What shampoo can treat my dog's black skin from a yeast infection?

Yeast infections are especially itchy, crusty, and smelly. Often a dog starts with a rash or with simple itching but the skin thickens to an “elephant” skin appearance. The itch is extreme and the odor can be especially troublesome. Parts of the body or the entire body can be affected. Malassezia overgrowth is particularly problematic where there are skin folds ("armpits," eyelids, facial folds, lip folds, throat latch, and especially between the toes). Treatment can be topical, oral, or both. Topical treatment is best used for localized spots of infection while oral medication would be better applied to larger infected areas. If the yeast infection is recurrent or if one wishes to supplement oral medication, topical and oral treatment can be combined. Oral medications are available through your vet. Shampoos such as Chlorhexiderm Max® or Malaseb® shampoo both strip skin oil and kill yeast; however, other anti-yeast products include Selsun Blue®, Miconazole® shampoo, Nizoral® shampoo, Douxo® shampoo and more. The pet must be bathed twice a week to start and the shampoo requires a 15 minute contact time (meaning do not rinse the lather for 15 minutes). It is important to realize that yeast overgrowth occurs in response to a primary problem be it allergy, seborrhea or something else. If the underlying problem is not controlled, yeast dermatitis is likely to periodically recur. It is common for allergic dogs to require some kind of periodic if not on-going anti-yeast therapy.

A yeast infection is a good thought and the medicated shampoo would help that condition, but he may need stronger treatment to completely eliminate it. However, the yeast infection is not often the primary cause of the skin problem. More likely, it's due to an internal problem with the dog. It can also be caused by bathing too frequently with innapropriate products like human shampoo or soaps. Hypothyroidism is a condition that is a possible cause. If Kado is chunky, but doesn't eat that much, then that would raise my suspicion. This would have to be diagnosed and treated by a veterinarian. Either way, Kado likely needs a vet and it would be worth having an exam done to see what the possible causes are and the expense. In the meantime I would keep up the medicated dog shampoo baths once every other day. You should also add a dog conditioner to the routine after the medicated bath. I hope that helps and Kado gets better soon.

All of the brands you listed are good shampoos. Duoxo is one of my go to shampoos but many are equivalent. A chlorhexadine/ketoconazole shampoo helps treat yeast and bacteria. The main thing is to lather Sibyl up and allow the lather to soak for 20 minutes or so before rinsing. If needed you can bathe every 2-3 days. I also recommend an oral omega 3 supplement such as Derm Caps. Remember if you use topical flea or heart worm prevention the medicated shampoos will strip it out. I recommend oral preventatives for dogs getting medicated baths. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/nutrition-skin-and-dogs https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/pruritus-itching-and-scratching-in-dogs I hope this helps. Thanks for using PetCoach.

It looks like he also has a bacterial skin infection. You could soak his paws in a warm Epsom salt solution and also bathe him with an anti microbial dog shampoo but he probably needs some prescription medications, too. Schedule an appointment with your vet for treatment.

If you are observing skin lesions and an odor he may have both a bacterial and yeast infection. While some cases can be treated topically and with medicated shampoos, more severe cases often requires oral antibiotic and antifungal therapy. As a first line therapy, start with a medicated shampoo that can be used for both yeast and bacterial infections such as Malaseb or Virbac or products recommended by your veterinarian. Additionally, it is important to make sure he is on a monthly flea prevention as many pets are sensitive to fleas. If this is secondary to allergies or what we refer to as atopy, he may require additional therapy including an allergy vaccine.

Unfortunately there is no home cure. You will need to take your dog to a veterinarian for an exam, diagnosis and, if it is a yeast infection, prescription antifungal medicine and possibly shampoo. Besides a yeast dermatitis, this could also be a bacterial infection or sarcoptes mites. This is why diagnosis is important.

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