Is a yeast infection in dogs serious

Yeast Infections in Dogs

What Are Yeast Infections in Dogs?

Does your dog frantically itch their skin? Have you noticed a bad smell or greasy fur when you pet them?

If so, they may have a yeast infection.

Yeast are fungal organisms that normally live on a dogs skin without causing problems. However, when a dogs immune system weakens or an underlying health condition, such as hypothyroidism, is present, yeast can overgrow and cause an infection.

The yeast that commonly causes skin infections in dogs is Malassezia, which grows on warm, moist areas of the skin. Yeast infections cause extreme itchiness and changes to the skin, such as thickening and discoloration over time.

Yeast infections in dogs are common among pups of all ages.

While yeast infections in dogs are not considered medical emergencies, they should be treated by a veterinarian immediately to prevent symptoms from worsening. If left untreated, yeast infections can cause extreme discomfort, which can lead to a decreased appetite and lethargy, necessitating prompt veterinary care.

Because yeast infections typically develop secondary to an underlying illness or suppressed immune system, they are not contagious among dogs or to pet parents.

Types of Yeast Infections in Dogs

Yeast infections can affect various areas of the skin, including the ears, skin folds, paws, armpits, vulva, and groin.

• EarsYeast infections of the earalso referred to as yeast otitiscause a thick, brown discharge and strong odor in the ear canal. Affected dogs repeatedly scratch their ears to try to relieve the discomfort. They may also shake their heads and develop a head tilt. Ear infections are commonly related to food allergies.

• SkinYeast dermatitis refers to a yeast infection anywhere on the skin. Affected dogs have a musty odor, greasy coat, flaky or thickened skin, and hair loss. They tend to lick the affected areas of the body, which leads to brown discoloration of the skin over time.

  • Dermatitis, which is often due to allergies or a suppressed immune system, can affecta dogs skin folds, armpits, vulva, and groin.

• PawsYeast infections that affect the paws are generally related to environmental allergies, such as allergies to grass or pollen. Dogs constantly chew or lick their itchy paws, which leads to brown discoloration between the paw pads. Over time, open sores can develop on the paws.

Symptoms of Yeast Infections in Dogs

Signs of yeast infections in dogs can vary depending on what area of the body is affected.

Symptoms of yeast otitis may include:

Symptoms of yeast dermatitis may include:

• Itchy skin

• Small, red bumps on the skin

• Brown discoloration of the skin

• Frequent licking or chewing of the affected area

• Greasy hair coat

• Thickened skin

• Strong odor

Symptoms of a yeast infection affecting the paws may include:

• Licking and chewing the paws

• Brown discoloration of the skin and fur

• Red, moist areas between the paw pads

Causes of Yeast Infections in Dogs

Yeast is opportunistic, which means that although it is naturally present on the skin, it can cause an infection when conditions are favorable.

Yeast infections in dogs can develop if a pup has a weak immune system or an underlying health condition. Underlying environmental or food allergies can predispose dogs to developing yeast infections.

Skin parasites, including fleas and mites, can cause dogs to repeatedly itch their skin, which disrupts the normal skin barrier, making an infection more likely.

Some breedssuch as Pit Bulls, Boxers, and Cocker Spanielsare more frequently affected by yeast infections.

How Veterinarians Diagnose Yeast Infections in Dogs

A vet may use several tests to diagnose a yeast infections in dogs.

First, they will gather a through medical history, including when the symptoms started, if your pet is taking any medications, and if they have previously been diagnosed with any health conditions.

Next, your veterinarian will perform a full physical exam to check your dogs overall health. They may also perform blood work to check for any abnormalities.

Additional tests will depend on what your veterinarian finds during the initial exam, but may include the following:

• Tape impressionDuring this test, your vet presses a piece of clear tape to the affected area of skin to collect a sample. Its then stained and examined under a microscope to identify yeast.

• CytologyA cotton swab is used to collect a sample from the affected area, and it is then rubbed gently onto a microscope slide. The sample is then stained and examined under a microscope to look for yeast.

• CultureA sterile cotton swab is used to collect a sample from the affected area. It is then sent to a lab to identify the type of organism present.

• Skin biopsyFor chronic infections or those that are unresponsive to treatment, a small sample of skin can be taken and sent to a lab for a more accurate diagnosis.

Treatment of Yeast Infections in Dogs

Treatment for yeast infections in dogs will depend on the location and severity of the infection. Yeast dermatitis is often treated with antifungal medications and prescription shampoos.

If the infection affects only one area, a topical medication may be all that is needed. For more widespread infections, oral medications and frequent bathing can help resolve the issue.

Yeast otitis is typically treated with topical antifungal medications and steroids to reduce inflammation. Your veterinarian may recommend that you use a medicated ear wash prior to instilling ear medications.

Paw yeast infections may benefit from medicated antifungal wipes and oral medications, including antifungals and steroids.

Recovery and Management of Yeast Infections in Dogs

Because yeast infections in dogs often develop secondary to another health condition, they will not resolve without veterinary treatment.

Determining the underlying cause of the yeast infection and treating it accordingly improves treatment success. For example, if your dog has an underlying food allergy, an accurate diagnosis and treatment can help their skin improve.

It can take a few weeks to a few months for a yeast infection to fully resolve, depending on the severity. Most dogs start to feel relief from their symptoms in a week or two, but it can take several additional weeks for a pet parent to notice significant improvement to their skin and coat.

Prevention of Yeast Infections in Dogs

Ensuring your dog receives regular preventive care and vaccinations keeps them healthy and less likely to develop infections.

Additionally, health conditions that can lead to yeast infections in dogs can be caught and managed early during routine wellness visits.

Yeast Infections in Dogs FAQs

What food causes yeast infections in dogs?

Most of the food ingredients that cause allergies in dogs are proteins. Chicken is the most common food allergen related to yeast infections.

What happens if dog yeast infections go untreated?

If a dogs yeast infection is left untreated, it will progressively worsen and lead to extreme discomfort. Over time, the discomfort can cause the dog to become very sick.

What should I feed my dog when they have a yeast infection?

Unless the yeast infection is due to an underlying food allergy, its generally fine to continue your dogs usual diet. However, it is best to follow your veterinarians recommendations when deciding what to feed your dog.

Featured Image:SerhiiBobyk/iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

WRITTEN BY

Brittany Kleszynski, DVM

Veterinarian

Dr. Brittany Kleszynski is a veterinarian and freelance medical writer who specializes in creating meaningful content that engages readers...

Yeast Infections In Dogs: What Are They, And How Can They Be Treated?

Key points

• All dogs naturally have a small amount of yeast on their skin and in their ears, but in some cases, this yeast can overgrow and cause problems
• Most yeast infections are caused by an underlying health condition, such as skin allergies or a hormone condition
• Your vet will need to run tests to work out when a yeast infection is present, and to determine what underlying health condition has caused it
• There are several different treatments available, depending on how much of your dogs body is affected.

Common in

Dogs of all ages, especially those with skin allergies

Dogs Yeast Infection Symptoms & types

Most yeast infections in dogs are caused by Malassezia pachydermatis. This is a type of yeast that is naturally found living on dogs skin in small numbers and usually causes no problems.

However, if a dogs skin is weakened for some reason, then these yeasts may start to grow out of control. This can cause irritation and inflammation in the skin, leading to the symptoms of a yeast infection. These include:

• Redness
• Itchiness
• Flaky skin
• Crusts forming over the skin
• Thickening and hardening of the skin
• A musty smell

Yeast infections are common in dogs and are usually caused by an underlying issue such as a skin allergy or hormone condition.

Yeast infections are most common on the skin of the torso (particular in the groin or armpits) or in the ear, but they can happen anywhere on the body.

However, none of these symptoms are specific to yeast infections. This means that your veterinarian will need to run tests to confirm whether a yeast infection is present.

Possible Causes

Many different health conditions can weaken the skin and lead to a yeast infection. These include:

Understanding the diagnostics

Your veterinarian will need to run some tests to diagnose your dog with a yeast infection, which involves taking samples from the infected area. They will also need to run some different tests to work out what has caused your dog to develop a yeast infection.

You must see a veterinarian if you are worried about your dog, or if the mucus in their stools doesnt resolve after a day or two.

Diagnosing the infection

Cytology

Your veterinarian can take a sample from the infected area using either a cotton swab or some sticky tape. They will then stain the sample with a special dye, place it on a slide, and examine it under a microscope. If they see large numbers of yeast cells in the sample, then it is likely that your dog has a yeast infection.

Culture

Using a sterile swab, your veterinarian can take a sample from the infected area and send it off to an external laboratory. They will attempt to grow any bacteria or yeast that are present in the sample, and then identify them so that they can be treated.

This is usually more expensive and time-consuming than using cytology but allows your veterinarian to check for any bacteria at the same time. It is common for bacterial infections and yeast infections to happen at the same time, and choosing the right antibiotic for the bacteria is very important.

Most yeast infections are caused by an underlying illness, such as a skin allergy or a hormone condition.

Diagnosing the underlying cause

There are many different tests that your veterinarian may recommend to diagnose the underlying cause, depending on exactly what illness they think is most likely. These are some of the most common ones.

Blood tests

A general blood panel can be used to look for signs of an underlying illness that might be affecting your dogs immune system and causing the yeast infection. There are also specialized blood panels available to check your dogs thyroid gland.

Hyperadrenocorticism (Cushings disease) requires a dynamic blood test to diagnose. This involves taking one blood sample, then giving your dog an injection of a synthetic hormone and taking another one or two blood samples some time later to measure how their body responds. Your dog will usually need to stay at the clinic while this test is being done.

Biopsy

Taking a biopsy of the skin can sometimes be useful to check for other causes of itchy skin, or to look for an underlying condition that might cause a yeast infection. This is usually done under sedation or general anesthesia and involves using a sharp punch tool to take several circular samples of skin. These are then sent to the lab for examination.

Allergy testing

If your veterinarian suspects that a skin allergy (atopy) may be the cause of your dogs yeast infection, then they may suggest some special testing for allergies. This may be a blood test, which can normally be done by your regular veterinarian, or an intradermal skin test, which is usually done by a veterinary dermatologist.

If the underlying illness is not treated, then it is likely that the yeast infection will keep coming back.

Learning About The Causes

Many different illnesses can cause your dog to develop a yeast infection. These are some of the most common ones.

Skin allergies

Skin allergies are very common in dogs, and certain breeds are at a higher risk due to their genetics. Allergies may be triggered by food, or by things in the dogs environment, such as pollen, dust mites, or fleas. They cause inflammation in the skin, which weakens it and causes it to become leaky. This makes the skin itchy and allows bacteria and yeast to overgrow, which is even more irritating.

Hypothyroidism

This is a hormone condition that is most commonly seen in middle-aged dogs, where the thyroid gland gradually stops working properly. This leads to low levels of thyroid hormones in your dogs blood, which can have effects throughout the body. This includes thinning and weakening of the skin, and also weakening of the immune system. Both of these can lead to yeast infections.

Hyperadrenocorticism (Cushings disease)

This is another hormone condition that is usually seen in older dogs. It is caused by a growth in your dogs pituitary gland or adrenal gland, which leads to high levels of a hormone called cortisol in your dogs body.

Cortisol has many different effects, including weakening the immune system and making the skin thinner and more fragile. These changes make it more likely that your dog will develop a yeast infection.

Scaling disorders

These are a group of genetic conditions where the outer layer of the skin does work properly. This leads to flaky skin, and sometimes an oiliness, too. These changes mean that dogs are more likely to develop skin infections, which includes yeast infections.

A weak immune system

Many different serious illnesses will weaken your dogs immune system, meaning they are no longer able to fight off infections properly. These illnesses include:

• Cancers
• Kidney disease
• Liver disease
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Heart disease

Yogurt is not effective at treating yeast infections in dogs. In fact, many dogs are lactose intolerant, so feeding them yogurt may cause an upset stomach.

Best Treatment Options

The best kind of treatment for a yeast infection will depend on where the infection is, and on how much of the dogs body is affected.

Ear drops

Medicated ear drops are often the best treatment for yeast infections in the ear. These drops usually contain an antibiotic, an antifungal (which will kill the yeast), and a steroid medication to soothe the inflammation in the ear.

These treatments are usually very effective and have few side effects as long as the dogs eardrum is intact.

Ointment

If your dog has a small patch of skin that is affected by a yeast infection, then your veterinarian may prescribe a cream or ointment for you to use. This may just contain an antifungal medication, or it may also contain an antibiotic and a steroid, similar to the ear drops mentioned above.

You should always wear gloves when applying these kinds of ointments to your dogs skin.

Shampoo

If large areas of your dogs skin are affected by a yeast infection, your vet may recommend a medicated shampoo for you to use. These usually have to be applied and they stay on the dogs skin for a few minutes as a lather before being rinsed off.

Initially, these may need to be applied quite often, but in the longer term, they can be used once every few weeks to prevent an infection from coming back.

Oral medication

For serious or long-term yeast infections, your veterinarian may recommend an oral anti-fungal treatment. These may be tablets, capsules, or liquids, and may be given every day or only a couple of times a week.

These treatments can be very effective, but many antifungal medications can affect the liver, especially if used at high doses or for a long time. Your veterinarian will do regular blood tests to check your dogs liver function, both before and after they start the medication.

Conclusion

Yeast infections can be irritating to our dogs. They are often caused by an underlying health condition and may keep coming back if this condition is not treated properly, especially in the summer season. There are many different treatment options available, but most infections can be managed without the need for oral medications.