Causes And Symptoms Of Dog Yeast Skin Infections In Pearland, TX

Types of Dog Yeast Infection

Malassezia dermatitis aka dog yeast infection comes in different forms. These different types can affect various parts of a dog’s body as long as there’s skin covering the area.

Types of yeast infection in dogs include:

• Skin Yeast Infections

  This type of yeast infection usually occurs on a dog’s skin. Skin yeast dermatitis gives off a certain moldy scent that isn’t pleasant. The affected site is flakey, thickened and oily with significant fur loss on it. There’s likely to be a lot of itching and restlessness in your dog if it has skin yeast infections.

• Paw Yeast Infections

  Yeast infections can occur on a dog’s paws. If your dog is often chewing or licking its paws, there might be yeast infections on its paws. Triggers are often due to allergies from the environment, things like pollen particles.

• Ear Yeast Infections

  Dog yeast infection on the ear also known as yeast otitis can cause uncontrollable itching on affected dogs. A thick, dark discharge from the ear is usually a symptom of this type of ear yeast infection. If your dog is often shaking its head restlessly, ear yeast infection could be the culprit.

Causes of Yeast Infections in Dogs

Yeast infections can occur in dogs from different causes. Yeast, though naturally-occurring in living skin, can become problematic when it gets into wounds or overwhelms the skin. A pup dog with a weak immune system will suffer yeast infections more often too.

Causes of yeast infections include:

• Environment – moist, contaminated areas with fungal spores present
• Allergies like food, pollen, supplements
• Parasites, e.g., fleas, mites and lice which cause wounds on the skin leading to secondary infections of yeast
• Weak immune system
• Poor hygiene
• Swimming or over-exposure to moisture
• Hot, moist weather conditions

How to Diagnose Yeast Dermatitis in Dogs

Diagnosing yeast dermatitis in dogs isn’t rocket science. It’s fairly easy to identify what’s wrong with a dog when the condition is yeast infection. As much as we don’t advocate for non-professional diagnosis, seeing several dog skin yeast infection pictures can quickly bring you up to speed on what yeast dermatitis looks like.

Below is a list of ways to diagnose dog yeast infection with relative ease:

• Cotton Swab Sample

This involves using a moistened swab to run on the affected skin site to collect yeast samples.

• Skin Biopsy

This involves taking up a tiny piece of affected skin with a tool known as a biopsy punch to run a test. A skin biopsy is one of the most accurate ways to diagnose dog yeast infection.

• Skin Scraping

This diagnosis involves scraping of the affected skin with a dull blade to collect yeast samples from the dog.

• Acetate Tape Preparation

Using acetate tape, a vet doc applies it on the affected site for some minutes to collect yeast samples off of it.

• Use of an Impression Smear

A diagnosis involving use of a microscope slide pressed on the skin to collect samples of yeast pathogens.

Treatment of Yeast Dermatitis

Dog yeast skin infections are fairly easy to treat though there’s a risk of recurrence if causative factors aren’t eradicated. While visiting a pet clinic In Pearland is one sure way to treat yeast dermatitis, there are home remedies that can work.

Treatment of dog yeast infections can be oral or topical depending on how the treatment works. Below are some treatment options to consider if your dog has yeast infection:

1. Home Remedies

   Home remedies might not be foolproof but they work great by preventing yeast infections from the onset. Some examples include:

   • Keeping your dog clean regularly; proper hygiene can go a long way
   • Cleaning your dog’s ears to remove dirt and ear wax which can breed yeast infections
   • Proper dieting to maintain your pet’s nutrient balance
   • Regular scheduled visit to a professional vet

2. Oral Treatment

   If your dog already has yeast infections, oral treatment can be applied to alleviate and treat the condition. Oral treatment is effective against severe, recurrent cases of dog yeast infections. Ensure only oral topical treatment from a proven Veterinary clinic in Pearland, TX guarantees authenticity. Professional handling is important as some of these treatments can be dangerous when wrongly applied.

3. Topical Treatment

   These treatment types involve the use of creams and oils on affected areas of a dog’s skin. Special shampoos, soaps, hair oils and anti-fungal creams are some topical treatment solutions for dog skin dermatitis. Some of these compounds contain benzoyl peroxide which is an effective antifungal agent. Application can be done every few days until treatment is certain.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dog Yeast Infection