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Fungus and Yeast

14 years ago

Hello all, I have been having trouble with my cocker spaniel having frequent and severe yeast infections...I have come to the conclusion that it is from fungus in the lawn we often see mushrooms pop up in the back yard. Is there something that can help with this?

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Comments (13)

tiemco
14 years ago
So you think that the mushrooms in your lawn is causing your dog to get these yeast infections? Do you think your dog is eating these mushrooms, or it's from just being in contact with them? What does your vet say?
deepenuf2dream
Original Author
14 years ago
the vet said it was a yeast infection due at least in part to alergies. I am assuming that the mushrooms played a part because they are fungal and often present. The infections usually are on the chest and genital area which would come into contact with the ground and mushrooms during bathroom breaks and play.
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I am always amazed by the number of 'experts' on food allergies on the various web sites I peruse (usually in my case limited to plants since that is my primary hobby). And one of the most commonly expressed opinions about dog food and its relationship to allergies in dogs is the often maligned corn ingredient. I have done some research on this topic, but I certainly do not consider myself an expert, despite having practiced as a small animal veterinarian for over 24 years. In fact, of all my veterinary colleagues that I know personally, none consider themselves experts on dog or cat food or the ingredients they consist of. I think we as a group tend to be a bit more informed than the average pet owner, however. Still, there are many veterinary nutrition experts out there we refer to and it still is interesting how much is not known about dog food allergies. Yet there do appear to be no shortage of experts in these discussion groups. 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Allergies in dogs are indeed most often displayed as itchiness and skin problems, unlike us humans who tend to be more respiratory in our allergic symptoms. There are many people with food allergies and intolerances as well, and often they exhibit primarily gastrointestinal symptoms. Dogs show their intolerances similarly, but true allergies show up usually as itchiness and/or less commonly as stomach,intestine problems. But true food allergies in dogs are far less common than food intolerances. And food allergies are indeed rather difficult to diagnose and distinguish from the more common causes of allergies. If one has a dog that has allergic symptoms that seem to persist year round unabated, then one's suspicion of food allergy should increase. But most allergies in dogs tend to by cyclic or even seasonal, making food allergy far less likely to be the culprit. Itchy ears is one of the most common symptoms of allergies in dogs, perhaps second only to licking feet, at least in those dogs who do not have a flea allergy. Flea allergies are by far the most common of all allergies in dogs, but those dogs are usually itchy all over or at least around their rump, and rarely is itchy ears the only symptom of a flea allergy. However, itchy ears is very commonly the only symptom of a pollen allergy. And once a dog has allergic itchy ears, secondary yeast and bacterial infections are a common end result. Ear mites, on the other hand, are a far overdiagnosed cause of itchiness in dog ear problems, and though they do occur, they are almost exclusively limited to puppies or to dogs in situations where they are living with many many other dogs. I have diagnosed maybe 10-15 dogs as having ear mites in the last 24 years as a vet... yet have seen maybe 5000 cases of ear infections/itchy ears in dogs. So though your dog may indeed, as the above experts have suggested, be allegic to a food, or even be one of those very rare dogs with a corn allergy, I might research other more likely possibilities before you do something drastic like change your dog's diet (and possibly cause a myriad of other problems, like vomiting or diarrhea). Anyway, I hope you discover the cause and find an appropriate treatment. I understand you may not want to pay for a vet bill right now, but I do have a few suggestions if you want to try some things as home. Cleaning the ears is one that someone did mention, though I would NOT use soap and water. Soap, in particular, is quite irritating to the sensitive tissues of the ear canal, and to the ear drum, and it is not all that easy to get out of the ear once you put it in there. There are many ear cleaners far more suitable for cleaning and rinsing out a dog's ear and you can get most at a pet store. Mineral oil can be a bit soothing, but it too is not easy to get out after it's put in, so do not put in much if that is what you chose to do. It also does very little for the allergy or possible infection that may be going on.. and could conceivably worsen the infection. You can also try putting in an astringent (drying solution). Some ear cleaners are also astringents, but you can mix alcohol (isopropyl) and white vinegar (3 parts to 1 part)- very similar to what's in swimmer's ear- and apply a few drops into each ear. This may sting if the ear is badly infected or sore from being scratched, but it will tend to dry the ear out (which always helps an ear with fluid in it) and that combination has a pretty good antifungal effect as well (yeast is a super common complication of ear allergies and infections). I do not recommend physically cleaning an ear other than swabbing gunk out gently with a cotton swab only as far down as your finger will go, but rinsing the ear with a cleaning product using a bulb or syringe and massaging the ear canal below the opening (side of a dog's face) will help often dislodge stuff.. and the dog shaking his head will do the rest. This is not as good as getting an ear professionally cleaned or using an ear antibiotic solution/ointment, but it will often help. It will nothing for the allergic problem, though... for that you might try some antihistamines, but I am not comfortable giving you doses.. .you will need to consult your local vet for those- someone who knows your dog and what he/she weighs, etc. But before you even do the ear rinse thing, you should know that many dogs with ear infections have ruptured ear drums (this is a very common situation). A rupture in an ear drum will mean that anything you put in your dog's ear will go beyond the ear drum into the middle and possibly the inner ear (close to the brain!).. some ingredients that get in this area can cause serious problems (like permanent deafness). For that reason, I always recommend a flushing out of anything you put in there either a sterile saline solution (not always that easy to find) or at least water. Water is not great to leave in an ear, but at least it is relatively benign compared to most ear cleaning solutions, and certainly to soap, peroxide (don't leave that in there... or even use it!), alcohol etc. This is why I still recommend you see your vet, even if it's just to have him/her look at the ear drum and make sure it's intact. Good luck!!
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tiemco
14 years ago
Unfortunately there isn't a whole lot you can do to get rid of mushrooms. They are the fruiting bodies of fungus, and to rid your lawn of fungus would be a near impossible task. I suppose heavy doses of fungicide might lessen the mushroom population, but they are probably not going to be very good for you or your dog. I am not a vet, but from what I have read yeast infections of the skin can result from yeast and or fungus of the skin proliferating when conditions are favorable. An allergic reaction can cause this favorable condition, allowing the yeast/skin fungus to take hold and cause the infection. I guess your dog could be allergic to lawn mushrooms, but I think it is long shot that is the cause. The only thing I guess you could do if that is the cause is pick all the mushrooms you can in your lawn. Over time this will probably lessen the amount of them, and if you get most of them, then your dog won't be able to touch them. Just be sure an wash your hands after you pick them.
deepenuf2dream
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanx for your help...I will talk to the vet again and bring up the mushrooms and see what he says. Definately what you are saying about the allergic reaction is what he was saying. We did move to a new housing development that is only just begun and is still semi rural. And that is when it all started. It is so sad for her if she will be like this the rest of her life, she is so miserable, and we feed her benedryl almost daily.
tiemco
14 years ago
One last thought. If you really want to see if the mushrooms are causing the allergic reaction you could shave a small patch on her back and rub a mushroom from your lawn on that patch. I know it sounds somewhat mean, but that will give you definite proof, and that is how they test for allergies in humans, so it's not that mean. Just a suggestion.
Billl
14 years ago
Good lord! Seriously???

You are just guessing about the cause and are making flawed assumptions. Yeast infections are common. They happen in warm, moist places. They have nothing to do with mushrooms. The mushrooms growing in your lawn are the fruiting part of a fungus that eats decomposing wood/roots etc. That fungus cannot live on animal skin. There is an outside chance that your dog is actually allergic to mushrooms. That would show up if he ate the mushrooms. I guess it is possible that he is having a contact reaction to them, but the chances that he has such severe allergies that way to mushrooms is exceedingly small.

Since you have just moved into a new housing development, chances are, your dog is reacting to something in that new environment. New carpets? New cleaners? Any chemicals (fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides) sprayed on the lawn? New diet? All it takes is a little irritation, then the dog scratches, then the skin gets raw, then infections can set it. You might be able to find it, but it is awfully hard since the dog can't tell you.

Yeast likes warm and moist, so anything you can do to minimize that will help. Dry your dog off after outings. Clean any carpets or bedding the dog lays on. They sell special shampoos to treat the current infection, so you probably want to give that a try.
deepenuf2dream
Original Author
14 years ago
Yes, I was primarily working off of assumptions and it wasn't getting me very far...that is why I came here. I really didn't know anything at all about mushrooms except that they were a type of fungus, but from what you say it sounds unlikely now that they are the cause. There are no new chemicals or cleaners, fertilizer etc. we do water more often since the lawn is ours now. I will keep check on the dryness of her coat. Yes we are currently using a medicated shampoo and a fungal topical spray. Thanx for your input Bill.
buzzsaw8
14 years ago
My dog's got allergies and is prone to yeast infections as well. After many vet visits we've concluded that it's pollen that she is allergic too. We give her weekly baths with an anti-fungal shampoo and then baby Benedryl nightly before bedtime and it's much better now.
XrackleX
12 years ago
Can you identify and confirm what type of mushroom these are and research them based on scholared info? You may not realize that yeast infections(especially re-occuring ones) are most likely from your diet. Animal food products thee days are TERRIBLE! Check the ingredients list of your current dog food and see if yeast is an ingredient! Also, Just for the record, do you know what the ingredient "Animal By-Products" are? ANIMAL PARTS from a vast variety! EVEN CATS AND DOGS, themselves. Research, research, research! Happy findings! I wish the pootchie well.
yliyah1
11 years ago
I have had problems with vaginal thrush for more than 12 moonth now and it is extremely frustrating! Ih ave tried buying Boric Acid and putting it into capsules to use as pessaries and this resulted in a terrible burning feeling!
But I tried BVFREEDOM' and it helped
http://95188tt6-ypnat4-9262r7qg05.hop.clickbank.net/
yliyah1
11 years ago
I have had problems with vaginal thrush for more than 12 moonth now and it is extremely frustrating! Ih ave tried buying Boric Acid and putting it into capsules to use as pessaries and this resulted in a terrible burning feeling!
But I tried BVFREEDOM' and it helped
http://95188tt6-ypnat4-9262r7qg05.hop.clickbank.net/
dchall_san_antonio
11 years ago
This is a lot more interesting than it seemed from the title.

The reason you have mushrooms is you are watering too often. What we in the grass world have determined to be optimum watering schedule is for the lawn to get about an inch of water per week in the summer and an inch per month in the cooler months. That should be applied all at one time, like a rainstorm might do, rather than 1/7 inch applied every day. When you allow the soil to dry out between watering, you very seldom get mushrooms.

If you want to tune up your new patch of soil, I would suggest using organic fertilizer for the rest of the summer. Normal soil contains tens of thousands of species of fungi, bacteria, protozoa, amoeba, and microarthropods (teensy insects). These microbes usually perform many functions including keeping plants healthy, keeping each other healthy, cleaning up spilled stuff (including food stuffs and even chemicals), AND they provide food to plants through the roots. Without getting deep into the biology, when YOU feed the microbes with real food, they will return the favor by turning your lawn a very deep green, making it dense, and causing it to grow a little more. The food I"m talking about is organic fertilizer. The really good organic fertilizers are made from food like corn, wheat, animal parts, soybean meal, alfalfa, and any other ground up nut, bean, seed, and grain that makes sense. These healthy microbes self balance as long as they are fed and watered. Normal soil has a healthy balance of fungi, bacteria and all the rest. Diseases are suppressed naturally by the activity of the other microbes. When you do something like apply a fungicide, that wipes out a significant part of the balancing act. Other microbes will move in to fill the void until the fungi can repopulate.

The other thing I would suggest is a soil test to determine if you have any chemicals in the soil that might lead to issues with your dog. The best soil test for lawns in the states is probably the $20 test at Logan Labs in Ohio. If you get it tested and post your results here, you will get help interpreting the results.

All this is to help get your soil tuned up and rule out the soil and/or lawn as being an issue to the pup. It could be the dog is allergic to the grass itself. I know I am allergic to bermuda and to buffalo grass. I would not want to be rolling around in either one.
sandy1616
11 years ago
I have an English Bulldog who has horrible yeast issues caused by allergies. I have no advice on the yard but will warn you to be careful of how you are treating the dog's infections. Steroids and anti fungal meds will take a toll on your pet if used long term. Plain yogurt added to his food seems to help along with topical creams and monitoring his diet. Best of luck to you.

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