What Causes Yeast Infections in Dogs?
Yeast infections in dogs are usually secondary problems. This means that there is some other issue that is weakening the skin’s defense mechanisms to allow the yeast to grow in higher numbers than normal.
It is very common to see yeast infections in a dog’s ears or on their skin if they have food allergies or environmental allergies. Other underlying issues that may cause yeast infections in dogs include hormonal problems or other diseases that suppress the immune system.
There are no studies to confirm that any of the following cause yeast infections on a dog’s skin:
What’s the Difference Between Ear Mites and Yeast Infections in Dogs?
Yeast infections in a dog’s ears generally cause redness, a brown discharge, head shaking or rubbing, odor, and itching.
Ear mite infections are extremely itchy and can cause many of the same symptoms. The discharge from the ear is usually dark and waxy or crusty. Ear mites are barely visible to the naked eye and highly contagious to other animals.
Your veterinarian can easily determine whether a dog’s ear problem is caused by yeast or mites by taking a swab from their ear and looking at it under a microscope.
What is a dog paw yeast infection?
As weird as it might sound, yeast and bacteria are a normal part of your skin and your dog’s skin. However, sometimes the number of yeast (or bacteria) gets too high. Or an abnormal type of yeast begins to grow on the skin.
When there is yeast overgrowth, this is called a yeast infection (or a fungal infection). A dog yeast infection can happen on any part of the skin. But it is most likely to occur in areas with lots of skin folds and trapped moisture. This makes a dog’s paw the perfect environment for yeast to start multiplying out of control and causing problems.