[tiffany e]

Hi there,

I have been breeding English labs for over 20 years and this is a first to this degree. I have a beautiful 2 year old girl that has ongoing yeast in her ears, more so in one ear. 3 vets, 1 surgery and over $1000 later she is still miserable. She has been prescribed everything including a homemade cocktail of ear drops, all antibiotics, etc. Her mom had similar problems but it went away after first treatment. This just wont go away. I have changed her diet to limited ingredients, like sweet potato’s and salmon grain free kibble. Still nothing. I don’t want to keep her on steroids as I know the damage it can cause. I just want her to be my happy lab girl again. Please help me help her?????
Thank you!!!!!

[anonymous]

Go to a Veterinary Dermatologist asap, get an accurate diagnosis and treatment options.

Per the search engine: /forums/topic/i-can-only-find-one-dog-food-my-dogs-allergies-tolerate/

Have environmental allergies been ruled out? What you describe sounds like that’s what your dog may have vs food sensitivities.
They usually start around 1-2 years old and get worse with age. Environmental allergies tend to wax and wane making it almost impossible to tell which foods work or not.
Everyone blames the food, but I have found my dog tolerates a lot of different foods since beginning allergen specific immunotherapy (desensitization). The treatment tends to be lifelong, but no more ear infections, rashes, anal gland issues (5 years in)
The initial testing, intra dermal skin testing is expensive, maintenance isn’t that bad.
For best results, an accurate diagnosis and treatment options that work, I would make an appointment with a veterinary dermatologist. Allergies are complicated and often require the expertise of a specialist.

Evidence Update- Evidence-based Canine Allergy Treatment

[Susan]

Hi Tiffany, yeasty ears can be from an ingredient your dog is sensitive too & you haven’t eliminated it from her diet yet even thought you have changed kibbles there may be any ingredient she is very sensitive too, here’s a link “Facts & Myths Yeast Dermatitis” written by 2 Dermatologist Karen Helton Rhodes, have you seen a Dermatologist yet??
http://www.healthyskin4dogs.com/blog/2015/9/8/facts-myths-about-yeast-dermatitis-in-dogs scroll down & read the section about “CARF” Cutaneous Adverse Reaction Food

I would start a raw elimination diet this way she isn’t eating a dry kibble & isn’t eating the same ingredients that’s in most dry kibbles, my boy can NOT eat carrots he starts shaking his head, scratching his ears, ripping at his ears 20mins after eating a meal that had carrots also chicken is another ingredient my boy reacts too badly…..

I rescued a 5mth old kitten that had a real bad mite infestation the RSPCA treated her ears killed the mites but then when I adopted her she was still shacking & scratching her ears, I took her back to RSPCA vet & they did ear scrap & she had bad infection from the mites, so they gave me drops to put in her ears twice a day & I had to come back in 1 week, another ear scrap & she still had ear infection so I had to continue with the antibiotic ear drops twice a day for another week, she was eating Hills Kitten dry food at the time, the Hills Kitten kibble was given to me when I adopted her, after 6 vet visits & antibiotic ear drops & ear cleaners the infection cleared up but she still had itchy skin & would scratch whole body, so I stopped the Hills dry kibble & tried a grain free Wellness Kitten kibble she was still scratching then I started her on a pre made raw cat diet & Ziwi Peak air dried raw Mackerel & Lamb 2 weeks later NO MORE scratching & ripping at her ears & skin…. Stop feeding dry kibble, either feed a raw diet with 1 single novel protein source or try a Freeze dry raw with just 1 novel protein a protein she hasn’t eaten before Rabbit, Kangaroo, Lamb, Pork, Ziwi Peak has their air dried raw or wet tin food raw
If this doesn’t help after 2months no treats no other foods except her raw or freeze dried diet, then book to see a Dermatologist & tell the Dermatologist what you have tried….
It might be environment allergies but I doubt it, ears are normally food related…..
Good-Luck it would be very uncomfortable for her…

[Kristen L]

Just an idea – Everything I read tells you that yeast is caused by sugar and starch turns into sugar. And what foods are high in starch? Potatoes! Try taking her off starchy foods. They have to put some starch/carbs in dry food to keep it together, but potatoes are high starch. Sweet potatoes are better than white, but still high. Take her off potatoes for starters, and Google the glycemic index for dogs foods. The chart will list from high to low. Peas are low as is tapioca. Raw, of course, is best. You can eliminate all sugar that way. Also, if you haven’t tried it already (I’ve read that vets prescribe it), order some T8 keto solution on Amazon. It worked amazing for my boy and his chronic yeast infections. It dries it all up and goes all the way down inside. His ears have been good for months. NO POTATOES.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 6 months ago by Kristen L.

[pitlove]

Hi Kristen-

It really stinks that this myth about starch causing yeast is still floating around the internet! It does nothing to help owners with yeast issues since that is not what causes it. Food only causes yeast when the dog is allergic/sensitive to an ingredient and their immune system is compromised. The amount or kinds of starches in a food have nothing to do with it.

[tiffany e]

Thank you both so very much for the info. I am going to try the raw meals immediately and order the T8 Keto solution. I would hock the house for my fur kids. I have booked an appt with a demonologist however, it isn’t for 8 weeks. Maybe we won’t have to be seen after trying these. Thanks again!!!!

• This reply was modified 7 years, 6 months ago by tiffany e.

[anonymous]

Make sure you check with the dermatologist before the appointment, the dog has to be off steroids for a month prior to testing.

Also, I caution you not to use any over the counter solutions or make drastic changes to the dog’s diet, unless an examining vet recommends it.

I had a shelf full of various shampoos and stuff, even had an air purifier and a dehumidifier. Wasted all kinds of money. Nothing worked till we saw the specialist.

Zignature Whitefish is a good kibble for dogs with allergies.

PS: I almost forgot, a meat grinder that went to the Goodwill!! Raw made them vomit. The food had nothing to do with it.,.

[Kristen L]

We’ll have to agree to disagree 🙂 Although, the part about the immune system I know is true enough. It takes the perfect storm I believe. But once the yeast becomes out of control, the sugar in foods definitely feeds it making it worse.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 6 months ago by Kristen L.

[Kristen L]

In addition, starch/sugar is not good for dogs regardless, and MANY foods are 50% or more sugar! It’s true. To determine the amount of sugar you add the protein, moisture, fat, and ash (if not listed use 8%), then subtract from 100. That number is the percent of carbohydrates in the food. Dogs do not need their diet to be 50%. It’s not natural.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 6 months ago by Kristen L.

[anonymous]

Ps : There tends to be a genetic link (allergies) so you may not want to breed this dog.
See what the specialist advises. Good luck

There is no cure for allergies, but there is effective treatment, tends to be lifelong.

[pitlove]

Hi Kristen-

I do understand how some people, even veterinary professionals might have come to that conclusion since what you’re saying can be true for Candida yeast (gut), however Malassezia yeast that lives on the surface of the skin is not effected by starch. Malassezia is a fat loving yeast, not starch loving. And not dietary fat, think oils on the skin. You simply can’t make yeast work differently than it does despite even the most well meaning opinion.

Also regarding the sugar arguement. Don’t forget, glucose is needed by the body to survive. It will convert other nutrients into glucose whether fed carbs/starch or not.

The dog in my avatar has food sensitivities and we were able to keep his yeast under control with a kibble that was almost 50% carbs/starch. He is doing excellent on it. Far better than when I was fooled by Karen Beckers advice of simply avoiding carbs and not actually finding out what was causing the yeast. His immune system was suppressed by his allergies and caused the yeast bloom. Once we figured out a food he could eat, the yeast stopped. Only time he gets it now is when his seasonal allergies hit around this time of year.

[InkedMarie]

I have a dog who had recurrent yeast ear infections. For him, the only thing that worked was a raw diet, one with no produce. I used Zymox when he had an infection. I would not breed this dog nor would I have bred her mom (unless she had the issue after she had a litter).

Good luck!

[aimee]

Hi Kristen,

This myth that carbohydrate in the diet feeds yeast has proven to be a hard one to crack. While I have found certain people state that it is true I’ve never found a reference in the published scientific literature to support that idea. If you have a link to such a publication I’d love to see it.

As PitLove said, Mallassezia is a fat loving yeast. With some strains, you can offer it all the sugar it could possible want but if you don’t give it fat it simply won’t grow well or dies off, offer it fat and the growth takes off.

Besides the fact that Mallassezia prefers fat to grow there is simply no mechanism through which higher dietary levels of carbohydrate would lead to higher levels of carbohydrate on the surface of the skin to “feed” the yeast as they live outside the body. If you have an explanation I’d love to hear it.

Read through Masuda et al 2000 Study of Lipid in the ear canal in Canine Otitis Externa with Mallassezia pachydermatis. Some interesting findings are the difference in the amount of fatty acids in the ear wax between breed and the correlation with yeast.

[HoundMusic]

“Just an idea – Everything I read tells you that yeast is caused by sugar and starch turns into sugar. And what foods are high in starch? Potatoes! Try taking her off starchy foods. ”

Yeast is not caused by sugar; however, sugar is a food source for yeast. That being said, the myth that carbs will cause a yeast infection is a perfect example of how correlation does not mean causation. Yeast may require carbs to survive, but so does every other healthy cell in the body. When yeast or bacterial infections are chronic, it normally signals a deeper problem going on, namely, an autoimmune or hormonal issue. Speaking personally, as someone with severe hypothyroidism, “yeast starving diets” may kill off some of the nasty little buggers, but the dietary deficiency of complex carbohydrates will only further sicken the “host” and worsen the underlying condition.

Thyroid issues are a major cause of recurrent yeast infections in animals and humans. Even if thyroid is borderline low, it depresses the immune system and the will yeast multiply like rabbits.

Some of the worst bacterial/yeasty ears I have ever seen were on dogs fed prey model raw. Many, many years ago, I had a Shepherd mix who developed a recurrent infection several months after being placed on a zero carb raw diet. In that instance, he had one weepy, disgusting ear for the rest of his life, and was on every ear treatment imaginable. There were no deformities, etc. of the inner ear, either. I went back to raw for some unfathomable reason about 3 years ago, and several of my older dogs developed ear infections, amongst a plethora of other issues. from about 2014-2016, I was pumping their ears full of different meds, even the steroidal Zymox. One poor old hound couldn’t even properly aroooo without flapping his head to and fro 🙁 Two months on a moderate grain home-cooked diet, and voila! Ear/eye/rotted teeth conditions begin clearing up without the use of medications. Even my dog with hypothyroidism/cancer got well enough to be weaned off thyroid supplementation.

So I don’t buy that lowering the carbs is a solution for yeasty ears. Instead, get to the bottom of what is causing the dog to be unable to ward off the infections – is it a hormonal imbalance, an autoimmune disease, a systemic bacterial infection or food/environmental allergy running down the immune system?

[Gina E]

3/24/20. By Gina Emenheiser: I know it’s been a long time since you posted this, however, if you get this reply it it will save you and others reading it, a lot of pain, concern, sick pups and cats, along with untold amounts of wasted money.
I raised goldens for 40 years. Goopy, painful ear infections were a curse.! When my last boy Fletcher was in such agony, I was frantically trying to find answers to help him as everything the vets recommended failed.
Google search had been getting better over the years and one day during my searching, I typed in… Ears smelling like gangrene! (for the truly did smell like rotten flesh)
I will cut to the chase… Thornet ear and foot cankor powder. A century old remedy for this malady. Still in production today. Mostly found in the UK and easily shipped, my niece in Twickenham sent a $12. Bottle to me. It was easily dusted in Fletchers ears with a cosmetic brush.
The itching and pain stopped immediately! The poor ol boy fell into a peaceful sleep and caught up on his rest. The ears cleared up like magic. The raw sores healed in a week.
Here’s the reason. Much like scabies, Burrowing Microscopic Mites Under the skin go undetected with normal Veterinarian scraping. The vet rules out parasites. And so begins a never ending cycle of solutions, diet changes, allergy tests, medications, on and on. PLEASE PLEASE help your dogs, cats and even rabbits from the pain and infection of ear mites and between the toes mites. It’s NOT an allergy!
I’m not affiliated with any sales or companies. I only want to get the word out. Ps: don’t bother asking your Vet about Thornit Powder. Neither of my vets had ever heard of it nor seemed interested. Best wishes to all animal lovers out there! I’ve been sending this same post into cyber space with the hopes of ending the needless suffering.

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