Yeast Issues
March 24, 2019
🐾SUNDAY SKILL BUILDER🐾
I try to talk about yeast at each Certified Canine Esthetician Class. As groomers we see a LOT of skin symptoms in the salon that can be attributed to yeast proliferation or overgrowth.
There are currently ~1,500 documented strains of yeast, which is a fungus.
It resides on every surface and helps to create a naturally balanced ecosystem by maintaining beneficial bacteria levels and helping to synthesize pathogens and surface bacteria that become overpopulated.
With pet’s, topical and systemic yeast overgrowth happens for a variety of reasons. From poor diet and nutrition to over vetting compromising the immune system, to underlying medical & genetic issue.
The skin & coat and systemic symptoms can have common threads, but also be quite varying.
Yeast (being misdiagnosed) as allergies is one of the most common medical diagnoses that I deal with in my area as well as a general opinion of most of the groomers that attend my program.
From there without a support system of veterinarian opinion to help you address the issues that you continue to see at each grooming visit, it can be incredibly hard to really turn things around for the long term.
But as groomers we have an immeasurable value of often being at the forefront of discovering these issues and therefor creating intervention & positive change.
At any rate, with each event visit we can undeniably create a positive change and give relief for the pet that sees us.
Below is an article that describes this aspect more.
An excerpt from this great article:
“Yeast organisms have a symbiotic (mutually beneficial) relationship with Staph bacteria on the skin. More bacteria on the skin = more yeast on the skin. Staphylococcus bacteria and Malassezia yeast produce mutually beneficial growth factors and alterations in their microenvironment. It is common for dogs with a yeast overgrowth to also have a bacterial infection. Yeast produce proteins and glycoproteins that allow the staph bacteria to adhere to skin cells. Keep in mind that the yeast organisms DO NOT INVADE the skin beyond the outer layer (stratum corneum). Yeast dermatitis results from an inflammatory or hypersensitivity reaction to yeast products and antigens.”
https://www.healthyskin4dogs.com/blog/2015/9/8/facts-myths-about-yeast-dermatitis-in-dogs?rq=yeast