View Question

Yeast Dermatitis In A Dog

by mszyrmer - September 9, 2020 View Case Report

Birdie is a 2 year old, female spayed Basset Hound. She is timid and fearful but not aggressive.

When she was 1 year old, she developed dry, itchy skin. She was prone to diarrhea and soft stool with diet changes and too much fat in the diet. For this reason, I put her on "Drain Dampness and Nourish the Skin." Her skin improved and has been much better since then.

Recently (September 2020) she began to develop more odor in her ears (yeast-smell) and ceruminous discharge. She also has brown skin discoloration in her in axillary region. She is generally pruritic

Relevant exam findings: BCS 7/9. Tongue dark pink. Pulses deep, slightly difficult to find, possibly wiry.

Because of the timing (end of summer), I am thinking that this might be a "shao yang" disharmony. I was thinking of putting her on Four Marvels for the yeast/dampness and then Minor Bupleurum. Do these sound like appropriate herbs for this condition?

Thank you!

by naturevet

September 10, 2020

Hi there,

Four Marvels is really only called for when the pulse is more external or at least easy to find. I was wondering about San Ren Tang instead.

Rather than starting with two formulas, maybe go with one. That way, outcomes are easier to interpret, as long as the owner is willing to be patient. September suggests Shao Yang disharmony, but a response to DDNS suggests the patient is Damp. We usually don't see animals being both, when it comes to skin problems, so my temptation is to start with the assumption this is still a Damp dog. Three Seeds (San Ren Tang) fits the ventral lesions, deep pulse, history of Damp, purple tongue, body score and seborrhea. Maybe give that a try first. If this is a Wind-Damp invasion, it fits the autumn onset. SRT is a Wind Damp dispeller, so it's another reason to try it out.

If that doesn't help, and the animal has not benefited from a real food diet, then try Minor Bupleurum, ideally with Si Wu Tang added. Since the latter is a Blood tonic, and this dog was Damp in the past, it's best to rule out Dampness first before trying the Minor Bupleurum approach. Si Wu Tang is often needed for Minor Bupleurum dogs to do well, skin-wise.

Lastly, remember that Damp animals need to be on real food diets to thrive. Or at least freeze-dried. The only kibble that may work is a high-protein high-fiber kibble. Anything else and the owner will find themselves in a perpetual struggle with skin disease. I take it there was no diet change that precipitated the problem...?

Hopefully this advice helps you out. Please let us know how it goes!

Steve

San Ren Tang

You must be logged in to reply

CuredCases.com