[YEA]  Anna from Ottowa, Canada: "Our 13-month old female Black Lab-Rotty mix dog Maya has been suffering from recurrent eye and ear infections for the last 7 months. When we first took her to the vet 7 months ago, the diagnosis was ear mites. We treated her with Revolution - twice. The infection seemed to get better at first, but then returned quickly. I then treated her ears with Yellow Dock for a few months, it seemed to keep the infection under control, but had not cleared it. Last month, Maya got a very severe ear infection and we took her to emergency - the test showed NO MITES - YEAST infection! It meant that I have been treating her all this time for the wrong cause - thanks to the vet who did not perform any tests the first time around and simply "guessed" that Maya had ear mites.

To cut the long story short, the emergency vet gave us some antibiotic cream, which helped at bit at first, but then we saw no improvement, especially around the eyes, so I found this website and decided to treat Maya with an organic ACV (half and half with water). I sponged her back (she had a few lesions there as well) and her ears twice a day, I let her shake and then wiped her ears dry. I sponged her eyes gently as well. Her eyes were circled by an elephant-like skin with no hair, and it seemed that like would never go away! Within 2 days we noticed a great improvement. I continued the treatment for a few days twice a day, and her conditioned improved 99%. I've read that it takes 3-6 weeks for it to clear up completely and that it is suffice to do it three times a week.

I measured her pH balance and noticed that it was too alkaline (around 8). This helps yeast to grow, so we started adding a bit of vinegar to her food to stabilie her ph balance. We've also implemented other dietary restrictions that are typical with yest

Overall, we've definitely found success with ACV, and I hope that other dog owners would be able to learn from us to help their furry kids."

06/24/2008: Sheila from Dallas, Texas replies: "I have a 70# dog with yeast issues on her feet and arm pits. How much ACV do you add to the food and can this help or hinder UTI. I was adding this to her water, but she didn't like the smell and wasn't drinking much water. Is there any other help for oozing, inflamed & itchy paws?"

07/11/2008: Jimmy Yeo from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia replies: "I brought my dog, Syberian Husky, for his second vaccination earlier this week and made a full check up. He's only about 2 1/2 months old. He was shacking his head and scratching his ears this few days so i ask the vet to check if there's any infection in the ears. The answer from the vet was, suspected to have yeast infection. Reddish color around his neck area but according to the vet, it's still hard to say if it's 100% yeast infection. He gave him injection and also anitbiotic for this problem. The vet told me that if he confirm to get this infection, it will be for his whole life. I was shocked to hear the result so i search the web to find for help and solution and found YOU. So i read about the vinegar solution and i tried it on for the first time today. Hopefully with the knowledge i read from this site, i would be able to cure my pet, Thunder. Can you tell me if this actually works? Thank you."

[YEA]  08/06/2008: Ellen from Charles Town, West Virginia replies: "I am so happy to see this site. It gives me hope that my poor English Setter, Lady has some chance to finally get well. She has been miserable for so long that I have been considering putting her down. I hate to lose her but she is so miserable with itching and she is constantly raw and bleeding all over. This has been going on for almost 6 years with her getting worse and worse. I don't know if this will work but at least there is some hope. How much should I feed and do you also use it topically? I love my pet so much that it hurts to see her suffer."

02/13/2009: Lesley from Sydney, Australia replies: "after our poor dog Hamish has suffered for 5yrs on cortisone tablets and gaining huge amounts of weight, (even though we were feeding him the correct amounts for his size) we decided to stop the tablets, he has just gone from bad to worse now I have found this site Im gong to try everything to help my pet, we just cant afford the vets bills and need to find something we can use for the rest of his life other than anti-biotics, it makes me feel like crying every time I see him scratch his ears raw and bleeding once again weve bathed him in every wash the vet has suggested, including Malase, with no results whatsoever, so wish me luck thanks everyone for putting your remedies here for anything is worth trying once"

01/26/2010: Angel from Vancouver, Canada replies: "It really works! I was as desperate as you and this was like a miracle cure."

05/26/2011: Ang from Port Elgin, On Canada replies: "I almost lost my dog to sysmatic yeast infection. Her symptons were red sores, greasy skin, discharge for her bum and finally seizures that almost killed her. Not to mention thousands of dollars in vet bills.

After hours of research I highly recommend these two sites, The great dane lady and Dr Dodds. Dr Dodds is a vet and a thyroid specialist. Yeast infection and hypothyroid are 99% connected. When reading the information on the great dane lady my chin hit my chest. She describe my dog to a tee' This is very dangerous condition. As I said before it almost killed my dog.

I'm glad to say my dog yeast free, rash free and living a healthy and happy life after a year and a half of hell. And may I add she is only on and 1 low dose thyroid pill and vit."

09/10/2011: Alica from Dauphin, Manitoba replies: "I agree 100% on the info given from Great Dane Lady and Dr. Dodds. My response to the info was jaw dropping as well. I knew that the topical creams I had been administering to my 5 year old Rottweiller were bogus, but I had no idea how bogus and threatening to her immune system they had been. I have treated her on and off for the past 4 years with the topical creams Otomax and Surolan. I switched to the Surolan only after insisting to my vet that I felt my dog had developed some sort of immunity to the Otomax. (Which also made sense to happen after 4 years). Again the Surolan started working then would fail miserably. Her flare ups in her ears had actually progressed with each new flare up occurring. I strongly encourage all of you to read the article by The Great Dane Lady on Systematic Yeast Infection and how it attacks your dogs system. I was so angry at myself for allowing the vet to give me what I knew(antibiotics) weren't helping.

I strongly urge you to get to the "core" of the infection which is VERY INTERNAL and in most cases VERY MISTREATED by our vets today. A holistic approach to managing your dogs needs is crucial. After all it's common sense that guides us as humans with our physical well being....... Do the same for your dog. Food choices(which don't have to be expensive) are the number 1 ally you can have paired with your dogs physical/nutritional needs. Please feed your dog nutritional food. And please stop with the topical steroid treatments. The pretty packaging on Pedigree brands and Beneful brands are just that..... Pretty packaging. They can be a slow death sentence to a dog who already suffers from yeast. And the steroid treatments only remove what's left of your dogs natural immune fighting defenses, which take into mind are probably VERY depleted already(Hence why you are on this site desperately seeking help) Great Dane Lady definitely hit the nail on the head with this one."

11/30/2011: Alexa from High Point, Nc replies: "Our buddy Mike has been having a terrible time with what we have figured out (after 2 vet visits, all blood ok, thyroid ok, 2 rounds of antibiotics-which made him worse- and some Science Diet 50dollar food which smelled awful and he hated) to be a systemic yeast infection. He has an odor which he never used to have, very painful joints and diarrhea, he is lethargic and grouchy, has blackened skin on one ear and under arms... ( we've been wiping him down with diluted Apple Cider Vinegar on the yeasty spots which he seems to like) We changed his diet to anti-yeast and gave him probiotocs but now has extreme die off symptoms and his joints are so sore especially ankles, and his eyes look dry and irritated.

So, we stopped the probiotic for now to ease these symptoms a bit, still eating anti-yeast, taking natural joint supplement. We ordered enzymes product for him so we will see how that goes when it arrives. It is so hard to watch your best friend suffer, we are trying to be patient but it's tough to keep perspective."

12/28/2011: Annie from New Jersey, Camden replies: "I have a dog who has elephant skin on her back of head below the ears. She has allergies which I have not been able to find anything to help her eyes from drying up and peeling. She has yeast on the inside of her ears. I have to keep socks on forever because she will lick them constantly and make them bleed. The puffiness is starting to go down. She doesn't have excessive thirst and I have trouble with her appetite. And she doesn't pee often. But I make sure she gets water. If she cannot have potatoes and rice what else can you give her? She has one ear tip that won't heal it keeps getting larger because she flicks it all of the time. She also has anal gland trouble so I have to make sure she eats foods with fiber. I tried elimination of diet and never found anything to work right for her. Prednisone make her worse so she is off of it. She has been to holistic vets many times. I had her on a kit called enzymes and it did not work. I need a special shampoo for the yeast infection. Any suggestions?"

01/11/2012: Debbie from Ontario Canada, Ontario,canada replies: "Try the apple cider vinegar remedy. I'm doing it right now and my dog Wheaten Terrier has the exact same issues."

01/12/2012: Akeentruth from Las Vegas, Nevada, Usa replies: "Hello I need some advice, I have been reading a lot of post on this site and I was hoping someone my be able to direct me in the right place. My name is Krys I have a 5 1/2 year old pit/chocolate lab mix with skin issues like no tomorrow. I have had my dog since he was 3 weeks old. When I first got him he had parvo and I made sure he survivred it. The first year and a half of his life he was fine no skin or ear issues.

After he hit two everything went down hill. His skin started to get really oily, and he would shake his head a lot. Slowly but surely he devoloped hives, losing hair, ears all red etc. Needless to say he also had happy tail syndrom... When the itching became excessive he chewed a sore on his tail and he caught gang grene and I had it amputated. I have tried everything, I feel like, for him. He was living in a cone/donut for the last 2 years on and off. I have taken him to vets, and dermatologist. He has been put on various meds, kenakonzol, doxicyclin, prednizone, many anti fungals, he takes zerytec daily, benadryl stopped working, I wash him with 3 medicated dog wash every other day. I have tried a daily bath of dawn dish soap per the dermatologists, I have tried yogurt in his food, as well as fish oils, and acidophilus.

Now he has developed a blood pocket in the inside of his ear, I have to take him to the vet tomorrow... Oh I also have tried switching his foods many many times. Right now my dermatologists has him on natural balance duck and potato high protein no grain. I am really at a loss. I love this dog with all my heart and I am afraid they have given him so many meds nothing is working, that the steroids are affecting his kidneys and that he is suffering, even though he is playful and full of life. If anyone and give any advice I would be so grateful."

02/27/2012: Jl from Indianapolis, In replies: "Akeentruth - try getting your dog tested for hypothyroidism. This is commonly associated with skin disorders. It is like an autoimmune disease in that it lowers a dog's resistance to infections whenever they get a surface scratch on the skin. It takes about 45 days to see improvement and about 4 months to get 90% better. Please note that hypothyroid tests tend to not be accurate. So, if it comes back no problem with hypothyroid you might want to ask your Vet if it would hurt any to try a low dose med for hypothyroid for 30 days and see if there is improvement. This med is very inexpensive. You should also try Ketochlor Shampoo at the same time, bathing 3-4 times a week for 3 weeks, reducing to 2 times/ week and then once/ week at the 3-4 month mark. For ketochlor to be effective, it is best to shave the areas where the lessions are. I ordered a gallon of it since I was sure my dog would have outbreaks from tiem to time for the duration of his life. The shampoo works its way down the hair shaft- it is very effective. I also try rubbing apple cidar vinegar on my dog on days when he does not get a bath, to kill bacteria and yeast. The vinegar does not seem to bother him. Good luck!!"

[QUESTION]  09/14/2009: Janice from Coloma, Mi: "I was wondering if anyone knows if it would be o.k. to give my dog (107 lbs) baking soda and vinegar like I take. I was thinking maybe that would help with her yeast problem."

05/08/2012: Mindy from Baton Rouge, La, Usa replies: "I have been bathing my dog with baking soda and it stopped the smell, but I am going to try it with the Vinegar and see if that helps.... I had a friend tell me to bathe her with the baking soda and rinse her with the vinegar, but never did and I think she is giving it to my other dog now.... They both do the same thing all day long, bite their feet and scratch."

[YEA]  03/23/2013: Jill from Womelsdorf, Pa: "YEA!!!! I am so glad I found your site. This has been the best info I have found about yeast infections in dogs. I have a 7 year old Parson Russell Terrier who has been showing all the signs of a yeast infection and getting worse ever day. I first thought he had gotten some kind of infection from the new groomer I took him to in November, because that was when I started seeing the redness and the "pimple like" bumps on his hind quarters. I started the plain yogurt yesterday and also started spraying the 50/50 mixture of ACV and water. Although he is still scratching and that might take some time, it is greatly reduced. On the real red inflamed areas I have used a small amount of Gold Bond medicated powder, this seems to help. I also changed his diet to Precise Holistic Complete. Thank you, for this solution, he's seems happier. The question I do have is he is a rough coat dog and I have been afraid to have him groomed and he is getting quite hairy. Should I wait till this has cleared up more or can I have him cut, we normally have him shaved down with his beard area just cut? Thank you."

03/25/2013: Kelso from D, Ca replies: "I believe that apple cider vinegar should not be used for yeast infections.. It should be white vinegar... Yeast needs three things to survive, sugar, heat and moisture... Apples have way too much sugar, check out the mercola website, great vet."

03/27/2013: Jill from Womelsdor, Pa replies: "Follow up on Charlie, my 7 yr old Parson Russell Terrier: It has been almost a week since I started the yogurt, twice a day and the ACV treatments. I am totally amazed, it is at least 90% cleared up. He's not scratching and the "ugly" stuff on his skin is almost gone. Changing his diet and watching what we feed him, I'm sure is helping. He is so happy, you can just see it in his face and the way he wants to play again. This is amazing. If anyone has any doubts about doing this, at least try it. It worked for Charlie."

01/22/2012: Caren from Woodland Hills, Ca replies: "I need to know how much yogurt and apple cider vinegar you used to help your dog. Our dog is 9 years old and it is spreading all over his stomach. Please get back to me asap.

Thank you."

[YEA]  09/25/2012: Lynne216 from Ventura, Ca/usa replies: "My 16 lb. , 6 year old Shih Tzu has always had yeast infections under her eyes. I put 1/4 teas. Angels Eyes in her food daily which keeps the tear stains away but not the smell. In the last six months she has been scratching, biting, licking her hind legs, lower stomach and sides of her anus. Per vet I give her 1/2 Bynedril and that helps temporarily. It was only when I noticed that the areas that were itching smelled like the yeast infection under her eyes that I began researching it on the internet. I changed her food to Purina Pro Plan for sensitive skin when I read that foods containing beets caused red yeast in some dogs (and the Kirkland dry food I was giving her did). That alone really cleared up her eyes. But, when I found this site and began giving her yogurt she quit scratching within 3 days. I am so thankful. I give her 1/2 cup of yogurt each morning and 1/2 cup dry dog food at night. I haven't needed to try the vinegar as yet. What did we do before the Internet?"

10/01/2012: Marie from New York, Us-ny replies: "The Foundation to your Pet's Health begins with Diet & Nutrition , If you want to Practice Preventive Health Never feed Dried (Kibbled) Pet Foods. Dog's like Cat;s are Carnivorers and their body's where designed to eat Protein.. Dried Pet Foods where created out of Convience for People but not a qulity source of Nutrition for Dog's.. Dog's need 70% moisture in their diet's to prevent Kidney damage and dried food contain 10% of moisture, so your dog's body remains in a state of contant dydration... Dried foods are contain fillers, artificial addivtives, dyes and made with Plant Materials so be pro-active and feed your Pets what their body's need to be healthy and happy PROTEIN!!!"

02/19/2013: Craynon from Thomaston, Ga replies: "You are so right about dry dog food. I cook chicken to add to my dry dog food. The yogurt and apple cider vinegar are helping my poor baby with this awful yeast infection. It is a constant battle to keep him healthy. Since I switched to Blue Freedom dog food, He is finally showing signs of healing. Yogurt, 1 tbs., morning and night with apple cider on cotton balls to heal red areas on his little body. We are seeing a good outcome with this regimine. Good luck to anybody with this problem, as it is a tuffy!"

[YEA]  07/05/2011: Lisa from Billerica, Ma replies: "I have to write and respond to this webpage/line of threads. I have a 5 yr old bulldog that we recently acquired. He came to us with a yeast infection in the fold above his nose and in the fold over his tail. I wash his face and butt every day but couldn't believe how dirty his folds would get every washing especially since he eats dry food. I ended up taking him to the vet for another little sore on his paw and asked the vet why he would get so dirty in his folds every day. I was then told it was a yeast infection. Who knew??? He was put on antibiotics which did clear up the infection only to have him break out with hot spots two days after the antibiotics were gone.

Another trip to the vet for more meds. The hot spots are almost gone but his skin is very red still. While I was washing his face again last Thursday I see the brown greasy yeast infection is back. UGH pissed. So I searched the web and found this sight, after alot of reading and searching other sites I decided to try the ACV and yoguart. 2 DAYS!!! Its gone... I can't believe it. I know I caught it early this time but still I an thrilled with the results of the yogurt and vinegar treatment. I also changed his food to a no grain "taste of the wild" I would rather spend the money on his food than at the vet.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU."

07/09/2011: Dave from Rocky Mount, North Carolina replies: "Hey Lisa, you sound just like me, I was willing to try anything to help my poor dog! We have to keep Cooper on a Low Carb diet; the food you are trying is great. But if you need more help please check out nzymes.com. They have a list of foods they recommend. It has taken about 4 months for Cooper to get better; and they said he would get worse before he got better; boy were they right! Take Care, and GOOD LUCK! Dave"

07/22/2011: Fiona0129 from Jacksonville, Fl replies: "I have a mix lapso apso and terrier - got her from the humane society - she has red bumps all over - the vet said a skin infection - it is only about 2 weeks in progression - I am reading this thread - because I know yogurt works for humans - does it work if ingested by pets as wel? I will keep reading but any input and advice is GREATLY appreciated - she has been eating Purina ONE for puppies"

07/28/2011: Corinne from San Francisco, Ca, Usa replies: "love the info, but how about helping with how much Apple Cider Vinegar and/or yogurt, and how given?? thanks so much!! Pepper, 11 y/o yeasty pittie"

06/29/2012: Cat from Bowie, Md replies: "Just like others, I would like to know the amount of yogurt and ACV being put in food? I have an 8 lb yorkshire terrier, Flora. She suffers from ongoing ear issues with the scratching, head shaking, whining, etc. Some days are worse than others, and the ear wash and solution I have been using are not helping. The one time I had the vet prescribe antibiotics and wash, it cost me a mint, and the condition improved, but returned. Can't afford to pay her the monthly cost required! Please advise about amounts to add to food. THANKS!"

07/05/2011: Angelica427 from Charlotte, Nc replies: "I adopted a agressive/defensive dog 6 months ago, and his odor at first simply took my breath away (And I'm not that sensitive to odors).
He'a a (predominantly) Bearded Collie and he was overweight, his breathing was labored and rapid (based on other dogs I was privileged to live with prior to adopting Domino) Trip to vet said yeast infection in ears and skin (ears were very inflamed, swollen)and gave him steriods and Otomax. This was apparently an ongoing problem for him (I knew the previous owner). I tried a home made diet with lots of veggies (he loved it, did well) but finally gave it up --so time consuming (I'm a caregiver so I already cook 6 separate meals a day.. Lol.. Ouch).
Then I tried Canidae Grain-free (seemed logical, yeast, grains, potato, etc all encourage yeast growth). He did a better, but still had outbreaks, odor, and a little itching, and ear infection again.
Tried vet-recommended Sebolux medicated shampoo, and odor persisted, he even seemed reactive to the medication in the shampoo, it appeared.
FINALLY I remembered N-O-Dor pet shampoo I used years ago on a beloved elderly husky who was quite "whiffy" sometimes. This shampoo is made in South Carolina, actually for hunters to eliminate all odors so as not to spook their prey (Yeah, I know... Ouch again) but the pet shampoo is adjusted for proper ph for dogs, they said.
THAT seems to work much better than any other shampoo, medicated or otherwise. It is said to remove dirt, debris, scales, excess oil, dandruff and leave coat chemical, residue and odor free. I had had experience with odor with a previous pet, a husky --it did a great job getting rid of that doggie smell. It's distributed by Atako online, I discovered, after much googling. It's also supposed to kill and may even repel fleas. It's June in NC and I haven't used the flea med I bought for the dog yet. Haven't seen one. But I'm keeping it just in case ;)
Anyway, Domino smells MUCH better for longer, his coat and skin are not scaley and the bumps just disappear after a bath.
AFTER I SWITCHED to this shampoo and to Taste of the Wild Grain Free -- Canidae was too much protein for an 8-year-old and a bigger strain on my budget, I found--the scabby skin problems were 99% gone. I recently --thoughtlessly--gave him some cherry pie and ice cream... MISTAKE! Within a couple of days his ears were red and he was shaking his head regularly. SOO, I'm going to try and be a better friend to him and nix the chps, the sugar and the dairy. (My bad). I'll return to Otomax until I get the Zymox I ordered from Pet Meds, available without prescription, that the sales rep says WILL eliminate the ear infection and to maintain good balance in the ear to use their (own brand) ear cleaner every other week after the infection is gotten under control. It seems the yeast causes excessive ear wax and somehow it all results in infection and inflammation.

Good luck to everyone, hope this helps some. It's sad to see your pet suffering and not be able to "Fix" it, I know.
I'm going to try hard to resist the temptation to "share" potato chips, Doritos, ice cream or dairy products, crackers, ANYTHING with sugar, grain or dairy in it (besides yogurt)because all those snacks encourage yeast growth and may defeat my purpose in establishing a "yeast UN-friendly" diet for him. :)After a little research in what is really in commercial dog foods (many of them) I hope I can afford never to go back to them again. With the xpensive dog foods you only have to feed them about a third as much. No fillers. SO they actually wind up costing only a little bit more.
BUt Domino looked at me in the beginning like, "That's ALL I get??" lol. But he adjusted and I started adding French green beans (steamed) for low-calorie volume and he's lost a bit of weight, I think! He's a lot less aggressive since I changed his diet and his ear problem flares up a lot less frequently. I'm going to do the "1800petmeds" ear cleaner regimen and see how that works. It sounds easy enough (thank God)."

07/07/2011: Lisa from Norwalk, Ct replies: "Just to let all of you know I was recently told by my pet store that taste of the wild has been bought out by whom I do not remember but they are starting to cheapen the products that they use... Which means fillers... ? I was told to start using evangers as they have been around for a long time and vow not to do the same! Just wanted to share if anyone started to see problems occuring!"

07/16/2011: Pepper from San Francisco, Ca replies: "Really appreciative re all of your posts about yeast infections. I am interested in non-invasive remedies, such as an oral remedy like apple cider vinegar and yogurt. Need to know dosage per dog's weight.

thanks so much!

pepper's person"

07/22/2011: Fiona0129 from Jacksonville, Fl, Us replies: "Hi Pepper - did you ever get a response to this? I am asking the same questions - and I kind of got lost trying to read through this thread."

10/11/2011: Yvonne from Cairns Qld, Australia replies: "I add tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to each fresh bowl of drinking water for the dog and do not use yogurt.

I also use olive oil approx one full tablespoon and add three drops of tea tree oil to the olive oil and then squirt it into the ear canal of German Shepherd dog

It clears up tropical ear infections where the antibiotic mix administered by a vet did not work.

Maintain healthy canine ears with weekly olive oil and tea tree oil cause tea tree oil is both antibacterial and antifungal."

12/29/2012: Joy from Sweetwater, Tn replies: "My 14 year old chocolate Lab had severe yeast infection and the smell was horrible. I was blessed to have known a lady that diagnosed the problem as Java had lots of bald spots all over her body. I started cooking her food..... Turkey breast/thighs, brown rice, and green beans. She gets a probiotic, coconut oil, yogurt, and a raw egg with the morning feeding. She has all her hair, seldoms has any order, and this year we have not had one flea! I do not use chemical flea products either! I googled a yeast free diet online and came up with this menu. You do need to add vitamins to the diet after about 6 weeks or so on the diet. Hope this helps!"

06/26/2011: Gail from Selden, New York, United States replies: "I have tried everything... Holistic remedies, steriods, antibiotics enzymes, presciption shampoos, I even tried Dawn dish soap that helped a little.. I have even tried the ACV diluted, didnt seem to do much.. Was your dogs skin black and the paws swollen...

I take the dog back to the vet very 4-5 weeks, , and I always get that the allergies are bad... he sent me to a holistic guy that helped for awhile but then stopped working and boy that was expensive..."

06/01/2011: Stephanie1990 from Hull, Uk replies: "hi, I recently found this site so I am trying out things which everyone has mentioned. I have a westie Girl who has a severe skin problem (fur on her head and a strip on her back, she has smelly ears and some days her eyes can be bad but other days they're fine. She did have sore paws but that problem seems to have been cured! ). I have had countless visits to the vet and nothing has worked! I'm currently feeding her vegetables with sardines in sunflower oil with added ACV. I bath her every day (or every other day) with Exma rid. Today for the first time I used ACV in her ears and sprayed her skin (50/50) she wasn't best pleased and it really made her itch but I guess it takes some getting used to? I'm also going to give the yoghurt a try tonight. I'm also giving her one a day allergy tablets (the tablets worked for someone I know) any other tips??? is there anything I'm doing wrong? if so, could someone please help me :( **PLEASE NOTE TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY I'M TRYING THIS** please help! :("

06/20/2011: Deanya from Manchester, Uk replies: "my dog was the same with his skin and paws bath him in hibi scrub it will sort it out its great do it once a week and u will have a happy dogs again x"

01/30/2012: Dave from Rocky Mount, North Carolina replies: "Stephanie, I also have a Westie with terrible skin; please try the nzymes; it has helped. My Cooper has healed everywhere except his back legs; which he chews constantly. Research says I should feed him no grains or potatoes; which I have found. I have 2 other dogs, so I can't do the raw meat and eggs diet. I'm still trying to find the miracle cure! GOOD LUCK!"

02/13/2011: Julie from Apache Junction, Az replies: "Sounds like my story exactly! Struggled with all sorts of things before finding this site. I did everything that you have done except that I give her assidopholis on her food in the morning. I also have switched her shampoo to a medicated shampoo named Sebolux twice a week. She is a new dog! Thanks to all of you! "

03/28/2011: Vegasgirl11 from Las Vegas, Nevada replies: "My dog keeps itching her ear and it smells like something nasty, what should I do? Do I use a special cream?"

04/17/2011: Mike from Laurel, Ny replies: "To treat my Golden'n yeast ear infection, I'm using a 50% ACV solution. I also want to give him yogurt. He is 110 lbs and on a diet. How much yogurt should I be giving him a day?"

05/16/2011: Hailey from Northridge, California replies: "number 1, take them off their diet and get them on grounded up raw meat and bones or you can just throw them the raw meat intact or have the butcher hack it up. add about a half cup of cultured veggies from wholefoods with no onion of course and or seaweed salad. add a couple drops of grapefruit seed extract. add probiotics and or raw kefir. spray or soak their body in raw apple cider vinager with 30 plus drops of grapefruit seed extract. do not get in eyes. yeast be gone forever. happy you and dog and don't be stupid and give them any treats or food with carbs else your back on the yeast train."

05/16/2011: Hailey from Northridge, California replies: "forgot to add dilute the spray solution about 50 % Apple Cider Vinegar to 50 water and about 10 plus drops in about a cup of water. do not know if grapefruit seed extract is ok for ears so google it but it needs major diluting else it will burn. I add 3 drops to the food. oh yah be sure to add the best yeast killer and will help them from starving is coconut oil and or even raw egg yolks."

05/26/2011: Ang from Port Elgin, On Canada replies: "Just want to add to my last post, that antibiotics feed yeast. So it goes like this... You go to the vet he gives you antibiotics for the skin infection it clears up for a little while the it comes back worse . You just keep repeating like I did. Please read these sites I recommended. First.. The Great dane lady re yeast infections and Dr Dodds yeast and thyroid. Remember yeast is a fungus, so it won't show up in a blood test for infections. Also if they scrape your dog skin for yeast, 90 percent of the time it gives a false negative.

The thyroid is the primary problem, it leads to the amuine system to break down, the yeast gets out of control and cases the skin to break down because the skin is the biggest filter in the body .

My dogs thyroid read as low normal and through Dr Dodds recomendation I insisted they put her on thyroid med. and within 2 weeks her skin was better."

06/01/2011: Abbigale from Annapolis, Maryland,usa replies: "Would someone please tell me the "recipe" for using either white or apple cider vinegar with yogurt to combat a yeast infection in my boxer dogs' ears?"

11/17/2011: Dawnybabe from Calgary, Canada replies: "I have same problem with my Boxer... He got yeast infection and Vet put him on some liquid stuff to put in his ears for 7 days. I have _____s ACV and would like to use it over the prescribed stuff from the vet.

Also my Boxers hair around his ears is thinning bad and under his belly... If I am to mix 50/50 ACV with water do I just let it soak in or do I rinse it off after spraying it on him?? I want his hair to grow back on his ears it looks bad.... We dont want to spend anymore money at the vet.. it adds up $$ fast

Please Help with any suggestions..."

09/05/2010: Chris from Newton, Ma replies: "GREAT REMEDY BUT A WARNING TO ALL: BEFORE USING ANY TYPE OF VINEGAR OR ASTRINGENT MAKE SURE TO CHECK YOUR DOG FOR ANY OPEN SORES OR BREAKAGE IN THE SKIN. IF YOU USE VINEGAR ON OPEN CUT OR SORE IT IS GOING TO REALLY STING... OUCH!!!"

02/01/2012: Hayley from Sydney, Nsw, Australia replies: "Thanks everyone, great advice! I was about to take my english staffy to the vet for about the 5th time in 3 years for similar symptons, just constantly licking, scratching and red all over. The gave me macrolene on both occasions which I refuse to give to her, it completely changes her personality, temper and last time she even got out and went off on her own and I nearly lost her, she would NEVER normally do that! I am about to start these treatments tonight and will definitely let you know how I go. Thanks to you all for your input!"

02/04/2012: Melissa from Pensacola, Florida replies: "My Roti-Lab mix has had skin issues for a while now. I use the Mal-A-Ket or Virbac shampoo. It has Ketoconazole and Chlorhexadine. I get mine off of ebay. No vet visit reqired. I have used epsom salt in her bath water for the sores on her front legs where she has rubbed her eyes. Terramycin antibiotic for eyes can be purchased on ebay for about $3-$5 per tube (instead of $15-$25 at vet). We use Rachel Ray Just 6 dog food. Also, Vetermycin wound spray from Tractor Supply helps neutralize yeast smell."

[YEA]  03/08/2010: Christine from Vista, Ca replies: "I thank God that I found this site. My 8 year old male Shih Tzu, Sammy has been scratching and biting at his skin and paws incessantly for quite some time. I took him to the vet for an ear infection two weeks ago and it was yeast. They gave him antibiotic drops for the ears. I also told the vet about the scratching and biting. The answer once again was he has allergies. Give him a benedryl. My poor pup was miserable. I found this site last night and I am so thankful for all of the postings and suggestions. I decided to try straight ACV on his skin. I sprayed it on his body and paws. It seemed to relieve him instantly. He smelled like a salad but he didn't seem to mind.

I did not feed him this morning to make sure his food had left his stomach. He is on a national dry brand with salmon and yogurt but I think it is causing irritation. It is a lower brand of food. I have tried the higher brands but they irritate his skin more. Tonight I found a wet food that was mostly meat products no glueten or grains in it. I added a 1/4 of plain yogurt and a tablespoon of ACV. Mixed it up and he ate it all. Right now Sammy is sleeping peacefully in his bed for the first time in many, many months. He usually wakes up scratching and biting. I am going to continue with this diet and start to dilute the ACV with distilled water as we go on. I don't understand why Vets can't seem to figure out that yeast is the cause of most scratching and self biting in dogs. I makes sense that the yeast is spread to other parts of the dogs body by scratching. Treating Sammy's paws has made a world of difference."

08/16/2010: Lizzie from Clarksville, Tn replies: "My 5 yr old shih tzu, Roscoe, has had skin issues all of his life. When he was about 1, I noticed black rashed under his arms, it then moved on to his belly and neck. The hair then began to fall out. Of course allergies the vet said. After finally finding a vet that we felt actually cared, he took one look at him and said that's a yeast infection. We then came to the conclusion he is allergic to the yeast as well. He suggested putting athlete's foot cream on the areas. His neck is now cleared up but still has no hair. I started him on the acv, yogurt, and the a pill today. I am hoping this will help cure him. He has his days where some are worse, and he keeps us up half the night, but he seems to be doing better from the athlete's foot cream, but I hope this new remedies works! He has also suffered from chronic ear infections, I use drops the vet gives us, but they come and go about every month. He smells horrible so I bath him with the medicated shampoo as well. I hope he gets better soon. :("

[YEA]  08/18/2010: Gina from Iuka, Ms replies: "Our yorkie had a problem with yeast and pyroderma. We have tried many things but for three weeks we have been giving him a teaspoon of organic coconut in his food and using derMagic products on his skin (lotion, shampoo and conditioner) it has tea tree and peppermint in it. I still use vinegar/water in his ears. I am amazed the yeast and smell is totally gone. He still has a problem with allergies some days (red eyes, ears, and the top of his head) when this happens I give him a dose of benadryl. As an added bonus he used to spit up his food at least once a week and I had to give him a pepcid as he doesn't do that anymore. I dont know if it was the yeast in his system anyhow, it's gone. Hope this helps."

01/12/2011: Rosavan from Yuba City, Ca replies: "What kind of yogurt are you giving your dogs? I've heard that you need sugar free plain yogurt and I can only find plain with sugar. Thank you for your reply."

04/23/2011: Tweets22 from Seminole, Fl replies: "can I give my cairn a acidophilus pill instead of yogurt? And what food do u all recommend I use Blue of seniors thanks"

[YEA]  07/30/2011: Aly from New York, Ny, Usa replies: "I give my 4lb. Yorkie the plain yogurt called YoBaby. It comes in plain and Lily loves it. We get it at the health food store.

We have been battling skin issues for years and through the internet finally realized it was a yeast infection. She was a rescue dog and I think she was over-immunized. This left her immune system weak and when she has needed anti-biotics (after dental surgery) she winds up a scratching mess, poor baby. ACV and plain yogurt have been very helpful. I am going to add coconut oil to the mix. One way I could tell the ACV was working was that she did not smell like vinegar after the rinse. She smells like corn chips before the bath and then has no odor after. I put a quarter cup of vinegar into a quart of water and pour it on her at the very end of her bath. No rinse after that."

[YEA]  01/30/2012: Good Luck Dragon from Gosport, Hampshire, United Kingdom replies: "Hi there, I am over the moon with this site and the testimonies. I have a 6 year old westie who has recently developed an allergy to yeast resulting in spots and pustules in his back chest and stomach, and incessant paw licking , his summers were torture for him him being unable to swim as it cancelled out the effects of the shampoo; he was advised to be washed with Malaseb shampoo which does briefly, calm the symptoms down but not allieviate them it also make it hard to innoculate for fleas with a topical treatment because of all the washing. He was still left with the irritation, rubbing of his behind along the floor almost permanently licking of the paws and belly, a bald patch on his back from rubbing and scratching.

Then I saw this site- absolutely amazing. Did as the previous lady mentioned- shallow filled a bath to about an inch poured neat Apple Cider Vinegar over him then sponged him and left the dilute on him he didn't scratch for the rest of the day. Am now giving him a tablespoon of yogurt twice daily which he happily licks of the spoon, am making my own now for extra goodness and money saving, and I put a small amount of Apple Cider Vinegar in his water gradually building up to additional strength, and spray him with the 50/50 solution daily.

I am only on day three and he is virtually a different dog much happier 98 per cent less itchy it is early days. I am sooo thankful to all the people on this site for their insight, so pleased I stumbled across this site by accident when I typed in cheap alternatives to malaseb, v clever. I have done some research on Apple Cider Vinegar- amazing, his coat is so glossy, apparantly it helps prevent fleas and ticks which I think someone mentioned on this site so amazing, overjoyed.

Peace out."

04/05/2012: Suzan from Nashville, Tn replies: "I have two goldens, about 80 lbs. Each, and they have had many skin issues through the years and yeast in the ears. One thing that has helped tremendously is giving them Stinging Nettles, 4 capsules each per day. It's a natural antihistamine with no side effects. Still have a problem with yeast in ears and am starting to use ACV (organic) and feeding Greek yogurt once a day. Will also start adding ACV to drinking water. Skin allergies are much, much better due to Stinging Nettles, tho."

EC: Hi Sondra, looks like you were in the Q&A section and not the remedy section. Many readers have posted their recipes for treating yeast infections below.

[YEA]  02/14/2010: Becki from Blaine, Mn replies: "My past sheltie died three years ago due to chronic yeast infection in her ears. She was treated for years with steroids and antiobiotics. Between the two drugs her immune system was ruined and her body was overtaken causing damage to all of her internal organs. After a week in an oxygen kennel at the University of Minnesota and numerous tests she died. I give my present shelties a raw diet after one of them started to have skin/allergy problems. Within a week his skin was clear and no more scratching. I also give them probiotics. When he does have a flair up (if he is given a treat with grain in it) I spray 50/50 acv/water on him and if he has a spot that appears to be more itchy I put greek yogurt on it...because he seems to have a problem when he eats yogurt. Between the acv, yogurt and daily probiotics he is a happy boy. I give my shelties the same probiotics that I take."

01/26/2010: Bananas3571 from Palos Hills, Illinois replies: "Hello as i was reading your post i noticed that ur dog is eating the same food that my vet prescribed for my dog Nutro for sensitive stomache light purple bag i thought this food was the best she has ever has but at the same time she kept coming down with those nasty yeasty ear infections not to mention her newest diagnosis a yeasty skin infection that she kept transferring to her ears every time she scracthed to my dismay i discovered that the nutro has an ingredient that was causing all the problems check the ingredients its the rice gluten Now glutens cause yeast production i immediately took her off that food and put her on a grain free food that dosent contain corn wheat glutens soy preservatives beef now she is doing just fine please change the food thats ur problem many blessings."

01/02/2010: Mr. Smithster from Los Angeles, Ca, Usa replies: "Happy New Year to all. Follow up on Willow. Week 3,I am noticing a good but strange development on Willows belly, crotch and arm pits where she had yeast growth on her skin. All the areas where yeast grew are now kind of scabbing over. Before treatment, i could see the yeast growth but i couldn't feel it on her skin. Now all the "spots" are either hard little scabs or have already scabbed over and fell off, its all nice pink skin underneath. Has anyone else had this experience? Its like the yeast is dying out and a scab develops in place of the black yeast "spots", then when the scab falls off, the skin looks like it should again! The scabs don't seem to bother Willow at all. She isn't itching or biting at all and her fur continues to fill in, she is almost back to what i would say is "normal". Thanks for this great info, i would have never thought something so simple and basic could have such a positive effect on my dog's health."

01/15/2010: Mr. Smithster from Lomita, Ca replies: "ok, week 5. slight relapse. with willow off the Atopica for this long she did start to lose her fur again. no yeast on her skin even though fur was falling out. i started the Atopica and within 1 week she is doing much better again. i guess i will have to use the Atopica along with the ACV/yogurt. the ACV/yogurt at least keeps her skin yeast infections at bay. she also smells good. no "dog" smell at all. im going to start giving her probiotics this week also. im just trying to find a brand that has good viable bacteria for dogs, so many have maybe a 100 million count, im looking for one that has billions, and made for dogs. i'll keep you posted..."

09/01/2010: Taimi from Brantford, Ontario, Canada replies: "When I got my little guy, he had been on allergy meds forever. His name is Houdini and he's a shih tzu. Very inbred, lots of problems, sweetest and cutest dog ever. I got him when he was 5. He's now 11. I've taken him off of the allergy meds and given him Orijen foods for several years and am currently trying a raw/dehydrated food. Over time I've learned of his allergies (chicken, wheat, cinnamon, red dyes, venison, etc. ) and eliminated all of them - finding food he can eat has proven difficult at times. Chicken is in EVERYTHING!! Also, funny thing, the allergy meds were pink... And it's common for some dogs, specifically shih tzus, to have problems with red dyes!! Tell me how that was going to help anything?? plus, red dyes are sooo toxic!! He is extremely yeasty and over time, has developed an OCD of licking. This licking is the worst thing ever!! If I could get him to stop, everything would be perfect. Basically what happens is that he licks and keeps his chin (or his leg) moist. Yeast grows. He injests the yeast (thinks it smells yummy) AND spreads it with his saliva. And the vicious cycle keeps going. I've managed to mostly keep him from his legs and ears by using a cone. Poor guy lives in his "hat" most of the time. Right now it's his chin that I'm having problems with. I'm working on that, but I just wanted to leave a few comments for people having problems with ears... What I've figured out is exactly what I described above. Obviously you can get water into a dog's ear when bathing him, but I've also found another reason. A dog normally itches his ear and then cleans off his toes afterwards by licking them. Sometimes he'll scratch his ear again... Putting saliva into his ear. If conditions are right, yeast can grow. More itching ear. More licking toes. If there's yeast in the ear, he's now injesting it when he licks off his toes. I've found that using a cone has kept my little one's ears clean for over a year since he cannot scratch them. Since he's an obsessive licker and will soak his feet, it's guaranteed that they'll reinfect if he has the chance. (one ear or the other was pretty much infected since I had him... I was always treating them with drops). I'm not saying to leave your pup in the cone forever, but maybe until the ears clear up and the scratching stops. Also, as horrible as it may sound, I've found the best treatment for my little guy for hot spots has been head and shoulders shampoo. I've tried every other medicated shampoo out there and spent a lot of money. Nothing every worked. Some helped a little, but he'd still flare up. Now, if he's managed to lick an area to yeast, all I have to do is give him a shampoo every two days for a week and he's good to go. I only use it when it's necessary, but, since it's currently the ONLY thing helping him, head and shoulders is what I use. (i find it works best if you use both shampoo and conditioner. ) Now if I could only get him to stop licking until his chin is soaked. THEN I could really get his system yeast free!!"

09/06/2010: Gina from Iuka, Ms replies: "Try one teaspoon of organic coconut oil in food once a day. I tried everything and this works to get rid of yeast. You can also rub it on the skin."

09/08/2010: Gina from Iuka, Ms replies: "For Taimi: I thought about how your baby licks his feet. I had a yorkie who was allergic to grass. Every time we took her out and back in we had to wipe off her feet with a damp rag. Its worse when there is dew on the grass. Never tried it but can you put baby or doll socks on his feet? Maybe if you put coconut oil on then socks he wouldnt lick so much or only socks when he goes out. I give my yorkies one teaspoon of organic coconut oil in their food everyday. No more yeast or any skin problems. As a bonus they stopped spitting up that yellow foam once or twice a month. Good luck"

10/09/2010: Sherry from Woodville, Texas Usa replies: "Thank goodness for my vet!!! I have a 3 1/2 yr. old Westie that developed really bad skin issues. Smelly, itchy, red skin and she was miserable. He immediately diagnosed a yeast infection. She's taking pills, but tonight I'm going to start with a 50/50 ACV & water rinse after her bath. Like so many others, I'm grateful I found this website, and that I have a great vet on the north side of town."

11/30/2010: Carla from Lake Mary, Florida replies: "I have a pug with skin allergies. I have him on a grain free diet using Taste of the Wild dog food. He is on the wild salmon variety. The store I get it from suggested this type to keep start on the 'cool' type of foods: fish or chicken as opposed to the 'warmer' types which would be red meats. This has helped, although I still have to bath him with a medicated shampoo - the vet finally thought about a yeast infection after I mentioned a dip a friend uses on her dog. He still is miserable & has a bad odor after a few days, but his hair has grown back! I am going to try the ACV & yogurt."

[BETTER BUT NOT CURED]  12/04/2010: Sylia from New York, New York replies: "To all those people who mentioned Acidophilus and yogurt a big thank you. My Shih Tsu has had yeast infections for the past couple of years. She's been to the vet several times, been on antibiotics and prednisone and I bathe her in Malasab shampoo twice a week. The steroids worked for a while but the infection came back again. The shampoo does help for a short while but it is heartbreaking to see her constantly chewing on her paws and scratching. She had a pariculaly bad flareup recently and after bathing here in the Malaseb shampoo I Googled "remedies for yeast infections in dogs" and came across this site. While I didn't have acidopolous in the house I did have yogurt so I gave her a couple of teaspoons of it.

This is the fourth day that I have given her yogurt and I cannot belive the difference. She is no longer chewing and scratching and the terrible redness has gone down a good bit. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this is not just a temporary solution but that it will last. I have ordered Acidopolus for her but if the yogurt keeps working I will just keep her on that. If your dog suffers from yeast infections do try the yogurt. It may not work for your dog but it's definitely worth a try, it was for my little girl. The Malaseb shampoo is no longer available but the alternative is KetoChlor shampoo by Virbac. You can buy it online."

[YEA]  12/20/2010: Tuesday Angel from Whittier, Ca replies: "I want to help other dogs that have this awful skin problem. My lhasa apso was constantly scratching, her neck, tummy, and chest were bright red, the hair was gone, she had large areas of gray skin fungus and she smelled so bad. I bathed her , but she would smell the next day. This went on for 8 months. I did tons of research and after just two weeks of treatment she is well!

Here is what I did. I bathed her with Zymox enzyme shampoo (3 times a week) and used Zymox ear drops, found both on amazon. I made her food weekly in a crockpot, put in chicken thighs with skin, brown rice, barley, carrots, water and let cook until the meat falls off the bones and skin disappears. Take out bones and mix well. I feed her this food 3 times a day, 1/2 cup each time, I mixed in 1 TB alfalfa powder, 1TB kelp powder, 1TB flax meal, 1 TB olive oil and some water. Once a day I mixed in 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder and 1 broken echinecea capsule as an natural antibiotic. I also gave her 1 acidophillis capsule daily. Finally, I massaged a few drops of tea tree oil on the irrated skin. I am still amazed at the results. I hope this helps other owners and dogs."

[YEA]  01/19/2011: Joyceepoo from Mobile, Alabama, Usa replies: "I too am very happy to have found this site. My dogs both have suffered with ear infections to the point of having to have surgery. While I was concerned about the money, I was also very concerned with the degree of suffereing that they went through. I am happy to say that they have been getting ACV in their water daily and they are both as happy as can be. I have not seen either one of them scratching, and their ears are as clean as can be. They even smell so much better. Thanks to your site. I will continue with what we are doing, and after a few more weeks I am going to attemp to wean them off of the prescription diet that they have been on for several months. I will kepp you all posted."

01/21/2011: Kathie659 from Plains, P, Usa replies: "Specifics please How much ACV, acidophilis, yogurt would I give a 50lb dog. I believe the ACV is diluted 50/50 with filtered water to spray on her skin and ears (provided skin is unbroken)"

01/28/2011: Kathie659 from Plains, P, Usa replies: "I started applying diluted ACV topically and the smell is gone! Itching reduced but still present. One ear seems to be a bit better after 3 applications. I attempted to give dog 2 TBS of ACV by mixing it in her water. However she refuses to drink it. I will have to try it in her dry food and hope that 2TBS is the recommended dosage."