Food to Help a Dog With a Yeast Infection

Canine yeast infections are most commonly found in the ears or on the skin of dogs. The yeast causes sores on the dog's body, which may also be accompanied by scaliness, greasiness, odor and/or hair loss. Your veterinarian can best advise you as to the proper treatment for your dog's yeast infection. One common treatment is to change the dog's diet by incorporating certain foods and removing others that may make a yeast infection worse.

Foods to Avoid

Eliminate foods from your dog's diet that are known to cause yeast infections. There are certain foods that your dog simply must avoid when placed on an anti-yeast diet. These foods can be avoided long-term to prevent reoccurance of a yeast infection, or short-term in order to clear a current yeast infection. Foods to remove from your dog's diet include buttermilk, cheese/cottage cheese, packaged cereal, crackers, flour enriched with vitamins derived from yeast, mushrooms, peanuts, pretzels, potatoes, sweet potatoes/yams, bread, sausage, bacon, lunch meat, sauces/gravies, all grains and sugar or anything sweet.

Foods to Include

Feed your dog a healthy, yeast-free diet. Some foods help boost your dog's immune system, rid the body of toxins, and aid in building up a resistance against the yeast that cause infections on your dog. These foods should be included in your dog's diet to aid in prevention and speed the healing process of canine yeast infections. Foods that help prevent and heal canine yeast infections include asparagus, broccoli, parsley, squash, celery, green and yellow beans, dark leafy greens, beef, duck, chicken, fish, rabbit, lamb, plain yogurt and water.

Make It Yourself

In order to be certain that your dog's food contains only ingredients suitable for an anti-yeast diet, you may consider making your own homemade dog food. A good example of a homemade anti-yeast dog food could be comprised of one package chicken theighs (cooked and deboned), two chicken boullion cubes, two cloves garlic, 1 1/2 cups water, and one bag frozen vegetables (be sure to thaw before use and be sure to use one listed in the Foods to Include section). Combine the ingredients and serve at room temperature. Store unused portion in the refrigerator for up to six days.