison. Menhaden and Catfish foods seem to be the favorite of allergists at my clinic. Verus makes a food called Advanced Opti-Coat that is pretty easy to find.

[Cajun Casey]

Might culture for a gram negative bacteria (i.e., pseudomonas). The allergic reaction can be to the bacteria. Had a client with a poodle that gave them fits for years until someone finally checked for gram negative. By then, the dog had horrible issues and was elderly, so he was put down.

[CherrystoneWeims]

I'm curious to know what kind of crate this dog is kept in. Plastic or wire?

[mcbosco]

I'm curious to know what kind of crate this dog is kept in. Plastic or wire?

Or a cement floor run?

[shags]

My daughter's little Jack Russell had a similar problem and responded somewhat to a change in food - they went to Blue Buffalo from some other high-end stuff - but it took a while and helped about 50%. Their vet suggested fish oil caps, and that did the trick. 60 mg cap BID/22 pound dog.

Also, you can try athlete's foot creme or spray on the dog's feet, and use Monistat or other OTC feminine yeast medication in the ears for the yeast. If it helps, you know you got it nailed.

Or have cultures done. Bacterial cultures results are ready in 48 hours, but fungal cultures can take 3 weeks. You never know when some crazy odd bug is growing. My old rescue setter had intractable yeasty ears, and a culture and sensitivity showed a freaky bug that was sensitive to only one antibiotic. The yeast overgrowth was from the other ineffective meds. The correct drug fixed her up within days.

[GUNDOGS]

my dog had a really bad case of yeast in his ears and paws, i used OTOMAX its an anti fungal for ears but i also put it on his paws as well its about 40 bucks a bottle from the vet but works great..my vet recommended for me to switch my dog to a feed without corn and grains and once i switched him to blue buffalo he began to clear up within a week..heres a link with a little bit of info about it, every dog is different and may have this issue for different reasons but i am sharing MY dogs reasons for the infections...ruth

http://www.thewholedog.org/ArtYeast.html

[mcbosco]

While food-related yeast issues are rare, it could very well be that.

Why don't you try a novel protein or grain free diet for a while. It need not be too expensive, it will be more, but the vet isn't free either.

Earthborn has a herring diet that is grain free and pretty reasonable as far as GF diets go.

http://www.earthbornholisticpetfood.com ... alysis.php

[INbeagles]

@Cherrystoneweims- Interesting thought about what kind of surface the dog is in. Anything make you bring this up???

[Byrdgirl]

Our GSP kept getting yeast infections in her feet last summer and our vet prescribed us Mal-A-Ket wipes manufactured by DermaPet Inc. We would wipe between her toes top and bottom twice a day and it would clear it right up. Once it was under control the thing that eventually stopped the infections from reoccurring was always making sure everytime we brought her in her feet got wiped really good. And eventually we switched her diet to a better brand of food and we mix in homemade dog food with it as well.

Also, My brother has a basset hound who has suffered from chronic ear yeast infections his whole life. Apparently its not uncommon for the breed because their ears are droopy and do not get alot of ventilation. What they do to combat the infections is clean his ears once a week or once every two weeks with a product called Epioptic its manufactured by Virbas Animal Health and they get it from their vet. The basically squirt the Epioptin in his ear canal, massage the ear and then wipe it out with either cotton or a paper towel. On the occasion he gets a bad infection they will give him an oral anti-fungal to get in under control and they just keep up maintenance with the Epioptic. Also, they said the thing that has made the biggest change for their dog was changing his diet to a low carb food and mixing in homemade dog food with it. Good luck in getting the problem solved.

~Robyn

[kylemac]

My lab had these same issues for past 12 years -- bad ears and red feet and itchy skin. He has been on a small dose of prednisone every other day for years -- as that is the only thing that works for him. We have had a half dozen vets all suggest diet changes, supplements, and allergy tests without much success over the years. We still have to clean his ears couple times a week -- he actually comes to us at this point and we can tell he wants his ears wiped out. Ottomax relieves the ear flare ups best when they still occur occasionally and medicinal wipes for his feet help a little, or seem to at least. We also went away from the plastic crate and to a metal wire crate -- that also seemed to help a little. I think the plastic just made him itchy in general. Each new vet always wanted to take him off the steroids and we let them try, but we always went back to it -- the possible side effects were not worth his misery. They all warned us he would die young, but we felt he would live a shorter quality life instead of one in constant misery. But - ultimately, I'd say he has already lived a long life and seems to have a bit yet ahead of him.
Having dealt with it a while, I am convinced the allergy problem is heritable.
Regards.
Kyle