How to treat and prevent dog yeast infections and elephant skin?

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.

Hi, thanks for using Petcoach! Poor Millie! If Millie has an infection, be it yeast or bacteria, she needs to be on either an antibiotic or an antifungal (for the yeast). If the steroids are not working I would discuss weaning and stopping them and ask to start apoquel or cytopoint for the scratching. If Millie has skin allergies you should get her either on a prescription hydrolyzed diet (royal canin HP, Purina HA or Hill's z/d) or an over the counter novel protein diet (chicken is the most common allergen, not grains) of either venison or fish. If you are looking for a weight loss diet there are prescription diets as well. Millie sounds pretty miserable with her skin and she should see your Vet to discuss the next steps in trying to get this under control. I've attached a link to some shampoos you can try. Bathe 2-3 times per week and leave the lather on for 10 mins before rinsing. Then apply the conditioner. I hope this helps and I wish Millie a speedy recovery! http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=27307 http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=35843

This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be fleas or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat Rufus with a high quality flea treatment (e.g. advantage), then get him to 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 discovering the cause of the allergy. Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). simultaneously you should start him on a prescription hypoallergenic diet for at least 2 months. Hopefully you will see some results after all this, if not you and your vet should consider putting him on a long term allergy treatment (Atopica or Apoquel).

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.

Hi, thank you for using PetCoach. Skin issues can certainly be frustrating. If Mocha isn't responding to the therapy her vet prescribed, please contact them to discuss next steps. It is impossible to diagnose a skin condition from photos alone. Her vet may recommend doing cytology, fungal culture and/or skin scrapes to determine the cause of her infection. In some cases referral to a veterinary dermatologist may be recommended for difficult cases. Sometimes there is underlying endocrine disease or allergies that may require bloodwork to diagnose. In the meantime, a diet for sensitive skin is always a good idea for dogs with recurrent skin infection. I really like Purina ProPlan Salmon for dogs with skin problems. VIP-_-58700003318233982&kwid=p30226684098&device=c&gclid=CKDNtaClntoCFcu0fgodJBgN9A&gclsrc=ds Many times your vet may recommend a medicated shampoo to help with skin infections. I would check with Mocha's vet to see what they recommend based on her condition. Some shampoos can be more irritating than helpful. Though ketohex is usually useful for bacterial and fungal infections https://www.amazon.com/Vet-One-313985007705-Ketohex-Shampoo/product-reviews/B00WAP0M1U/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_199_tr_cr_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1W04Q4164W15DCWTM9HE Good luck, I hope Mocha improves soon.

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.

I am unsure if she presented with this irritation during her recent exam with the vet which would have alerted them to thoroughly check this area or not; however this appears to be a possible mild vaginitis with a secondary yeast infection. A skin impression/cytology is ideal to confirm this diagnosis through your vet. We typically treat these with a pet formulated topical chlorhexidine/ketoconazole skin wipe or spray. I have never used hydrogen peroxide, vinegar or yogurt to treat a yeast infection in a dog, nor do I see any reliable information on the veterinary boards to suggest that this is a plausible treatment; therefore, I wouldn't recommend it. I have seen where vinegar can reduce some yeast populations on the skin, but complete resolve is not guaranteed. Instead your vet should be able to supply the appropriate medicated topical treatment to help resolve Isa's apparent vaginitis. I can sense that you feel this may have been missed on her recent exam and may have some resentment about that; however I would still recommend returning for the appropriate treatment for Isa. I hope her skin infections gets resolved soon. Take care.