| |
Dog Yeast Infections
(Dog Candida)
Dog yeast infections, or dog candida, can be caused by poor-quality diets, over-vaccination, and use of certain drugs. They can manifest in many different forms with a long list of symptoms. With patience and perseverance, however, dog candida can be cured using natural remedies.
This page will deal with the following topics: For information on natural remedies for dog yeast infections, please visit our page on Natural Remedies for Dog Yeast Infections.
What is Dog Candida?
Dog candidiasis, aka dog candida or dog yeast infections, is caused by a single-celled organism called Candida albicans which is classified as both a yeast and a fungus. This organism occurs naturally in our dog's digestive and genital tracts. Like all yeasts, Candida albicans lives and grows on sugars, including those from grains, starches, and other carbohydrates. In healthy dogs, there are beneficial bacteria (such as Lactobacillus acidophilus) that metabolize sugars, thus keeping candida in check by disrupting its food supply. It follows that if there is a shortage of beneficial bacteria in the dog's body, it will provide a sugar-rich environment for candida to thrive. Once there is an over-abundance of candida in the dog's body, it will create a vicious cycle - candida cells manufacture toxic chemicals that kill beneficial bacteria and harm the body. In addition, waste products produced by candida are toxic chemicals that can slow the brain, causing fatigue and disrupting the immune system. The end result? A systemic yeast infection in the dog. If timely action is not taken to kill off the single-celled candida, it can convert into a multi-celled fungal form called rhizoids. These rhizoids eventually penetrate the intestinal wall, diminishing the ability of the intestines to absorb vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids, leading to nutritional deficiencies and a GI problem called "leaky gut syndrome", whereby bacteria, toxins, and undigested food "leak" through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream, causing chronic low-grade infections, inflammation, and autoimmune responses in the form of various kinds of allergies, such as food, environmental, or seasonal allergies. Top
Causes of Dog Yeast Infections
There are many possibilities that can result in an over-abundance of candida albicans. The most common causes are listed below:Improper Diet - A poor quality diet with insufficient supplements such as probiotics (friendly bacteria) to metabolize sugars will result in an overgrowth of candida.
- Insufficient dietary enzymes to clean out the toxins from the body will also result in dog yeast infections.
- A grain-based diet (first ingredient is grains) will increase sugars in the digestive tract - food supply for candida.
Use of Certain Medication - Use of antibiotics - these drugs can kill off beneficial bacteria in the dog's body.
- Use of flea chemicals - these chemicals can result in a compromised immune system making it easy for candida to thrive.
- Over-vaccinations - over-vaccinations can result in a compromised immune system making it easy for candida to thrive.
Physical Health Problems - Thyroid problems (hypothyroidism) - many holistic vets (and doctors for people too) believe that there is a direct connection between thyroid problems and yeast infections.
- Other illnesses that compromise the immune system can also make it easy for the candida population to grow.
Mental Health Problems - Hyperactivity.
- Stress and anxiety caused by environmental and seasonal changes, as well as emotional and physical changes in the dog.
Top
Symptoms of Dog Yeast Infections
On the outside, dog yeast infections look very much like skin irritations and allergies, with symptoms such as:- itchy skin resulting in excessive licking, scratching, and biting
- recurring hot spots
- hives
- eczema
- hair loss
- redness or skin rashes, especially on the feet, face, tummy, underarm, or genital areas
- dry and flaky skin, sometimes the skin may turn black or discolored
- bad odor
- itching eyes
- red, irritated eyes
- excessive tearing
- coughing
- bouts of asthma attacks
- frequent sneezing
- abnormal nasal discharge
Dog yeast infections may also manifest themselves as: With so many symptoms mimicking so many different dog diseases, you can imagine that sometimes even veterinarians may misdiagnose a case of dog yeast infection as something else - very often, the secondary disease caused by the yeast infection (e.g. urinary infection) will be diagnosed, but the root cause (i.e. the yeast infection) will not. As such, localized treatment is given to cure the secondary disease (in this case, urinary infection) without addressing the underlying root cause. If your dog unfortunately suffers from recurring infections (be it skin, ear, or others) or has allergies (skin or food) that do not seem to go away, dog candida may be the culprit. Top
Conventional Treatment for Dog Yeast Infections
Conventional treatment for dog candida usually uses antifungal medications to clear up the infections and related symptoms. Unfortunately, many such antifungal drugs have potentially serious side effects. Worse still, these drugs only deal with the symptoms without actually addressing the root cause. Before long, there will be another flare-up, very often with worsening sets of symptoms.So, are there alternatives? You bet! Visit our page on Natural Remedies for Dog Candida for more information.
References
R. Kidd, Dr. Kidd's Guide to Herbal Dog Care (Storey Publishing, 2000).
Pitcairn & Pitcairn, Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats (Rodale, 2005).
Whole Dog Journal
TOP of Dog Yeast Infections
GO TO Natural Dog Candida Remedies
RETURN TO Home Page
|
