What are the signs of internal infections in dogs and at what age?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, puppies can have yeast infections. These most commonly appear in the ears and skin. They are usually easily treatable. I recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment if you are concerned about a possible yeast infection. Good luck and have a good day!

Oh my. Poor Chillidog. This appears to be a really bad bacterial infection and not a yeast infection in my professional opinion. Perhaps even a Staphylococcus infection. You should request from your vet to have a culture done of the skin so that you know what antibiotic will resolve this. And because if your pets age, a look at underlying causes is highly recommmended if there was no trauma to he skin hat may have caused this. The infection appears deep so I actually would not recommend continuing the topical antibiotic if this were my patient. Oral antibiotics are a must! I also would recommend an Elizabethan collar to prevent any licking or chewing, which will only make this worse. I really hope you can get a handle on Chillidogs skin infection quickly. Best of luck.

I would not recommend starting it without diagnosis from a vet and confirmation of the correct dosage. Bacterial infections are more common in dogs, so it may not be yeast. If you're seeing vaginal discharge, that is definitely not a yeast infection and you need to see her vet right away.

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.

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.

That does not look like a typical yeast infection, but your vet can do some simple skin tests to tell you for sure. Unfortunately, sometimes dogs have allergies that result in itching without any secondary infection and the only thing that helps are medication for the itching. There are some over the counter medications like Benadryl (https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/) that you can try, but the prescription medications work much better. I would recommend having your vet examine Chelsea, decide if she has a secondary yeast infection that needs treatment (which could be topical or oral medication), then decide on a treatment plan for her itching. I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Typically medications with the proper dose ad for a short period of time will not hurt the liver or kidneys. However any patient can be sensitive to medications. As long as Milo is eating, drinking and acting like her normal self I would not be concerned. IF she starts acting sick I would call the vet to discuss her medications and proper steps. Hope milo feels better soon