Possible yeast infection

Question
QUESTION: My 6YO GSD, who is a working dog, has had continual problems with big black sores on his hind quarters. My groomers said it was yeast infection from food. I switched froma low end food to a very very high end food and they have come back. He chews the hair off the area. Its been 6 months since last vet visit but she just gives us Betagin spray for it? Help my poor fella.

ANSWER: Janke,

I'm sorry you are having to deal with this! Please send me the exact brand / formula of the food you fed before and what you are feeding now so that I can review the foods and then provide some alternate suggestions.

Thanks!

Tracie Fowler
Triangle Pet Supply
www.TrianglePet.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I was feeding purina dog chow in the green bag. I sweitched to Blue Buffalo fish and sweet patato recipe

Answer
Ok!

You need to work on an elimination diet. Both foods contain barley. I would suggest you start with a limited ingredient food, without barley, and a different protein source.

California Natural Lamb & Rice seems like the best place to start. http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products/default.asp?id=3 It is a widely distributed food so you should be able to find a local source. http://www.naturapet.com/where-to-buy/

Continue to manage the sores as instructed by your veterinarian and give the new food a month to see if it helps. If it does not improve, switch to California Natural Grain Free Lamb Meal Formula - http://www.californianaturalpet.com/products/default.asp?id=1713 You should be able to buy it from the same store that carries the lamb & rice formula.

If neither of these work, I would strongly suggest moving away from dry food. Or, you can skip the dry food suggestions above and go directly to these; though these foods are going to be more costly, especially with a large breed. I'm giving you multiple manufacturer options, where I can, to give you the best chance of finding a source and minimizing cost:

Canned options: EVO - http://www.evopet.com/search/ or Merrick Before Grain 96% - http://www.merrickpetcare.com/store/bg_canned_dog_food_132.php or Nature's Variety Instinct - http://www.naturesvariety.com/instinct_dog_can

Dried options: Ziwi Peak - http://www.ziwipeak.com/nzl/cuisinefamily.shtml or Real Meat - http://www.realmeatpet.com/Real_Meat_Foods.html

Frozen Pasteurized option: Country Pet http://www.countrypet.com/dogfood/index.html

Raw Food options: Bravo - http://www.bravorawdiet.com/balance/index.html or Nature's Variety - http://www.naturesvariety.com/raw_products or Primal http://www.primalpetfoods.com/product/list/c/7 or Steve's http://www.stevesrealfood.com/canine.html

All the options I listed above are balanced diets so you can feed them as sole diets. As you move from the top to the bottom of the list, you will be moving to purer and purer food sources. Follow the same format as suggested with dry. Choose a food (one flavor) and give it a month to see if it is having an effect. If it doesn't work, move on to the next flavor or product. Transitions from one food to the next should be made slowly, over the course of a week, by increasing the new amount of new food and decreasing the amount of old food as the week goes along. If your dog has a violent reaction to something, discontinue it and move on to another.

I think a raw food diet may be the best answer in your situation but understand that lifestyle, location, and price all play a factor. If it is a solution that you are open to, available in your area, and affordable, start with the raw suggestions. You are in a situation that may take some time to resolve so be patient and feel free to follow up with me as you progress.

Best,

Tracie Fowler
Triangle Pet Supply
www.TrianglePet.com