By Kirsty Richards, DipHomNZ
Of all the issues dog owners come to me with, the number one complaint has to be
Yeast infections.
These annoying infections can be a thorn in a dog owner’s side, and sometimes it seems
NOTHING helps!
Typical signs of yeast infections in dogs include:
Scratching ears - a lot
Biting or licking paws
Recurring ear infections
Skin irritation and redness
Stinky dog syndrome - you know, the dog that smells even straight after a bath!
Excessive ear wax
Shaking head
Hot spots
Sweet or musty smell in the ears or paws
Conventional methods of treatment can include antifungal medications and washes, and in severe cases, steroid medication. Unfortunately, these options often only mask the symptoms, and once medication stops, the issue reappears.
The Homeopathic approach to treating yeast, looks at it from a much deeper perspective, aiming to treat the root cause, and rebalance the animal’s whole being, to prevent it from recurring.
Diet can be a contributing factor in yeast infections, and I recommend a raw diet as much as possible. A balanced raw diet includes meat, bones, organs, and green tripe from a variety of sources, in approximate prey proportions. I recommend feeding from at least three different prey species over a week. This ensures a good variety of nutrients in your dog’s diet. Chicken can be a trigger for yeast, so avoid this as much as possible. Chicken necks given occasionally to help with oral care is fine, as long as chicken isn’t a known trigger for your dog.
Transitioning your dog to a raw food diet can take some time, and homeopathy can help support your animals liver and digestive system as they go through this process.
Some dogs need a candida or yeast specific remedy to bring their body back into balance, some need a course of their Constitutional Remedy to get them back on track.
I have an E-book available: Dog Constitutional Remedies, An Easy Guide. You can get your copy here:
Which remedies are needed, depends on your dog’s individual symptom picture. With Homeopathy, there is no one size fits all approach - we are always treating the individual and how symptoms show up for them.
Some of the remedies I’ve used to treat yeast include:
Malassezia
Candida Albicans
Thuja
Antimonium Crud
Constitutional remedies
Sulphur
Psorinum
Pulsatilla
Silica
Some key indicators for some of these remedies include:
Thuja
Warty growths
Dry skin with brown spots/growths
Sensitive to touch
Worse scratching
Worse at night
Sulphur
These animals are very sensitive to heat, all things worse warmth
Redness of affected parts
Itching
Averse to bathing
These dogs are often smelly, and have smelly discharges
Dry skin and fur
Silica
Skin: abscesses/boils/fistulas
Cracked skin
Coppery coloured spots
All symptoms worse from the cold
Ear discharges
Pulsatilla
This is particularly suited for dogs with yeast infections that affect the ears
Swollen and red ears
Thick, bland discharges (with offensive odor)
These dogs are usually thirstless and like to have company
Antimonium Crudum
Warty growths
Pimples, pustules and vesicles
Scaly eruptions with burning and itching
Worse at night
Scabs can be thick and honey coloured
Malasezzia, Candida Albicans and Psorinum
These are Nosodes and are best prescribed by a Homeopath.
If Yeast is a problem for your pet, please reach out to me today. Let’s kick yeast in the butt!
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