Why is my dog biting his itchy paws and anal area? Yeast infection?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Clyde. He skin looks very sore. Poor guy! When I see a patient with ongoing skin disease, I work hard to determine the underlying cause so effective treatment can be determined. I would recommend he has skin scrapes to look for mites and a fungal culture to rule out ringworm. Then I would start him on flea and tick prevention to rule out a flea allergy. Next, I would do bloodwork on him to ensure he does not have evidence of an underlying hormonal disorder contributing to his skin disease. Short of doing a skin biospy, the last thing is to treat for allergies. Food allergies are assessed by a diet trial with a prescription diet. The dog can eat absolutely nothing else during the trial. It is hard to do, but the only way to assess food allergies. Very few dogs are allergic to grains and the ones that are tend to be Irish Setters. So he could still have a food allergy despite your diet change. There are new medications to manage environmental allergies that are very effective with less side effects than steroids. So these could be an option as well. Consider bathing him with a medicated shampoo and a moisturizing conditioner twice per week. I hope this information helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be due to allergies and a yeast infection is possible. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

It is possible we could have yeast or bacteria here. The only way to tell for certain is to do what is called a cytology on the area. Your vet can take a sample (they may use a piece of tape or press a microscope slide directly on the skin) and look at it under the microscope. They can then determine if we have infection present and treat appropriately.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on your description, it does sound as though Chester is dealing with allergies. I would recommend using the below following products and see if these help. If the symptoms worsen and the products do not help, I would recommend having a veterinarian examine Chester so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope these help! Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. 1. Douxo PS Calm shampoo and bathe twice weekly 2. Pramosoothe spray and apply to the affected areas to relieve any itching / irritation 3. Essential 6 spot on by Dermoscent 4. Welactin omega 3 fish oil capsules for dogs

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I suspect that Jackson is suffering from an allergy (environmental, dietary or immune mediated). I would recommend starting him on a food such as Royal Canin Ultamino (prescription required) and feed this for at least 4 weeks to see if this makes a difference. I would also consider the below products (which can be found online quite easily) to see if they help reduce the skin problem you are seeing. He may have a condition known as atopic dermatitis and may require a medication such as cyclosporine or cytopoint to reduce the symptoms. I would discuss these two medications with your veterinarian if the food is not working. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. 1. Douxo PS Chlorhexidine combination and bathe twice weekly until resolved 2. Douxo PS mousse and apply once daily until resolved 3. Malacetic conditioning spray and apply to the affected area twice daily until resolved 4. Essential 6 spot on by Dermoscent 5. Welactin omega 3 fish oil capsules for dogs

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. I would recommend using the below products and if no improvement, I would suggest asking your veterinarian about an oral antifungal drug such as Fluconazole to help treat the yeast infection. All of the below products can be found online quite easily. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. 1. Douxo PS Chlorhexidine combination shampoo and bathe twice weekly until resolved 2. Malacetic conditioning spray and apply to affected areas twice daily until resolved