[joanne l]

Hi everyone, I think my dog has an yeast infection around his groin area. He licks at it and it appears to be blackish, reddish color and feels like a sticky texture. The vet is coming to look at it. The only thing is this vet always goes to medicine, which is fine if really needed. But I think it is his diet and I want to try to help him to find out if it is diet related b/c if it is than medicine will be a band aid and it will come back. I would appreciate if anyone has experience or feedback on this. Oh, he has been eating Lamb formula foods for a year and 1/2.

[anonymous]

Yeast infections are often a symptom of atopic dermatitis. In other words it may have absolutely nothing to do with his diet.
Ask your vet for a referral to a veterinary dermatologist for testing and an accurate diagnosis.
Your regular vet has no choice but to treat the symptoms and hope that they will go away for a while. It is very important to prevent infection, only antibiotics and other medications can do that once the skin condition is out of control.

You seem to ask the same questions over and over again, maybe you are expecting different answers? No one here has examined your dog?

Anyway, you can review my previous responses, I hope that you will find something helpful.
Good luck

[CockalierMom]

There is nothing wrong with changing foods if you feel it is food related. If this started with the last brand of food you are feeding, I would look to see if there are ingredients in this brand that were not in previous brands. I would also go back to a brand where there were not issues to test your theory.

[joanne l]

Thanks I will change diet, plus ask vet about it and see what he recommends. I am not against medicine. I guess I usually point to diet first because I had a vet years ago, she was very good, and told me most of the dogs have problems due to their diet. Now, she did mention other factors like genetics and other conditions that need to be treated and diet has nothing to do with it. But she claims most problems start from what they eat every day.

[anonymous]

/forums/search/hyperpigmentation

Quote “it appears to be blackish, reddish color and feels like a sticky texture”

What you described sounds like it could be hyperpigmentation (not caused by food)
The “sticky texture” sounds like skin infection may have set in.

Below is an excerpt from: http://www.allergydogcentral.com/tag/hyperpigmentation/
Some allergic dogs also have issues with dark, almost black patches appearing on their skin. This is known as hyperpigmentation, a condition in which patches of skin become darker in color than the normal surrounding skin. Hyperpigmentation is often combined with hair loss or balding.
As with all allergy symptoms, if you see reddish discoloration or signs of hyperpigmentation, you should talk to your veterinarian. They should be able to help you to determine if your dog is indeed suffering from allergies, or if their skin condition is related to a different health issue.

[joanne l]

Thanks for the post I hope he will be okay, I will see what the vet says when he see’s it. Also, I am thinking of lamb to be the offender here. I put him on lamb because of sensitivity to chicken, however he did itch here and there when he started on lamb. I over looked it because I didn’t think much of it. So he has been eating lamb for a while about 1 year and 1/2. I am thinking if it is the lamb it probably got worse. I am no expert but I think I may try duck for now to see how it works. Little afraid of duck b/c he can’t have chicken so I am hoping he can have duck. Other than that the vet needs to determine what to do. If anyone else had this problem I would appreciate your experience of it. Thank you.

[Candice A]

“I guess I usually point to diet first because I had a vet years ago, she was very good, and told me most of the dogs have problems due to their diet.”

Hi Joanne,
I think your instinct to look at diet is correct. I try to address the underlying cause of an infection or disease and there is something that is creating that environment that yeast can grow. I do a lot of nutritional modification and for your pup I would consider:
**The carbohydrate content of the food- because carbs alter the pH of the body and the skin.
**A food sensitivity-because allergies and sensitivities can lead to escalating inflammatory pathways as well as auto-immune conditions.
**Detox- because inflammation can clog up the liver. By increasing blood flow to the liver we can reduce inflammation, reduce the cascade of cytokines and reduce histamine level in the blood stream.
I’m happy to do a basic consult for you 🙂 (https://journeysmobilevet.com/nutritional-consult-options) Good Luck!

[Candice A]

According to immunology research over the past few years – food allergies to chicken usually do not indicate a sensitivity to turkey or duck. There is about a 30-35% chance that exposure wise, a pet is sensitive to multiple poultry proteins.

[joanne l]

Thank you Candice, I just ordered Holistic Select again, I was feeding it for a month but he didn’t like it, however I did notice he stopped licking at his skin that was irritated. So I am going back to it but I am trying a different flavor he would like. So The food won’t be here for a couple of days, should I give him a homemade diet for a couple of days? Or should I feed the food I am using until it comes? I will have to do a transition and I have a big dog. So if I mix the two he won’t be hungry, however if I cook for him and transition I probably need to make a big batch of food until he is fully on new food. I am going nuts.

P.S. I do have a antifungal spray that I use and it is safe if licked, it is pretty good. I heard that apple cider vinager and water is good to use on it, but I didn’t try that yet I think it might sting. Also, I am now adding probiotics to his food. What do you mean by detoxing? Stop kibble for awhile? Use montoriay clay, sorry I can’t spell it.?

• This reply was modified 5 years, 11 months ago by joanne l.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 11 months ago by joanne l.

[Mary H]

Yeah I agree with you Candice.

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