Hi, my 2 year old field lab keeps getting yeast or bacterial infections and they will not go away! I've tried everything from home remedies like foods that will boost his immune system to antibiotics but nothing seems to help, sometimes they will go away for a while but they always seem to return. He has symptoms of ear infections, sometimes hair loss, and unfortunately, butt scooting. Any ideas? Thanks.
I’d suggest trying to rule out an allergic reaction to a food ingredient. So have a look at what his current food contains and try something completely different for a few weeks (and make sure that during that time none of his treats contain whatever you’re excluding too ). For example if his current kibble is chicken based you could move to lamb or fish. My last Lab had skin problems (including his ears) and fish and rice diet seemed to help. If there is an actual infection though you will need to get that cleared up with antibiotics from your vet. The change in diet is just a possible way of preventing recurrences.
We have eliminated chicken from his diet and that seemed to help a little, so we think that he is probably allergic to that. We've tried to change his food to grain free, soy free, wheat free etc. and it helped some, but every so often it comes back. Thanks for the help though, we'll definitely try seeing the vet again.
To add on to that, he has had antibiotics but I've read around on some dog health websites that they kill both good and bad bacteria, which isn't great for the immune system.
The food allergies were my first thought. Our old lab used to deal with this and once we got the food allergies under control everything settled down.
I do think that he has food allergies, but it's kinda hard to pin down what it is since we've tried a lot of different foods. Thanks for the reply, i'll be sure to try and narrow down what it is.
Hi there Once you’ve got control of the infection have a look at giving your dog a dose of keifer everyday. That’s a fermented milk drink, that’s full of probiotics. If you google keifer and dogs there’s lots of research out there. It will provide loads of good bacteria that re populates the gut. Worth a try!
Thanks for the suggestion, I've been giving him some greek yogurt pretty much every day to try and boost his immune system, but maybe i'll try keifer too after getting his yeast infections under control.
Store-bought Greek yoghurt probably has very little by way of probiotics or lactic acid. Make your own kefir. I read a study that compared store-bought yoghurt with homemade kefir, which presented these findings. Kefir is v easy to make. You can try wiping him down with a weak Betadine solution - it’s antifungal and antibacterial. And shampoo your dog in antifungal shampoo as you would your own head of it’s itchy. Best of luck. I too have an itchy dog - it can be difficult and frustrating.
Hey Branston, this site is in favour of giving supportive evidence for treatments and tries to avoid recommending "cures" that are anecdotal. Would it be possible for you to add some links to the research and evidence that keifer (is this the same as Keffir?) is effective? That would be helpful, thanks. Jac
Hi Yes of course, this link is to the company that supplied the kefir that was testedhttps://www.chucklinggoat.co.uk/what-is-kefir/and this link is the full research article. Dogs like humans have foregut digestive models. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2017.01194/full I hope that helps, apologies for not leaving the links in the first place.
Hello I have a six year old male lab that has had an ongoing allergy that produces a staphlococcus and yeast infection on a regular basis. He used to have to take a high dose of Rilexine tablets plus regular washing of paws with Hibiscrub skin microbial cleanser. He often used to get pyoderma in between the webs of his paws resulting in cysts that used to weep and cause him pain walking. I did some research online and found an American drug called "Staphlococcus Aureas Phage Lysate" SPL for short. It is distributed by Avacta Health here in the UK but a vet needs a STL (Special Treatment Licence) to administer it. Basically my dog now has one injection a month on a regular basis and it tends to keep any infection at bay. Its not cheap coming in at around £250 a vial which lasts for up to 10 months plus the injection costs on top of that from the vet. However it has saved him from regular doses of antibiotics and I am able to put it through my dog insurance . I do recommend it to anyone who has to deal with Pyoderma or Furunculitis on a regular basis as it has really worked for my boy. With antibiotics on a regular basis where do you go once the dog has become intolerant ? For this reason I researched this drug which has a great safety track record incidentally. The below links may be useful for you. http://www.avactaanimalhealth.com/pet-home/signs-and-symptoms-dogs/ http://vetsuppliesmag.createconsulting.eu/news/equine/item/88-dexafort.html
Sorry I forgot to add to my original post that my lab too has bald patches on his legs as well as dry skin on elbows. The poor thing also has hip and elbow dysplasia which I didnt find out until he was around 15 months old. He was the result of overbreeding but as he came to me as a rescue dog I had no way of knowing. Some unscrupulous breeder sold him to an Essex pet shop. Hes cost me loads over the last six years but I wouldn't have it any other way .... The one thing for certain is pet insurance really is essential because you never know what is around the corner. I have him on a for life plan... Good luck and I hope you get a result quickly Mary as it can be quite distressing for the dog and you.
For butt scooting its probably the dry itchy skin and a few applications of Isaderm gel (Fusiderm ) from your vet will clear that up. Hes probably scooting because its dry and itchy and inflamed rather than a gland issue. He may well have a patch of scabby skin usually grey in colour. I too have had this problem with my dog. Its also worth buying hibiscrub from an online medical supplier. As its just a medical handwash I get it for around £4.50 for a 500 ml bottle. Again I have managed to get the uinsurance to pay for this. The vets wanted triple the price. I usually give my dog a shower and shampoo in the stuff when he gets really bad and again this helps loads. I am writing so much to you as I taotally sympathise with the frustration of getting nowhere. Its taken me 3 years to finally get this under control. I am new to this forum but glad I found it and I hope my information will make a difference.
For the ear infections .. well my boy uses Sulphadex as and when necessary which is a mixture of steroid and colloidal silver I believe. Again this is from my local vet.Its a water based mixture which I syringe into his ears when he gets a "red" flare up. I'm sure you'll know what I mean by this as its quite obvious when you fold back the ear. In short it might cost a few quid initially but in the long term I feel you will get the results you are looking for.
Thanks so much for the information, we've been struggling for a while now with trying to find out what he has and we'll definitely ask his vet about this. I am also new to the forum but all of your info is very helpful, he has the symptoms that you've mentioned just in different areas. Not sure how much all of this will cost, as i'm in the U.S.
Hi Mary The Staph Lysate I referred to in my earlier posts is in fact manufactured in the USA. It may be more readily available for you as I had to have a special licence throught the vet to administer it to him here in the UK. Google - Staphlococcus Aureaus Phage Lysate for details.
