Should I try feeding my dog yogurt to treat fungal infection and how much per day?
I’ve done аbουt 2 days worth οf research οn treating yeast infection, ѕіnсе mу 3yo shih tzu wаѕ diagnosed wіth one thе οthеr day. Yου саn аlѕο check mу previous qυеѕtіοnѕ. I’m very hesitant οn putting hіm οn antibiotics οr steroids, аnd anyway thе vet dіd nοt recommend thаt (уеt).
Mу dog hаѕ fungal infection аll over hіѕ body (nοt јυѕt іn сеrtаіn раrtѕ lіkе many οthеr dogs). Stаrtеd wіth thе ear. Hе′s now οn medicated shampoo, cream аnd switched tο holistic hypoallergenic dog food.
Fοr a dog hіѕ size аnd age (shih tzu, 3yo)… hοw much yogurt ѕhουld I feed hіm per day?
Thank уου.
Oral antibiotics? Don’t antibiotics suppress even thе gοοd bacteria, hence encourage thе yeast (whісh іѕ a fungus) tο proliferate even more? Thаt іѕ whу I won’t give mу dog antibiotics, esp. whеn thе vet dіd nοt even mention іt οn thе first visit.
Bυt antibiotics kіll bacteria (whether gοοd οr bаd bacteria), NOT *fungi*…whісh іѕ thе problem here.
Aѕ I hаνе ѕаіd I HAVE BEEN TO THE VET. Thе vet dіd NOT even recommend antibiotics ѕο I’m nοt јυѕt going tο chuck іn ѕοmе antibiotics іntο mу dog, esp. whеn іt hаѕ worse implications.
Yogurt іѕ whаt kept coming up аftеr ѕοmе οf thе research I dіd аnd I guess I wanted tο try іt whіlе mу dog іѕ under medicated shampoo. And whу CAN’T іt treat yeast infections? SYSTEMIC yeast infections root cause саn аlѕο come frοm LEAKY GUT whісh hаѕ tο dο wіth thе digestive system. Yogurt helps іn conditions thаt disrupt intestinal flora, whеrе thе disruption encourages thе overgrowth οf yeast.
I guess I јυѕt need a gοοd reason іf уου ѕау yogurt іѕ bаd “whу″ іt іѕ bаd, nοt јυѕt ѕау “іt’s bаd” bесаυѕе уου thіnk іt іѕ. Thanks
@Jane, thank уου fοr уουr explanation. I’m aware ѕοmе dogs аrе lactose intolerant, ѕο I wіll try уουr recommendation аnd give mу dog јυѕt a lіttlе bit tο see thе benefits οr lack οf. Thanks again.
@Kissmycowboy Thank уου аlѕο. Very helpful.
NO! unless a vet told you so
it can make them more sick
The youghurt has supplements of things which only humans can handle. Don’t feed it to him.
Yes yogurt is good. Add it with her normal food just a little bit.
No you should not feed your dog yogurt.He needs to be on oral antibiotics,they will help heal him from the inside out.
Yogurt is for digestive problems NOT fungal infections. Why on earth would you be hesitant any giving medication to your dog to clear up his medical issues??? Sometimes antibiotics and/or steroids are necessary to help the dog get over his problems. Why would you withhold treatment? It’s certainly not going to kill him, and will probably cure him.
If you want you can give him about a teaspoon of plain yogurt, but it will do nothing for fungal infection. Hopefully he is not allergic to dairy products, if he is you’ll have more medical issues to deal with. So please ask your vet for advice, you will only get guesses here and they are not always the best.
You can give him yogurt I would just start with a very small amount (like maybe 1 tablespoon) and see how he does from there. You can also put yogurt directly on his irritated skin (not in his ear though of course!). Another thing you can do is dilute some white vinegar and dilute it with water and lightly spray the irritated areas. This will sting but it helps kill yeast. Garlic is also an excellent anti-fungal. This can be added to his food as well and dogs love garlic. Use fresh garlic and only a little. Good luck and hope this helps
You can feed your dog natural live culture yoghurt. The dessert, sugary variety of yoghurt won’t do any good, you need the natural one. There is nothing in natural live culture yoghurt that can harm dogs. I give my small breeds 2 heaped teaspoons of yoghurt every night. The large breeds get more.
I don’t think it will help much with a yeast infection though. I have a dog who sometimes gets yeasty ears and all my dogs have been fed natural live culture yoghurt from the time they come home as pups.
Because my dog’s yeast infection was not systemic he was not prescribed antibiotics or steroids, just ear drops for 10 days. I suspect it’s seasonal as he gets yeasty ears around the same time every year.
Did your vet suggest Malaseb shampoo? That usually gets rid of yeasty skin in fairly short order.
Yogurt certainly won’t hurt your dog. Even though most dogs are lactose intolerant, the enzymes in yogurt make it a modified lactose. You would want to start with about a Tablespoon per day, divided into two feedings, and increase to twice that, gradually.
Two of my Afghans have had chronic yeast infections in their ears for years.. I have spent hundreds on trying to help them, including many refills of what the vets have prescribed.
I recently switched to Grain-Free Canidae, and the ears are finally all clear! Grains feed the yeast and keep it growing. Dogs do better without grains.
Of the meds I used, the over-the-counter Zymox Otic w/ Hydrocortisone worked the best, and It healed the hot spots one of the hounds had. ( I applied it directly on the hotspot) .
Now they make a zymox to spray on the skin>
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Zymox-w-Hydrocortisone-Spray-2oz-/110649717797?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19c33cb425
For ears>
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Zymox-1-25oz-Hydrocortisone-Free-FREE-SHIPPING-/180718155852?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a13a4384c
It really relieved the itching and healed up the skin and ears, but the infection would return in four or five weeks..
yogurt alone will not help cure a fungal infection…………there are soooooooooooo many different strains of bacteria…….some can be helped by the microbes in yogurt, most cant……..the ones in yogurt are generally most helpful for gut bacteria, ….thats why they promote yogurts like activia for intestinal health, that is what they help, if they did mroe than that then they would be promoting activia more as a cure all……..growth of bacteria depend on temperature level, pH, light, and many combinations of other things……..and remember, many of the yogurts on the market have soooooooooo many other things added to them…..
Normally fungal infections can only grab hold when the immune system is compromised due to some underlying problem such as low thyroid. Normally little or no therapy is given, however in the moresistantant cases, topical or oral antifungal medication may be necessary. Thoroughly clean the dogs environment as it can be contagious depending upon which fungi is causing the problem.
Unless the fungi is controlled the disease can become systemic, meaning it can move to any one of the internal organs necessitating more intense treatment such as antibiotics and steroids.
If and when your vet recommends more intensive treatment you should go along with it as simply using yogurt or creams will not get rid of the internal fungi.
When using Yogurt, use only the fat-free non flavored kind and with your dog a tablespoonful should be plenty. Very few dogs are lactose intolerant.