Please Help....

[pchevy]

I have a 14 year old Cocker Spaniel, for the past 8 months I have been trying to get rid of a really bad case of yeast on his skin.  The vet gave me a shampoo to use and prednison and he did blood work.  He found out that his thyroid was low and he is now on medication for that also.  I have changed his diet to no grain and giving him a bath every 3 days.  Nothing is making it better, if anything it is worse.  He has hardly any hair now and is covered in this yeast.  Now for the past couple of weeks he is having more accidents (peeing and pooping) in the house and when he is trying to poop he seems to be really straining, to the point that he will almost fall on his face.  His poop is usually really runny and mucus looking along with blood in it at times.  When I take him out to go it will take him anywhere between 5 to 10 minutes of straining.  I don't know what to do as I don't want him to suffer, but I don't want to let go if its not time.  He still wags his tail and gets excited when he see's me, he still eats every couple of days and drinks a lot of water.  I would really like to know how to get rid of the yeast infection as I know he has to be miserable. .

[pchevy]

Thanks so much, I have added the vinegar rinse and will be adding some garlic to his diet to see that will help any.  It just breaks my heart that he has hardly any coat left and it just seems that no matter what I do it doesn't help.

[MrsPincince]

An underactive immune system can lead to yeast overgrowth, because it can't control the balance. The other end of the spectrum is an overactive immune response where allergies are present. This can also lead to problems with yeast. When a traditional vet sees a dog with allergies (a sign of an overactive immune system) he or she will typically prescribe steroid therapy to shut off the immune response. It does improve symptoms but does not fix the underlying cause of the allergies. This is why your vet prescribed prednisone. When your dog's immune system is turned off with drugs, it can't do its job of regulating and balancing normal flora levels, so your pet ends up with yeast blooms. (which I think your dog has)

I know you said you changed his diet but the problem is still there so you have no choice but to revisit what he's eating. Diet is the foundation of health. The way you nourish your dog is either going to help his immune system manage yeast, or it's going to feed a potential or existing yeast overgrowth situation. Yeast needs sugar as a source of energy. Carbohydrates break down into sugar. Both doctors and veterinarians advise patients with yeast to get the sugars out of their diets.  You'll need to carefully read his pet food and treat labels and avoid any product containing honey, high fructose corn syrup, and even white potatoes and sweet potatoes.

I recommend you go entirely sugar-free. Eliminate potatoes, corn, wheat, rice – all the carbohydrates need to go away in a sugar-free diet. This is really an important step. I wish I could tell you yeast is easy to treat and avoid without addressing diet, but it isn't. Your pet needs to eat a diet that helps keep his normal flora levels healthy and balanced. I would recommend a Raw diet. If you want to learn more about it PM me.

The second thing I recommend is adding some natural anti-fungal foods to his diet, like a small amount of garlic or oregano. These foods are both anti-fungal and anti-yeast and can be beneficial in helping reduce the yeast level in your dog's body. Also, continue using the shampoo as often as needed. Hope this helps...Good luck