homemade dog food for dogs with yeast infection

Quick and Easy Homemade Dog Food For Yeast Infections (Foolproof Recipe)

Key Takeaways

• Yeast infections are as common for dogs as for us humans, and can be caused by poor diet or abnormal immune system activity.
• However, you can control your dogs food intake to mitigate the problem by starving the yeast of the nutrients it needs to survive.
• The following recipe of homemade dog food for yeast infections is one of the best dog food recipes Ive tried for that purpose.

Even the toughest, most stoic, and well-trained and active dogs can crumble into an itching mess when a yeast infection rolls around. The good news is that making your own homemade dog food for yeast infections is exceedingly simple. All you need are skinless chicken thighs, frozen vegetables, and the main yeast-killing ingredient, garlic. Cook these in a slow cooker and you have an anti-yeast dog food!

Just like humans, dogs can develop yeast infections. These infections can sometimes become chronic in nature. Whether or not they are, however, yeast infections will make your dogs skin very uncomfortable. Ive only really seen a handful of instances in which a dog was seemingly ignoring their yeast infection, and those dogs were either too old or sickly to care. One of the best ways to help your dog get over a yeast infection is by optimizing their diet. Do this by cutting out the pro-yeast stuff and giving them a healthy helping of natural anti-fungal ingredients. But while diet is important, I always advise dog owners to let the vet take a look at their dog if its the first time theyve gotten a yeast infection. This is always good practice before trying any home remedies, including an anti-yeast diet. Depending on your dogs physiology, sometimes that might not be enough and could be an exercise in futility, or worse even harm your dog. They should be able to tell you for sure if its worth going down that path. Still, more than a few vets have approved my homemade anti-yeast dog food, so Im confident yours will too, but again, it cant hurt to ask.

How Dogs Get Yeast Dermatitis

Yeast infections in dogs are referred to by veterinarians as yeast dermatitis. This condition is caused by an overgrowth of yeast microorganisms.

Just like us, dogs have a type of yeast called Malassezia living on their skin at all times. Although the yeast rarely causes problems, it can end up multiplying at an accelerated rate.

This often happens due to dietary issues, but anything that could decrease or even increase immune system activity can cause an overgrowth of yeast on your dogs skin.

Symptoms of Canine Yeast Dermatitis

One of the first symptoms pet parents may notice in dogs is constant scratching. Does your dog constantly scratch his ears or back? Theres a high chance it could be yeast infection. Itching becomes intense with severe yeast infections and should be monitored. The following are other symptoms you may notice withcanine yeast dermatitis.

• Red, inflamed skin
• Cracked lips
• Chewing at the paws
• Foul odors

The Optimal Homemade Dog Food For Yeast Infections

Before I share the recipe and instructions with you, I want to give you a warning. This dog food does not supply dogs with adequate and balanced nutrition for the long term.

Have you heard of the yeast starvation diet? It essentially just means you have to cut off carbs and sugars in order to restore the balance of yeast in the body. Of course, this also means going with yeast-free dog food, so no bread or bread-adjacent ingredients (kibble is notorious for having a lot of these!).

This literally starves the yeast cells of usable nutrients, making them die off if it is maintained for a long enough period. Hence, the best yeast starvation dog food to give your dog would be one that keeps to the regular diet that your dog eats, which should be full of protein, but without anything that could supply the yeast with energy. This means removing potatoes, yeast, and grains from your dogs diet. These foods have higher sugar content which feeds the yeast and makes them proliferate.

There are a number of dog food recipes out there for a yeast starvation diet, but I find this one to be the easiest and most accessible to make, while still being very effective.But if cooking your own dog food isnt for you, you may also try checking the best fresh dog food delivery service brands today for meals that are customized depending on the needs of your pet.

Ingredients

The ingredients for thishomemade dog foodare simple, and you likely already have them in your home.

• 3 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 pound of frozen vegetables

You may be surprised to hear I included garlic in this homemade dog food recipe. Like some pet parents, you may think garlic is toxic to dogs. While experts disagree on whether or not thats true, the reality is that plenty of dog owners have been feeding their dogs garlic without ill effects, and its a fairly common ingredient in commercial dog food.

Garlic is only toxic to dogs in large amounts. Small amounts are highly beneficial to them. Garlic is a powerfulnatural antibiotic for dogs,able to perform well as an antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-parasite agent.

Directions

What I really love about this recipe is that you can cook it in a slow cooker. All you have to do is throw all the ingredients, except the veggies, in the slow cooker before work and your dogs dinner will be ready when you get home.

You should cook the ingredients for about six hours on low. Do not add the frozen vegetables until the last 30 minutes. Allow the dog food to cool completely before serving.

How Much Homemade Dog Food Should You Feed For Yeast Infections?

You should feed your dog 1/2 cup of this dog food for every 20 pounds of their body weight. Provide your dog with two servings a day, adjusting for how active they are, whether theyre nursing, and other factors. Consult with your vet if you have concerns.

How to Store This Homemade Recipe Once Cooked

You should store the homemade dog food in an airtight container in the fridge. This recipe will keep for about six days, and it freezes well if you make too much or just want to cook extra.

Tips for Treating Canine Yeast Infections

Chronic yeast infections will likely require an anti-yeast diet. The above recipe is a basic starting point.Yeast infections are sometimes difficult to get rid of if your dog has allergies or a poor immune system^[1], so you may need to consult with your vet if the infection does not respond to your efforts.

In addition to the recipe above, I also recommend the following tips.

• Feed your dog a raw diet of mostly meat. Follow my raw dog food recipes for skin allergies.
• Try a limited ingredient diet. The main ingredient should be meat, and the food should contain no grains.
• Minimize processed pet foods always. Make suretreatsand food do not contain high fructose corn syrup or any sugar derivative.
• Prioritize protein in your dogs diet.

Foods to Avoid When Your Dog Has a Yeast Infection

• Crackers
• Bread
• Bacon
• Cheese
• Mushrooms
• Peanuts
• Buttermilk
• Lunch meat
• Fruit
• Peanuts

Frequently Asked Questions

1.What can I feed a dog with a yeast infection?

You should stick to a basic diet that is free of grain and processed foods. The recipe above is a good starting point. Focus on protein and veggies to get rid of the yeast infection.

2.How do I starve my dogs yeast?

Sugar is the biggest food source for yeast. The glucose in foods can feed the yeast and make them thrive and increase. Eliminate all forms of sugar from your dogs diet, including those found in grains and fruits.

3.What ingredient in dog food causes yeast infections?

Sugar can cause yeast to grow in numbers. If your dogs immune systems cannot handle fighting the yeast, infections will occur. While sugar does not cause a yeast infection, it can cause yeast to grow in numbers and will make a yeast infection worse.Yeast in bread and carbohydrates also excel at supplying yeast with energy.

Homemade Dog Food for Yeast Infections: Diet Suggestions and a Recipe

If your dog suffers from frequent yeast infections, you know the struggle they can cause all too well.

Many infections start as nothing more than some skin irritation. However, they can quickly get out of hand. In many cases, they can become a chronic problem that continually plagues dogs for years to come.

Veterinarians will tackle yeast infections in many different ways. They may provide topical creams, anti-fungal skin treatments, and prescription medications.

Experts also agree that dietary changes can make a drastic difference in the frequency of yeast infection breakouts.

Yeast infections can occur for many different reasons. However, what your dog eats might inadvertently feed the unwanted yeast!

By making some dietary changes, you could reduce the frequency of outbreaks and provide some much-needed relief.

Why Yeast Infections Happen

There are many misconceptions about yeast infections. Theyre more common than people think.

Thats because the yeast and fungus that cause these infections are always on the skin!

The yeast is called Malassezia. Its naturally occurring and lives on the skin of many animals. Both you and your dog have it!

Issues arise when the Malassezia yeast becomes abundant. It can get out of control when conditions are just right.

Yeast infections tend to occur in warm and humid conditions. Common infections site include the ears, skin folds, and more.

When water is introduced into the mix, infections proliferate quickly.

But its not just environmental factors that come into play.

How Dog Food Plays a Part in Yeast Buildup

Yeast needs fuel to survive. It has to have a continual supply of energy to spread and grow. What fuel does Malassezia need? The yeast thrives on sugar.

Were not talking about table sugar here. Malassezia utilizes glucose that you get from starches and carbohydrates.

As your body converts carbohydrates into sugars, the yeast takes advantage of it to grow and spread. Before you know it, your dog has a yeast infection.

Unfortunately, low-quality carbs are pretty standard in traditional dog foods. They act as cheap fillers. While they can fill your dog up, they dont offer much in terms of nutritional content.

Theyre essentially empty calories that do nothing but feed the yeast living on their skin!

An anti-yeast diet can change all of that.

A homemade or modified diet aims to deprive the yeast of the food it needs to grow out of control.

You dont have to avoid starches or carbs altogether. But, you can reduce the prevalence of those ingredients in favor of better alternatives.

Ways to Adopt an Anti-Yeast Diet

Making a few dietary changes can make all the difference and put your dog on the path to a life free of uncomfortable yeast infections.

Here are a few suggestions worth considering.

Switch to Raw Food

Raw diets are great for dogs that suffer from yeast infections. Theyre modeled after the meat-based diets that wild dogs and your pups ancestors survived on.

In the wild, dogs didnt eat processed foods filled with carbs. They survived on meat alone!

You can recreate a similar diet and take complete control over what your dog puts into its body.

Stick to wholesome meats and use organs to provide some much-needed vitamins and minerals.

Try Limited Ingredient Commercial Formulas

While a raw diet might be ideal, its not always practical for every dog owner. If thats the case, you can try a limited ingredient commercial diet.

These foods are formulated with as few ingredients as possible. As a result, they contain far fewer carbohydrates.

Most of the nutritional density is devoted to protein, so fillers are the first to go.

Avoid Overly-Processed Products

Super processed foods are, unfortunately, hard to avoid these days. Everything is produced on a massive scale.

As a result, manufacturers turn to processed ingredients and unnecessary additives.

Check your dog foods ingredient list and avoid anything that contains too much processed junk.

Avoid foods that include things like high fructose corn syrup and excessive starch. Corn fillers are cheap and can help with things like preservation and flavor.

However, theyre also awful sources of extra sugar. Avoid heavy processing and stick to natural, limited-ingredient foods that are made in smaller batches when possible.

Ingredients to Avoid

In addition to heavily processed additives, its best to avoid anything that contains natural sugars.

Steer clear of high-starch foods and carb-based recipes. If you see a lot of potatoes and rice in the mix, it means that the food has numerous carbs to convert into sugar.

The same goes for grains. Grain-free recipes are a point of contention among dog owners. Despite all of that, we do know that too many grains can lead to excess blood sugar.

If your dog has a yeast infection problem, grains are the last thing they need.

Ingredients to Look For

Whether you decide to make your dogs food from scratch or buy it as dry kibble, look for wholesome ingredients.

Your dogs diet should be predominantly protein.

Look for wholesome and identifiable meats. Unprocessed foods that are chock-full of probiotics and digestible ingredients are a plus.

Good ingredients ensure that your dogs body takes full advantage of the nutrients food has to offer without the excess sugar conversion to feed yeast.

Homemade Dog Food Recipe for Yeast Infections

Looking to take matters into your own hands? Making your dogs food from scratch lets you make ingredient decisions that benefit their overall health.

Rather than questioning and making guesses, you can know for sure that your meals arent feeding the yeast!

This recipe is simple and contains only a handful of wholesome ingredients.

One ingredient that might come as a surprise is garlic. Garlic is primarily considered to be toxic in the dog community.

While large amounts can cause some severe health problems, its beneficial in moderation.

Garlic contains anti-fungal properties, so adding it to a homemade recipe can do wonders to keep infections at bay.

What Youll Need

• 3 pounds of chicken thighs
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 pound of mixed frozen vegetables

When choosing the vegetable mix, make sure to select a frozen product that doesnt contain onions or anything else thats harmful to dogs.

Youre already using garlic, so you dont want to overdo things!

Making the Recipe

Start by deboning the chicken and removing the skin. You can also dice the garlic. Then, whip out your slow cooker!

This is a set it and forget it kind of recipe. Once you prepare the ingredients, you can leave the slow cooker to work its magic for several hours.

Place the chicken, garlic, and bouillon cubes into the slow cooker.

Add enough water to cover the ingredients. Set the machine on the lowest setting and let everything cook for about six hours.

After the six-hour mark, add the frozen vegetables and let the food cook for an additional 30 minutes.

Let the food cool completely before feeding your dog. If you have any leftovers, put the food in an airtight container and pop it in the fridge.

Itll be suitable for another six days or so.

Conclusion

Adjusting your dogs diet can make a world of difference. It deprives yeast of the fuel it needs to grow, resulting in fewer infections in the future.

Make these changes gradually. Take some time to transition your pup slowly to avoid any stomach upsets.

Once they adapt to their new diet, your dog will be happier and much healthier!

Also Read:Best Rated Large Breed Puppy Foods