nutrition

Question
QUESTION: I have an all whit male english bulldog puppy that is about three in a half months old. Right now I am feeding him about 3 cups a day of Natures Own puppy food. What would you recommend for food and some type of vitams? One more thing. His tear stains already seem to be starting is that normal? Thanks so much.

ANSWER: Tear stains are another sign of a yeast infection. I think that must be the most common problem with kibble. I could not find the ingredients for your dog food to check to see what is in it. Can you guide me to their website?

As far as what I'd recommend, hands down it's a species appropriate diet of meat, bones and organ meat. Best is organic, grassfed, etc but most people, including me, can't afford that so we go with human quality meats that aren't organic. To make up for that I give fish body oil (not cod liver) several times a week and a natural vitamin e once a week since fish oil depletes e.

Other than that no vitamins or additives are needed. Since it's the food they were meant to eat it digests the best and causes the fewest problems.

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QUESTION: Do I just take him to the vet about the yeast infection? I just had him there for his shots about two weeks ago and they didnt say anything about it. Anyway the wbesite for his food is www.nutroproducts.com Another thing. Sorry if these are dumb questions but sometimes you can see the pink in his face alot. Does that mean he has to thin of a coat or is he just still young? Thanks again.

Answer
The pink is another definite sign of a yeast problem and your vet should have noticed that. Honestly most vets deal with it by giving you steroids which do stop the itches but don't treat the underlying problem at all. As soon as treatment stops it comes right back.

And there is no such thing as a dumb question!

Anyway, you definitely need to change his food. That is the source of the yeast problem. Nutro is one of the "better" kibbles but then again I don't consider kibble to be a good food for dogs, not even the top ones. It's not what dogs would eat if they had a choice by any means.

First of all use a sulfur based shampoo and use it at least once a week. Rinse with a solution of half white vinegar and half water. And get some fish oil for him, given on a daily basis, along with natural vitamin E.

The vaccinations may also be contributing to the problem. And keep an eye on his ears. That is where yeast likes to hide and cause problems.


I still think moving to a raw diet will be the best move to stop the yeast. There is nothing in it to keep it going. There are some kibbles that are supposedly allergen free but all have carbohydrates in them. Any one of them can be causing the itchies.

You might want to read a little about this.
http://rawfed.com/myths/carbs.html
http://rawfed.com/myths/honest.html
http://rawlearning.com/
http://aunaturelk9s.com/treatingyeast.html