★★★★★
We have a 7 lb Chihuahua that is my world. She has always been very healthy. But about 18 months ago we considered putting her down if we couldn't find a way to help her. She was so sick with scratching all the time, elephant skin on her face and feet, lethargic, no appetite, and basically looking really sad and we felt so sorry for her. She had chewed off most of the hair on her feet and they were swollen and puffy like mittens and bleeding instead of thin and graceful like they had been. She chewed them constantly and scratched under her armpits and face. This started immediatly after she had just recovered from surgery for an abcess under her chin and they had treated her with very strong antibiotics. With scepticism I let the vets treat her for demodex with ivermectin. I stopped it after one month because it was making her stomach sick and not helping. Also I knew the spots were not red like demodex and she was 8 yrs old and demodex usually shows up in puppys.
So being the skeptic I am, I looked into dog skin conditions and found out about yeast. I now know that the antibiotics started her yeast problem. It killed off her natural defences to fungus and bacteria, just like in humans. I haven't tried the vinegar yet but I did some research on yeast and I have found these things to be the cure for her: Grain free food, Ketoconazole/chlorhexadine shampoo baths (weekly at first, monthly after a while). Yogurt and acidophilus in her food.
It does take patience and you have to stay on top of it, and may never cure it but you can control it. Some of the enzyme products work are a little harsh for some dogs. And the "die off" looks alarming and the dog gets so sick, so people stop the treatment before it has time to actually work, then they think it didnt work. I also couldn't afford them so tried yogurt, acidophilus and grain free food and the baths. Vets prescribing antibiotics and food with grain don't make sense if it's yeast. They just want to sell you their services and Rx meds and vet store dog food. They are a retail establishment after all. All of the foods that are not grain free just give the yeast something to feed on in the dogs gut. Look up leaky gut syndrome. And it is good also to have your dog checked for thyroid problems though just in case.
I can say our dog Lexie is now happy, energetic and healthy with a shiny coat and completely healed. But we still keep up the routine, bathing more frequently if she starts to itch again. I notice also she scratches more if we have slipped and given her any people food with carbs, but protein is ok, we give her cooked chicken or a little bite of meat sometimes.
