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"Allergies"

 

** First and Foremost:  -We encourage you to do your own research! There is a ton of information available on the internet. Everyone always has an opinion and a remedy when it comes to things ailing your pet... but please, don't take everything you read or hear at face value!!

QUESTION EVERYTHING!! -Even from us - and yes, even your vet! Most people run on blind faith and assume that vets are "all knowing." That they have all the answers and know what's best for your beloved pet at all times...but from our experience, just listening to our clients stories for so many years... this is not always the case!
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Side note- There seems to be an uptick in corporately owned vet groups lately. We're finding many of the smaller groups have either merged or been bought out by corporations. Please, just be diligent & do your homework. We're not saying they're all bad, by any means...in fact, many of them have state of the art equipment right there on site, so they're able to do things much faster...especially in an emergency situation (such as X-rays and blood tests) But, since corporations have multiple locations & employees, they tend to lose that personal touch & bedside manner you 'd receive at a smaller vet group... And from what you've told us, It seems they don't always have the best interest of your pet (or your wallet) in mind. Not to mention the monetary pushbacks they get from the pharmaceutical companies for prescribing certain medications. Corporations and "Big Pharma" typically go hand in hand, & for them-disease and chronic illness is extremely profitable. A very sad truth! We just want you to be careful.
​If you feel like your vet is giving you the run around, you've been back and forth a bunch of times and your beloved pet is not getting any better, don't be afraid to ask questions...or better yet, get a second opinion. Our hope is that we can help educate you from our years of experience ...and in doing so, extend the life of your pet!

 

As professional groomers, we see hundreds of dogs on a regular basis, so we come across many common skin and coat ailments. The most common being:
 
"Allergies"
We see so many of them these days. 80% of the dogs that come in for grooming have some type of an "allergy" (according to their vet.) They come in for grooming with their bottles of medicated shampoo - the ones that don't get the dog clean because they don't lather, they smell awful and we have to leave them on for at least 10 minutes. They bring their medicated anti itch sprays, ear ointments and creams that we must apply to the designated areas ...including butts! 
Yes indeed. Fun fun. But lets face it, most people aren't regularly digging around in their dogs ears. That's the groomers job... so we have a pretty good idea of whats going on in there.

So, after applying the same greasy ear medication to a clients dog,  over the course of about 6 months for a chronic ear infection, "caused by allergies" and not seeing any improvement, I started to question it. What was the point of continuing to use something that obviously wasn't working,  just because the vet said to do so!? And what the heck is going on in that ear? I needed answers! And more importantly, I needed to help this poor dog that was obviously suffering. It was so badly infected his mom was not able to put the medicine in anymore because he would try to bite.

This is how my quest for answers began. And in doing so, we discovered that the vet was wrong in his diagnosis, and the treatment he had prescribed was actually making it worse! After consulting with my client about my research and findings, she tried some of the remedies we discovered... and within a week, it cleared up! We couldn't believe it. She had been struggling with this issue for YEARS!!

Since then, I have continued to research throughout the years & I've learned so much. I feel it is my obligation to share this information with you, not only as your dogs groomer, but as a fellow pet owner and animal lover... Because at Spaw, we love your dogs as much as you do!

When I was a child, dogs didn't have "allergies".  They got some dry kibble, a can of Alpo and some dinner scraps and they were healthy as can be!  So what changed? What's going on? What's with all the allergies?
 
You may be surprised at the answer!

We find that so many vets will classify a multitude of symptoms into this one word: "allergies". We hear it every day. "He has allergies". "What is he allergic to?", we ask. "Oh they aren't sure what the trigger is yet... But he went for a cortisone shot and they gave us this special shampoo...and next week we are going to have him allergy tested for $1,500."

We cringe every time! 

One of the most common "allergies", for lack of a better term, is in fact, an overgrowth of yeast, or yeast infection. So, before you run back to the vet spending thousands of dollars on shots, shampoos, sprays, ointments and allergy testing... only to come back to square one... please read this first!!

Yeast infection

 

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Most common symptoms of yeast overgrowth::

  • Excessively scratching at ears or rubbing them on the rug -usually causing matting from the rubbing.

  • Red, swollen or greasy ears -may even look like cauliflower.

  • Strange musty odor that won't go away- even after a bath - (Some say the smell resembles corn chips.) usually odor comes from ears, feet, or face- but can be all over.

  • Coat seems either dull, dry or oily. May have sparse areas with hair loss and flaking.

  • Crusty or "cheesy" yellowish colored substance that is typically greasy to the touch (and smells funky) usually found between the toes or on the nails, under armpits, or genitals but can be all over. 

  • Licking or biting at paws or privates-  the color of the coat may even change to a reddish maroon color if licking is excessive

  • Skin or ears may feel hot to the touch

  • May seem twitchy,  or jumpy when brushing or petting. Sensitive to the touch. 

  • May seem lethargic and achey

  • Bloated or Gassy

    If your dog has any of these symptoms, he may very well have an overgrowth of yeast. AKA     "allergies".  Crazy to think all these different symptoms can be caused by one thing, huh?! 

The ear of a golden retriever with chronic yeast  infections. 

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Red yeast on the feet of a havanese...caused by excessive licking  due to  an allergy to chicken.

So, what is yeast?
Yeast, otherwise known as Candida is a sugar digesting organism, or fungus, that is naturally present in the body at all times, promoting a healthy balanced immune system in both people and pets. It is known as "good bacteria".  You can find it in the mouth, nose, ears, genitals and digestive track. Under normal circumstances, this fungus is kept in balance by the other good bacteria and microbes.

If the immune system is somehow compromised, the good bacteria will try to fight off the bad bacteria. That's it's job... To restore balance. But sometimes it gets knocked too far off kilter, and it is unable to restore balance, resulting in an overgrowth of yeast flora, aka- yeast infection. If left untreated, and given the right environment, yeast can thrive and spread rapidly... affecting the whole body, inside and out causing a multitude of problems!!   
 

What causes it?

Yeast overgrowth is typically caused by the use of one of the following: 

  • antibiotics, (being number one)

  • immunosuppressive drugs (such as steroids, like Prednisone and cortisone) 

  • and most important, diet. 

 

Lets explain how antibiotics work:
An antibiotics job is to kill bacteria, but the thing is, it doesn't discriminate between the good and the bad... it's full on genocide to 90% of ALL bacteria... so yes...if your dog is given antibiotics to treat his "allergies" it will most likely kill the yeast... and you will likely notice the symptoms diminish... BUT before you know it, you finish the medication, and a week later it's back... and usually with a vengeance! 


You see, this time, the immune system has to work twice as hard,  to not only fight off the bad bacteria, but to also try and replenish the good bacteria that was killed in the process.
So,  If the cause of the bacteria overgrowth was not treated, You are not getting to the root of the problem and it will eventually just come back, causing a vicious cycle. 


Keep in mind, this information is valid for humans as well. Here's an example: A woman goes to the doctor for a toothache. Doc says she has an infection, gives her antibiotics to kill the infection. She takes the antibiotics as prescribed and the next thing she knows, she gets a yeast infection. This happened because the antibiotics killed not only the bad bacteria causing the infection, but also all the good bacteria that was fighting off the candida overgrowth. This is the exact same thing with a dog. 
 

But what if I never gave my dog antibiotics?! 
Well here's where we blow your mind. Antibiotics are in the food that we eat!! Are you aware that the majority of livestock that are used for producing food (for human and animal consumption) are fed antibiotics? Almost ALL chicken, about 90% of pork and 70% of beef. (Look it up for yourself if you don't believe us. In the past few years there has been much more public awareness on this issue ... so these numbers have hopefully decreased since I wrote this) 

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Truth of the matter is, you are what you eat. And if your body is constantly being fed antibiotics, You are not going to have any good bacteria left to keep your immune system balanced. It will be a constant struggle for your body to keep up. No wonder everyone is sick and tired and has "allergies" This is a very serious problem.  Do you see where we are going with this? Is it starting to make sense?

Chronic ear yeast is usually linked to diet.  And from our experience, if you use the wrong ear medicine when yeast is present (especially one that is greasy) it will just keep the ear moist and the yeast will thrive. Yeast can grow anywhere on the body, But it loves humidity and moisture. Which is why we see more "allergy flare ups" in the warmer months. It is probably most common in the ear.  Especially dogs with drop down ears such as Spaniels and Golden Retrievers. It starts out waxy, then gets red, swollen and smelly. If left untreated it can turn into what we call "cauliflower ear" and may actually affect the hearing.

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Water in the ears

Contrary to popular belief, water will not cause an ear infection. We hear it all the time- "my vet said to put cotton in his ears and make sure you don't get water in there because he got an ear infection after his last grooming."

🙄 (Yes, we're offended.)

Fist of all, this is false and misleading information! They make it sound like the groomer caused it. Bacteria and fungus cause infection. Not water. While it is true that water can aggravate it, this is only true if the bacteria or fungus are already present!

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If there is candida overgrowth in there, you will want to keep the ears as dry as possible.

Be sure to always wipe the inside of the ears with ear cleaner using cotton balls or pads immediately after a bath or swimming to dry out the ear canal & avoid potential problems. Another trick for dogs with drop down ears to get some air circulation in there, is to use a "scrunchie" or hair tie around the ears to help hold them up . Just don't do it too tight. It usually won't last for too long because your dog will likely shake their head and fling them off, but it may help temporarily!
 

How do I treat Candida/Yeast?

Luckily, There are several things you can do at home to ease the discomfort and start the healing process, while you get to the root of the problem, and it wont cost you hundreds of dollars!


The first thing you need to do is get the good bacteria back . This is done by taking probiotics. A Probiotic is compiled of live organisms, bacteria and yeast and does the opposite of an antibiotic. It is a bottle full of "good bacteria". You need to get the good guys back into the system to help restore balance.  

 

Most pet stores sell different kinds of probiotics, some are refrigerated. Natures Bounty makes chewable acidophilus that you can find at your local pharmacy.  Unless your dog is a picky eater, they usually like it, and will readily eat it. 
Another way to get the good bacteria in the gut is with yogurt. Plain Greek yogurt. You can give your dog a couple spoonfuls daily, or mix it with food.  They usually like this too. 

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Treating yeast ear infections
One of the best and fastest remedies for knocking out yeast in the ear or on the body is with lotrimin cream. Clotrimazole is the generic name. 

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lotrimin.jpg
Clotrimazole45g_540x540.jpg

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Lotrimin is an anti-fungal cream found in the foot isle at the pharmacy and is used for curing athletes foot. It is the exact same thing as gyno-lotrimin that women use for a yeast infection. The same candida fungus is responsible for all of these things!!

(Lotrimin is also a very good remedy for a severe diaper rash too- just FYI) 


To treat ears - do this once a day for a week: 
1. First clean the infected ear using a cotton ball or pad that has been dipped in either witch hazel, or equal parts apple cider vinegar/water.  Use as many cotton balls as you need until they wipe clean.
2. Squirt a little bit of lotrimin directly into the ear and massage ear canal. Do not wipe until the following day.

Repeat these 2 steps every day for about a week... It is important to clean the ear in between treatments because when yeast starts to  die off, it forms a crust, which if not removed, can become a breeding ground for more bacteria to grow. 

Lotrimin can also be used on the body and between the toes, but you don't want your dog to lick it. And chances are, if he can reach it, he will lick it. You may have to get an "E collar" from the pet store to prevent this. It may be uncomfortable for him to wear,  but in the long run it will be worth it. Use the same steps as above and wipe any excess cream before applying new.

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BATHING

Bathing your dog in between grooming is a good way to help relieve the itching. We recommend a probiotic shampoo called "skouts honor" which we sell at the shop. It is particularly good for dogs with yeast. and we've seen excellent results after using this shampoo, including renewed hair growth on dogs that scratched themselves so badly they caused hair loss!

Although you would think it would help to relieve itching since it is marketed for relieving skin problems, **DO NOT give an OATMEAL bath to a dog with yeast!! Oatmeal feeds yeast!! 

 

DIET

The best way to deal with a food allergy and to find the trigger without spending thousands of dollars for allergy testing is by process of elimination.

  • You do this by switching to a protein that your dog has never had before such as; venison, rabbit or fish. We recommend mixing the new dry food with the old one at first to acclimate them. Sometimes switching to a completely different food outright can cause diarrhea (and that's no fun)

  • Eliminate all treats and table food (make sure the whole family is on board and that grandma isn't sneaking milk bone biscuits on the side! )

  • Stick with treats of the same brand with the same protein you chose.

  • The best way is to eliminate ALL treats, but that can be difficult...everyone deserves a treat!  

  • Keep them on this strict diet for about a month,

  • Slowly start to re-introduce things weekly. ONE AT A TIME... 

  • Keep an eye out for paw licking- which is one of the first signs that it has triggered an allergy. 


The most common triggers are chicken, gluten, wheat, & grains.  
There are hundreds of brands of dog food on the market.  Many are now even formulated for dogs with "allergies".  Be sure to speak to your vet about your concerns and don't be afraid to ask questions!!

 

  • Avoid low quality supermarket brand foods. You don't need to buy the most expensive brand just research the ingredients.

  • Try to find brands that advertise antibiotic free.

  • Avoid foods that are high in carbs - Candida converts carbs into glucose and feeds off it.

  • Avoid foods with corn. It has no nutritional value and is used as a filler.

We have a huge selection of specialty services available, many of which may provide some relief for allergies! 

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