Contents
- What is Yeast Dermatitis?
- Other Common Yeast Infections
- Importance of an Anti-Yeast Diet
- What is an Anti-Yeast Diet?
- Worst Ingredients for Dogs with Yeast Infections
- The Best Ingredients for Dogs with Yeast Dermatitis
- Top 7 Best Yeast Free Dog Foods | Reviews in 2019
- 1. Stella & Chewy’s Stella’s Solutions Skin & Coat Boost Dinner Morsels Dog Food
- 2. Instinct Original Grain-Free Dry Dog Food – Real Salmon Recipe
- 3. Honest Kitchen Limited Ingredient Dog Food – Fish Recipe
- 4. Farmina Dog Food – Lamb and Blueberry Recipe
- 5. Earthborn Holistic Venture Dry Dog Food
- 6. Zignature Goat Limited Ingredient Formula High Protein Dry Dog Food
- 7. Acana Single Limited Ingredient Diet Dog Food – Turkey and Greens Formula
- Final Thoughts
Anti-Yeast dog food is a specialized food intended to help reduce yeast production in dogs with Yeast Dermatitis. This unique diet is different than a grain-free diet, but are often mistaken for the same thing. Anti-yeast diets focus on ingredients lower in starch, which goes beyond grains.
Anti-yeast diets are gaining in popularity as cases of dogs with skin irritations continue to increase. For a while, it was assumed dogs with skin irritation suffered from allergies. Though allergies are a big part of this, veterinarians are finding that it goes beyond allergies. Even after dogs went to grain-free food, dogs were still suffering from yeast infections.
Yeast dermatitis is only one of the common yeast conditions. Other yeast infections plague dogs, both externally and internally. The type of yeast infection is dependent on which strain of yeast is growing in or on your dog. Yeast is a form of fungus. Most living beings have fungus in and on them. However, when there is an overgrowth of fungus, that is when it becomes a problem.
Dog food labels do not state “Anti-Yeast,” so it is essential to know what ingredients to look for on the ingredient list. There are several starchy foods to avoid. In addition to the foods to avoid, there are also several ingredients you will want to be sure are included in your dog’s diet.
For more food ideas that are focused on dogs with sensitive dietary needs, due to allergies, consider trying a chicken free dog food.
What is Yeast Dermatitis?
Yeast Dermatitis, also known as Malassezia dermatitis, is one of the most common types of yeast infections. It is a skin condition regularly found in dogs suffering from skin irritations. It is a condition in which yeast has flourished, causing your dog’s skin to become inflamed and itchy. It can even lead to sores from where your dog has been scratching.
Symptoms of Yeast Dermatitis:
- Itchy Skin
- Musty smell
- Skin inflammation
- The skin appears scaly and flaky
- Thickened skin
- Change in pigmentation, the skin will appear darker
- Frequent ear infections
If you suspect your dog suffers from Yeast Dermatitis, you will want to seek confirmation from your veterinarian. Your veterinarian will take a specimen of the suspected areas of the skin for testing.
If your veterinarian verifies that your dog has Yeast Dermatitis, they will likely recommend you purchase medicated shampoos, medicated mousse, antibiotics if there is an infection from scratching, and possibly a change in your dog’s diet.
Other Common Yeast Infections
Yeast infections can be found on the inside and outside of your dog. Ear infections are a common form of a yeast infection.
Candidiasis is another yeast infection commonly seen in dogs. Candidiasis can manifest as urinary infection, ear infection, GI infection, or even in the mouth and nose.
Symptoms of Candidiasis:
- Itching or biting
- Pawing at their ears
- Shaking their heads
- Redness and inflammation
- Unpleasant odors
- Fever
- Skin irritation or sores
Importance of an Anti-Yeast Diet
The purpose of an anti-yeast diet is to starve the overabundance of yeast growth. Yeast requires sugar to survive, and without it, yeast will die. Foods high in starch or sugar increase the blood glucose levels, aiding the survival of fungus.
Mistakenly, people feed their dogs grain free diets assuming it will aid in reducing the yeast production. Unfortunately, many of the grain-free diets contain other ingredients with high starch or sugar content like potatoes. Starchy foods like potatoes are perfect for feeding the unwanted yeast that is infecting our beloved canines.
What is an Anti-Yeast Diet?
An anti-yeast diet is low in sugar and starches. It should include lean proteins, fruits, and low starch vegetables. Carbohydrates are an excellent source for energy, but in anti-yeast diets, carbs need to be lower on the glycemic index level.
Worst Ingredients for Dogs with Yeast Infections
- Rice
- Fruits high in sugar
- Potatoes
- Processed food
- Peas
- Corn
- High fructose corn syrup
- Wheat and Grains
- Starchy binding ingredients
The Best Ingredients for Dogs with Yeast Dermatitis
- Lean animal protein
- Greens like spinach, kale, and seaweed
- Zucchini
- Broccoli
- Foods rich in Omega 3s& 6s
- Low sugar fruits
- Probiotics and prebiotics
Top 7 Best Yeast Free Dog Foods | Reviews in 2019
Note – Most anti-yeast dog foods will still have carbohydrates, but at minimal levels.
1. Stella & Chewy’s Stella’s Solutions Skin & Coat Boost Dinner Morsels Dog Food
Stella’s Solutions Skin & Coat Boost is a protein-rich formula designed to reduce inflammation and provide relief from itchy skin. Though it has pineapple, a fruit high in sugar, it is also an excellent natural anti-inflammatory.
This formula is grain-free and potato free, it uses coconut flour as a binding agent instead of the traditional wheat flour. This food also contains superfoods like fenugreek seed, flaxseed, and kelp. Also, it includes lean proteins like salmon, which is rich in essential fatty acids. Also, the food has been enriched with probiotics to aid in a healthy GI system.
2. Instinct Original Grain-Free Dry Dog Food – Real Salmon Recipe
Instinct Original Grain-Free Recipe’s first two ingredients are animal protein. This formula is free from artificial colors, preservatives, grains, corn, soy, and potatoes. However, this food is rich in vita vitamins and nutrients and has added probiotics to promote strong digestive health. Instinct Original Grain-Free food is a lean protein forward food that is enhanced with probiotics. Also, Instinct Original Grain-Free Recipe with Real Salmon has a high level of critical fatty acids.
3. Honest Kitchen Limited Ingredient Dog Food – Fish Recipe
The Honest Kitchen produces dehydrated dog food that only needs water to make it a complete meal. A 10-pound bag of food will make 40 pounds of food once rehydrated. This formula is rich in superfoods like coconut, spinach, and pumpkin.
The ingredients used in this food are all human-grade quality. Honest Kitchen – Limited Ingredient Fish Recipe contains only six main components, not including the added minerals and vitamins. The leading ingredient in this food is fish. Also, this limited ingredient recipe is free of grains, corn, wheat, potatoes, artificial colors and preservatives
4. Farmina Dog Food – Lamb and Blueberry Recipe
Farmina is an Italian based company that has higher than average manufacturing standards. The lamb and blueberry formula is free from grains, potato, and soy. Also, this recipe has several superfoods like spinach, blueberries, and pumpkin rich in antioxidants, which helps to boost the immune system.
As a bonus, this formula has been enhanced with glucosamine and chondroitin, which aid in ensuring healthy joints. The Lamb and Blueberry recipe includes a lot of dried ingredients which helps retain the nutritional integrity of the food. Because lamb is considered a unique protein source this is a good food for dogs with food sensitivities.
5. Earthborn Holistic Venture Dry Dog Food
This unique formula is free from grains and potatoes. It contains minimal ingredients and is rich in vitamins and minerals. The food has been enhanced with probiotics to promote good gut health. Squid is considered a unique protein, making this a great recipe for dogs with food sensitivities.
Because of the use of squid and lack of high allergen foods like eggs, dairy, and grains, this would be the perfect formula for dogs with allergies.
6. Zignature Goat Limited Ingredient Formula High Protein Dry Dog Food
Zignature is a grain-free dog food that has an abundance of unique proteins. Goat is not only unique, but it is also very lean. This food is not only grain-free but also free of potatoes, eggs, and soy making it an excellent choice for dogs with food allergies.
Though this food contains limited ingredients, it is still abundant in protein and vital nutrients. The goat formula contains superfoods like flaxseed and alfalfa. Goat is not a common protein, making this a great recipe for dogs with food sensitivities.
7. Acana Single Limited Ingredient Diet Dog Food – Turkey and Greens Formula
Acana is a high-quality protein-rich food. The Turkey and Greens formula is a limited ingredient formula with a single animal protein and is free from potatoes, grains, and soy.
The Turkey and Greens recipe is rich in superfoods like turnip greens, mustard greens, and kelp.
Acana Turkey has also been enhanced with probiotics to promote a healthy digestive system. It also contains essential fatty acids and has only a maximum of 2% of sugar. Unlike many of the other anti-yeast foods this food can be found more easily at retail stores.
Final Thoughts
As pet parents, we only want the very best for our dogs, and sometimes that means changing their diet to anti-yeast dog food. Though the anti-yeast dog foods are more expensive than non-specialty foods, it is cheaper in the long run.
Vet bills and medications add up quickly when battling yeast infections. Plus, if a yeast infection is left unattended, it can lead to more severe health issues for your dog. Additionally, yeast infections are very uncomfortable for our pooches and will impact their quality of life.
Changing your dog’s food over to an anti-yeast diet may not eliminate all yeast infections, but it will at least reduce the number of infections significantly. We all want what is best for our pups, and sometimes that means we need to change our dog’s food to a specialized dog food formula.
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Very informative… I was looking for more veggies/fruits to offer our pupper.
Thank you
Sorry for the late response…thank you for your feedback. Were you able to find a dog food with more veggies and fruits that work for your dog?
I was looking into the Instinct Salmon formula and was about to hit purchase and noticed it contained Peas as the 4th listed ingredient. In your article it mentions that peas are bad for yeasty dogs. Would this still be ok to purchase this formula with the peas in the ingredients for 2 yeasty English bulldogs? I would love to find something that works for them
Hi! Thank you so much for this article. My dog is suffering from constant yeast infections that the vet thinks are seasonal allergy related but I am leaning more towards a change in food. I was just wondering if there was particularly any order you listed the dog food and if not which one do you most prefer? Have you also looked into a raw food diet for dogs suffering from yeast? Thanks so much for your time!
My full breed 4 year old.female st bernard has been suffering from VERY INTENSE ear infections, skin problems , eye redness and goopy (more than normal) itchy skin (rashes between her paws , sores all over her stomach , chest, genitailia and legs ) very intense scratching licking and digging causing bleeding yelping and bad scabs . This has been going on for 2 years . We have tried all the acana recipes EXCEPT anti yeast . I’m seriously considering this food. All the vets have done is consistently give her antibiotics and ear drops which work for the time being used then right back to completely infected again . We have spent THOUSANDS trying to fix this problem. Her ears DO get very yeasty so I believe it is a food allergy to all that’s mentioned in this article . Right now she is on boreal salmon and is finishing antibiotics which she cannot take all the time because she will become immune they will not work we all know this. 🙁 . Her infections have came back again but I do not think the last food she was on is completely out of her system (acana fish recipe) . We are at a loss . No ear cleaners have worked for our poor girl we keep up on cleaning her ears but it doesnt work. I am seriously considering one of these recipes
Good Morning Melissa,
I am so sorry you are having so many issues with finding a solution to your dog’s skin issues. I have a dog, Sophie, who suffers from extreme food allergies. I had to do a prescription diet for 6+ months until everything was well under control, then I did food trials with non-prescription foods to see what other options I could try for her.
Do prescription foods cause the same issue?
Maybe try one of the options above with a fish oil supplement to help promote better skin health?
Though, my dog does require an anti-yeast diet I can definitely sympathize with what you are going through…I just hate when our four-legged babies aren’t feeling well.
Please let me know if you have any other questions and if you have time I would love to hear if you are seeing any improvements with your dog’s health issues.
Jessica
Hi Melissa,
When we adopted our dog 7 years ago, she was having same issues as your dog. We had never been pet parents before and she was our first ever dog. I did tons of research because we were at our wits end nit knowing how to help.
I found a site at the time about yeasty dogs. It had a ton of info and I followed their recommendations.
I changed her food to Natures Variety Instinct limited ingredient turkey and Stella and chewys raw freeze dried duck treats. I got a probiotic to mix in her food. I got Zimox OTIC drops for her ears and zymox topical cream for her hot spots.
I have her a bath every other day with Earthbath hot spot relief shampoo, rinsed shamooo and raised her with a gallon of water with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and a teaspoon of baking soda.
I let that sit for a minute, then rinsed.
It took about six months but her skin turned from black to pink and she became a happy dog:)
This was 7 years ago and I think there are more options out there for yeasty dogs nowadays. I haven’t changed my dogs food because it has worked all these years.
Good luck and I hope you found a solution!
Hello! My German Shepherd has the same skin issues you are describing. We do fish oil, greek yogurt, and fresh baked salmon through out the week. We also treat the yeast infections constantly but want to help prevent them! I am still searching for a complete solution, but I recently found out that apple cider vinegar helps treat the year really effectively!.. despite my hesitance, after many attempts with other solutions – including prescription medicated ear wash. I diluted some good quality ACV in a spray bottle and treat his leg/stomach flaps, paws, and groin area gently rubbing it in with my gloved hands. Then I use a cotton ball with ACV to clean the exterior of the ear. It has helped better than anything we’ve tried thus far! Good luck and please share if you find any new foods, diets, or methods that help your pup!
Good Morning!
I am sorry for the late reply and even sorrier to hear your pup is having so many skin issues. No, the foods are not in any specific order. I have looked a little into raw foods, but not enough for me to speak confidently on them.
If you are still looking at raw diets maybe try the Stella option as it is raw freeze-dried food. Otherwise, I like Honest Kitchen and Farmina.
Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. Also, I would love to hear how your dog is doing.
Jessica
Hi I think this is a God sent. The pic of that dog looks like my Savannah but white withe white skin. She is suffering most importantly but on my disability I’m over my head between vet bills and dog foods still giving my girl NO relieve. The meds are going to kill her. Plz help time is so very important as every stitch of her body is raw while on prednisone and antibiotics. Thank you for reaching out to help desperate pets and their parents. Ma’am I’ve tried everything
Good Evening Lori,
First, let me tell you how sorry I am that Savannah is having such a horrible skin issue. I understand the difficulty of juggling the financial aspect and the quality of life of your dog.
I am not a veterinarian, so I am unable to provide you with medical advice to help Savannah and you. However, I would encourage you to seek a specialist or go back to your vet to see what other choices are available. Like I said I know you are struggling financially, so you may want to check into Frankie’s Friends (https://www.frankiesfriends.org/apply-for-assistance-1), I am unsure if you would qualify, but it would be worth looking into.
That all being said if Savannah is suffering from allergies you should inquire about Apoquel, it literally saved my dog’s life. Sophie suffered horribly from allergies and nothing seemed to be working until Apoquel came out. I will say that it does have significant POSSIBLE side effects. Keep in mind this is an allergy medication, so if Savannah is suffering due to other health issues this won’t help.
As far as food goes, I would suggest trying the Stella and Chewy brand as it is specifically targeted to help dogs with skin issues, though it will not resolve the whole issue, maybe it can provide some relief and not add to her condition.
Again, I am sorry I am not able to provide more help, but know I am sending Savannah healing thoughts.
All my Best Wishes for a Full Recovery,
Jessica
Jessica… bless ur heart…. I’m pretty confident that instinct grain free Salmon is goons be instrumental in Savannah’s recovery. I picked this one bc it does not have any harmful ingredients that Savannah is allergic to. The Blue Basic salmon and potatoes had the carbs which turns into sugar. She will start tomorrow AM. Thank u again for taking the time to educate pet owners like myself who have tried everything including cooking for her I truly believe I’ve hit the jackpot when I persistently searched help for severely yeasty painful dogs I promise you and all other pet parents to update you guys how this works out. Thanks again for ur reply and God bless. I will be in touch
Does all the Ventura flavors considered yeast free?
Hello! I am unsure as to why my reply showed up below and not directly connected to this thread…but please see my note to you below.
Hello! I’ve been trying to help my dog for years with chronic skin and ear infections and just recently realized )with no help from my vet) that it is most likely a yeast issue. I’ve switched her to raw dehydrated food & she is SO much better!! But I don’t think she’s getting enough other nutrients..so my pet store is able to order from your list Farmina lamb /blueberry for me. I’m just wondering why this is good for yeast since it contains pumpkin carrot Apple and blueberry. Wouldnt that mean higher sugar content? I’m just worried that she will have a set back. I appreciate the help 🙂
Hello Tamara! I am sorry for the late reply I was just notified of your message.
Often, there are different degrees of sensitivities that dog’s experience and it sounds like your dog is on the more extreme side.
Though there is controversy about grains if a grain-free food would work for your dog, I would go that route.
I include a variety of foods in an effort to provide a starting point for dog parents. Some of the foods are better than other foods, and for dogs with less sensitivity but require grains the Farmina would work. A lot of the fruit, not all, are lower sugar fruits like blueberries.
However, if your dog is showing improvement on the food they are on, I would stick with one that is similar. Is your dog eating a grain-free diet now? If so I would use a grain-free option, it would be horrible to backslide since it sounds like you have been able to get things under control.
Thank you for taking the time to reach out,
Jessica Mabie
Is Earthborn Holistic Venture Dry Dog Food Squid and Chickpea yeast free?
Good Morning Doug,
Yep, it is yeast-free. But I always encourage checking the ingredient list in the event they’ve made a recipe change. Not all dog foods note that on the bag so, it’s best to check before feeding it to your pup.
Thank you for your question,
Jessica
I am wondering about farmina p, since from Italy and standards. Was always told get USA made. Also, on this it said yeast extract would t this be bad, if dog has yeast problems ?
I have a dog but I not know he have which kind of illness plz help me
After reading your article, I bought the Farmina lamb and blueberrie.
My dog got worse and worse with her yeast.
I then looked at the ingredients, and the second one is sweet potato.
So, why is that listed as a food good for yeasty dogs?.
Thanks
Leslee,
I am sorry to hear that your dog has gotten worse. I have included different foods based on dogs different needs, not all dogs have as severe sensitivity as others. Though sweet potatoes are not the best food, it is a grain free option, using a carbohydrate with a low-glycemic index.
Have you tried Earthborn? It is grain and potato free.
I hope you are able to find a food that works better for your dog,
Jessica Mabie
Hello everyone, I have try mostly everything out there for my little Yorkie. I found along with the anti-yeast diet Nzymes and Enzymes products very helpful. It is a process and you have to stick with the treatment. You will see your best friend get worst before they get better, don’t give up on the treatment. I also use Mesosilver (Colloidal silver mineral supplement ) I give it to my Yorkie, it helps promote healing to her skin. I use to suffer from a chronic cough and decided to take a table spoon every day for a month, now the cough is gone after years of doctors telling me it’s only allergies……. I do believe in these products. I love animals and I do hope this helps.
Where to find the products – Nzymes.com
Mesosilver – Amazon
Thank you for this article. Our 7 year old german shepherd lab mix has been battling this skin condition for so long. We have tried many different foods, and right now he is on taste of the wild salmon, but it doesn’t seem to help. Can’t wait to find a food that suits him from your list.