Treat Your Dog's Yeast Infection at Home Without Going to the Vet

Author:
Mark dos Anjos, DVM
Updated:
Dec 5, 2024 6:42 PM EST

Read on to learn how to manage and treat your dog's yeast infection at home.
Erda Estremera/Unsplash

Is Your Dog Emitting an Unpleasant Odor?

If your dog is licking his paws, scratching his ears, and smelling like a bag of corn chips, a loaf of old sourdough bread from San Francisco, a musty old attic, or something you recognize as budding yeast, he needs your help.

Those smells are caused by a type of yeast on your dog's skin called Malassezia pachydermatis. When your dog has a mild case of yeast overgrowth, he will scratch his ears, smell his feet, and then go back to his nap.

Once a mild infection starts, though, the yeast releases proteases (enzymes that break down protein) and damages the skin so that even more yeast can thrive. Your dog will be miserable, and he will start chewing on his feet, rubbing on the carpet, and scratching until he is raw and his skin is bleeding.

Dogs that have allergies and have been put on antibiotics and immunosuppressants (steroids, cyclosporine, and Apoquel) are common victims of yeast infections. Yeast are normal organisms that live on the skin and can overproliferate if conditions allow, especially in those moist areas like the underarms, between the toes, and in the ear canals of the floppy-eared breeds.

Here is the best thing you can do to get yeast back under control while your dog is still at home.

Symptoms That Indicate a Yeast Overgrowth
Best At-Home Yeast Infection Treatments for Dogs
Do I Have to Treat the Whole Body?
Vinegar and Yeast
Coconut Oil and Yeast
Other Natural Cures for a Yeast Infection
Preventing the Yeast From Coming Back
The Best Food for a Dog With Yeast Overgrowth
What Kind of Treatment Will My Dog Get at the Vet?
Are Some Breeds More Likely to Develop Yeast Infections?
Will I Get Yeast From My Dog?

Itching and scratching is a common symptom of yeast overgrowth in dogs.
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Symptoms That Indicate a Yeast Overgrowth

Stinky skin
Itching and scratching (this is mild at first, but as the infection gets worse, so does the scratching)
A brown discoloration around the base of the toenails
Hair loss and thick, darkened skin in the underarms, around the back legs, and anywhere else the skin meets in a fold
Scaly dandruff
Oily skin
A dog’s behavior may change with the onset of chronic health issues because they feel so lousy.

Best At-Home Yeast Infection Treatments for Dogs

Follow the three steps below to naturally treat your dog's yeast infection at home.

1. Give Your Dog a Good Bath

Do not pay attention to those normal instructions about removing the shampoo quickly so that the healthy oils are not stripped from your dog's skin. That is fine with a healthy dog, but you need to remove the waxy buildup and the thick crust of yeast that is bothering your dog.

After wetting your dog down, put a good quantity of shampoo on them, massage it in, and then leave it for about 10 minutes.
This is a long time, so you really need to check your clock to make sure it is on there long enough.
Benzoyl peroxide shampoo is the best choice to remove all of the waxy material built up on the skin and deep down into the pores. (It will not cure your dog unless you follow the other steps below.)

Note: Since some people get rashes and itchy skin from bathing dogs with this problem, I think it is important that you use rubber gloves.

If it doesn't work: If you have tried this shampoo for several weeks and it is not working, you can also try a 4% chlorhexidine shampoo, and you should use it in the same way. A combination of the benzoyl peroxide to remove the wax followed by the 4% chlorhexidine may also help.

2. Apply Apple Cider Vinegar to His Skin

After removing most of the wax and yeast with the benzoyl peroxide shampoo, use vinegar to kill most of what is left. White vinegar will work okay, but I use apple cider vinegar since it is acidic and also has some healing properties not found in regular vinegar.

Do I Have to Treat the Whole Body?

Some dogs will start out with a mild yeast infection on their feet. The dog may be allergic and start licking between his toes, and then, in moist environments, the yeast will proliferate. Many holistic vets will recommend a foot bath to treat this problem. I do not.

Bathe your dog's whole body in the shampoo, and use the vinegar and coconut oil as described. The yeast infection may have already spread before you noticed it, so don't focus on just one part of the dog's body.

Vinegar and Yeast

Since all vinegar is acidic and will kill yeast, you can treat your dog's yeast infection with regular white vinegar or apple cider vinegar (ACV). I have used both, but as a control method, I think that the ACV is the best.

Both ACV and white vinegar are acidic and kill yeast.
Yeast infections are a sign of an immune problem, and ACV may help make the immune system stronger.
Organic ACV contains the “mother," which is a type of probiotic containing lactobacillus and other bacteria that might help return the skin's normal flora after a yeast infection.

Coconut Oil and Yeast

Coconut oil contains medium-chain triglycerides and several antioxidants.

Antioxidants like vitamin E, K, and the fatty acids myristic and caproic acid are present in high levels in coconut oil.
Antioxidants protect the skin from damage by free radicals.
Free radicals cause wrinkling and other aging effects similar to that seen with damage from Malassezia infections.
The fatty acids present in coconut oil also help the skin heal from scratches secondary to yeast infections.

When you apply coconut oil between your dog's toes or under his arms, he might lick some of it off. Don't worry about it. Coconut oil is great for his skin, and he will look better even sooner.

Other Natural Cures for a Yeast Infection

Do you know why there are so many treatments for yeast infections? None of them work all of the time. If your dog has a yeast infection on his paws, especially if he is already limping, you might need to try several things until you find something that works.

Some holistic practitioners will recommend an immunostimulant. We have several good products here in South America.

One of them, pau d'arco, is great, but the herb available in some pharmacies may not be pure.
The same problem exists with many supplies of cat's claw, another herb from Peru.
Other veterinarians recommend yogurt, kefir, tea tree oil, colloidal silver, and oregano oil.

Many of these treatments will work the first time, but yeast comes back pretty often.

Westies are prone to allergies, so if allowed to lick their feet, they will often have problems with yeast.
cc-by www.flickr.com morepork 212856266

Preventing the Yeast From Coming Back

Some conventional vets will tell you that a yeast infection is a lifelong problem and will require medicated baths and other treatments for the rest of the dog's life. That is correct if the affected areas are not taken care of properly and the dog continues to receive the same food and medical care that led to the Malassezia flare-up.

Diet change: To prevent this problem from coming back as soon as it has cleared up, you need to change your dog's diet so that he no longer eats foods that make yeast proliferate. Any dog food with grains, carbohydrate fillers, or high fructose corn syrup should be avoided.
Coconut oil touchups: Your dog will not need medicated baths once his infection is eliminated, but you can use coconut oil from time to time to control the yeast. If your dog has inhalant allergies and this problem only shows up in the summer, apply coconut oil between the toes and on the inner ear flaps twice a week.