Unfortunately, blood-sucking mosquitoes don't only pray on human flesh, but also attack our dear defenseless dogs (who don't have the luxury of spraying repellant on themselves as humans do!) I'll tell you how you can prevent these bites and also what you can do to prevent these tiny vampires from attacking in the future.
CAUSES
Dog mosquito bites are caused by pesky little mosquitoes feasting on a dog's skin. Dogs are not as easy a target as humans as far as mosquitoes are concerned, but once a mosquito bites a dog, it can be a very unpleasant experience for the pooch. Another difference with humans is that dogs usually have a hard time swatting or driving mosquitoes away because of their limited range of vision and limited reach of their legs and tails, their only appendages that can be used to shoo mosquitoes away.
SYMPTOMS
Dog mosquito bites don't usually pose a big threat to a dog's skin health unlike, say, ticks and fleas. However, a lot of mosquito bites can certainly make your dog uneasy. Mosquito attacks on your dog can make them disoriented, sick, and can affect their breathing and moving. If this happens, a veterinarian could certainly come in handy to give relief to the itchiness your dog is certainly feeling. Otherwise, if the dog seems fine and is just showing discomfort, observe its situation for 24 hours.
SOLUTION
Remember that mosquitoes are known carriers of heartworm. Heartworms, when transmitted by mosquitoes to dogs, can cause major health concerns to the latter by causing illness in the dog's cardiovascular system. Thus, it is essential not to just avoid mosquitoes; it is also needed to avoid heartworms. Medicate your dog with a product that prevents heartworm infection.
I also recommend you check out products that naturally help to clear up mosquito bites by working with your dog's immune system. Some of these products will also help to relieve the scratching and itching that results from the bites.
PREVENTION
To help your dog avoid being bitten and attacked by mosquitoes, it is important to empty any stagnant sources of water. Stationary water is where mosquitoes thrive, and if a dog stays near places with stagnant water, mosquitoes bites are almost certain to occur.
Keep your dog away from areas with ditches, ponds, and even puddles. Water dishes and containers holding water should be covered always. Water in them should also be replaced or emptied every other day. Before you forget, make sure the water in dog dishes stays clean and is replaced as many times as possible.
Also, try to keep your dog inside your house, especially during dusk and dawn. These times are usually the times that mosquitoes are most active. Thus, keeping your dog indoors, where it is presumably mosquito-free, will save your precious pooch from mosquito bites and also from possible heartworm complications.
As with humans, you may also use repellants for your dogs. There are actually repellants made for dogs to stop skin attacks by fleas and ticks. Some of these repellants also work in preventing dog mosquito bites. A word of caution though - avoid products that contain DEET and essential oils. Not only are they not effective for animals, they may actually cause worse problems for the dog's health. There are also supplements that a dog can take to boost his skin's health even after being bitten by mosquitoes. Yeast, vitamin supplements, and fresh garlic have been known to be effective resistance builders among dogs.
Should I try feeding my dog yogurt to treat fungal infection and how much per day?
I’ve done about 2 days worth of research on treating yeast infection, since my 3yo shih tzu was diagnosed with one the other day. You can also check my previous questions. I’m very hesitant on putting him on antibiotics or steroids, and anyway the vet did not recommend that (yet).
My dog has fungal infection all over his body (not just in certain parts like many other dogs). Started with the ear. He’s now on medicated shampoo, cream and switched to holistic hypoallergenic dog food.
For a dog his size and age (shih tzu, 3yo)… how much yogurt should I feed him per day?
Thank you.
Oral antibiotics? Don’t antibiotics suppress even the good bacteria, hence encourage the yeast (which is a fungus) to proliferate even more? That is why I won’t give my dog antibiotics, esp. when the vet did not even mention it on the first visit.
But antibiotics kill bacteria (whether good or bad bacteria), NOT *fungi*…which is the problem here.
As I have said I HAVE BEEN TO THE VET. The vet did NOT even recommend antibiotics so I’m not just going to chuck in some antibiotics into my dog, esp. when it has worse implications.
Yogurt is what kept coming up after some of the research I did and I guess I wanted to try it while my dog is under medicated shampoo. And why CAN’T it treat yeast infections? SYSTEMIC yeast infections root cause can also come from LEAKY GUT which has to do with the digestive system. Yogurt helps in conditions that disrupt intestinal flora, where the disruption encourages the overgrowth of yeast.
I guess I just need a good reason if you say yogurt is bad “why” it is bad, not just say “it’s bad” because you think it is. Thanks
@Jane, thank you for your explanation. I’m aware some dogs are lactose intolerant, so I will try your recommendation and give my dog just a little bit to see the benefits or lack of. Thanks again.
@Kissmycowboy Thank you also. Very helpful.
Normally fungal infections can only grab hold when the immune system is compromised due to some underlying problem such as low thyroid. Normally little or no therapy is given, however in the moresistantant cases, topical or oral antifungal medication may be necessary. Thoroughly clean the dogs environment as it can be contagious depending upon which fungi is causing the problem.
Unless the fungi is controlled the disease can become systemic, meaning it can move to any one of the internal organs necessitating more intense treatment such as antibiotics and steroids.
If and when your vet recommends more intensive treatment you should go along with it as simply using yogurt or creams will not get rid of the internal fungi.
When using Yogurt, use only the fat-free non flavored kind and with your dog a tablespoonful should be plenty. Very few dogs are lactose intolerant.
What is the most effective way to treat my dog’s yeast infection?
Our dog is 5 years old now and for the last month or so, he’s had a really bad yeast infection in his ears and around his chin. We’ve been giving him a prescription from the vet, but it doesn’t seem to be working very well. Could you tell me how i can treat it for a long time without having to spend too much money on any kind of medicine?
FROM THE INSIDE:
I’d first make sure he was on a high quality food without corn or wheat; these are very common empty additives; basically fillers with no nutritional value. They often cause nutritional imbalances and food allergies, making dogs more prone to infections of all types. Pretty much anything you pick up at the grocery store is going to have one or both.
I suggest either Canidae All Life Stages:
http://www.canidae.com/dogs/all_life_stages/dry.html
Or Wellness by Old Mother Hubbard, either the fish and sweet potato or one of the allergy diets, initially, until you get his system straightened out:
http://www.oldmotherhubbard.com/wellness/dog_index.html
A tablespoon of plain yogurt on his food, once a day, helps re-establish beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract. Often yeast gets out of control when the good bacteria as well as the bad have been killed during a course of antibiotics.
Also try adding a tsp of apple cider vinegar to his water bowl, yeast will not flourish in an acidic environment.
ON THE OUTSIDE:
For an earwash my vet gave me this recipe:
1 part apple cider vinegar
1 part hydrogen peroxide
1 part water
(I combine 1/2 cup each in a clean empty dish soap bottle with the push-pull top, and refrigerate after using, then allow it to warm up on the counter a bit before re-using; discard any left over after one week and make a fresh batch)
Fill the ear canal with this solution, massage the base of the ear, and allow the dog to shake its head, then wipe with cotton balls. Never stick a q-tip into a dogs ear.
Yeast infection can be treated externally with over-the-counter creams for athlete’s foot or vaginal yeast infections (lamisil is our personal favorte) you can smear that in the ears and dab it on his chin; just be sure to soak off any crusts first with a warm wet cloth.
How to treat/cure a Yeast infection in my dogs ears?
My pit bull mix keeps getting a yeast infection in her ears. I keep them VERY clean but for some reason it comes back every 4-6 weeks
I am using Epi-Otic which I got from my vet for cleaning, and when she’s tearing at her ears I use DV Max which is a prescription that I got from the vet, however even though it seems to work…after it clears up it starts all over again in a few weeks….by the way…thanks for the info you already sent and anymore that you do send is greatly appreciated
If your dog has a yeast infection in it’s ear, it needs antibiotics.
Sometimes ear infections will recur after successful treatment. Primary inhalant or food allergies causing secondary ear infections should be considered. But usually, with proper treatment, a yeast infection can be cleared up within two weeks.
I have found that chronic ear infections ususally have some underlying cause.I don’t know if your mixed pup is known to have an anatomy problem that contributes to ear infections, but that is always a possiblity. It is best to purchase a product from your veterinarian to clean out your dogs ears prior to placing the prescribed antibiotic drops in the ears, such as Epi-Otic. I have found that some medications don’t work well in the presence of a lot of dirt or discharge. Keeping the hair plucked out of the ears also helps keeping the ears cleaner.
How to treat dog ear infection?
So I adopted my dog about two months ago, and at the time of adoption he had I think a yeast infection in his ear that was on the moderate side of severe. Per the vet’s direction, I treated his ears with drops for two weeks then brought him in to get the ears flushed out.
On the follow-up appointment, the vet said his ears looked great and would continue to heal completely on their own. About a month later, they seem okay but my friend suggested maybe they weren’t. Usually the color of the ears is white, but now and again one of the ears will seem a little pink. Also, they don’t always smell so fresh. She told me that dog ears should never smell funky, even if I claim it’s just a little, and that his ears may still be infected.
One thing is for sure: it’s sure as hell not like it was. My question is, is there something I can do at home to maybe treat his ears? Should I wash them every day, or rub the insides with peroxide, or I don’t know?
I hesitate to bring him back to the vet because he seems fine and his ears, truly, don’t seem bad. But I also don’t want to let my dog walk around with partial or recurring ear infections!
I had the same problem with my dog. If the infection went untreated for some time, then a little of the redness/swelling will always be there, not saying a massive amount but it will always look a little pink.
If it was only for a short amount of time before it was treated though it is probably flaring up again. I bought a bottle of chlorhexiderm solution from my vet and cleaned his ears whenever i notice they smell bad or look bad. just make sure you use a cotton ball and get them really clean and dry afterwards without going in the canal.
It took about three months for everything to settle.
Possible to get thrush from a dog’s yeast infection of the ear?
My daughter, this summer, got thrush in her mouth. It went through her GI tract and she developed a yeasty diaper rash. (It has been treated and she fully recovered.) What I’m wondering, though, is how she got it. She was never on any antibiotics. A dog she played with, however, had a nasty ear infection which the vet identified as yeast. We didn’t realize he had the ear infection right away.
If she, for example, stuck her fingers on the underside of his ears, then put them in her mouth, could that cause thrush?
It is possible. Sticking their fingers in something then in their mouth is the easiest way kids pick up something.