Sedona
It\'s Tough- Being A Spoiled- Puppy!
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 | | Barked: Thu Jan 6, '11 6:03pm PST |  | |  | | Does it look like a "bullseye" type of wound? ...circular patch of hairloss, smooth...normal color, and with a dark colored "center mark"? Was the "liquid" a brownish red color? Did this all start out as a "bump" or "cyst" under the skin? Maybe the size of a pea?
If this sounds similar, then YES I am familiar with this. It's a YEAST overgrowth issue, and NO..your vets will NOT be of any help. Been there, done that...and vets are a HUGE waste of time. "nuff said. 
Whem my dog was 2 yo, she had a full blown yeast overgrowth issue. We spent over $800 in countless blood work tests at the vets. First they said it was "just allergies". Then, they told me that she had IBD and they handed me a can of Science Diet ZD cr*p food. That's when I decided to go it on my own, and found a holistic route. I never looked back! I'm a firm believer that holistic treatments are the answer to dog "allergies", which usually will clear up after you treat for yeast overgrowth. And btw, there is usually a ZINC DEFICIENCY issue, and a grain intolerance issue linked in with the yeast/allergy issues.
The cysts that burst are basically toxins which have built up in the system, which the liver has been just too overloaded to deal with. Yeast create a lot of toxins for the liver, etc. If you do decide to treat your dog holistically, you will see a few more of these cysts pop up as the toxins are cleared from the body.
The amount of time it takes to treat for yeast issues (internally, not just externally) is a min of 6 MONTHS, but very well worth it. You have to be committed to the protocol, or it won't work. There are a lot of supplements and holistic herbal tinctures and diet change involved (need to feed homecooked, ideally), but again, it's so worth it!! My dog is almost 9yo now and she has never had any more allergy issues since. She is also still on a 100% homecooked diet that is grain free (except for occasional oatmeal added in now and then).
IF you think that this is what your dog has, and you are interested in what I did to treat my dog, let me know and I can post it (it's long and involved to post).
IF you do not think you can do homecooked, then I think you can try to do this with "kibble", but it will take MUCH longer. Sugars feed yeast, and all carbs break down into sugars, so the idea is to keep to low glycemic carbs and in very small portions. The main part of the diet consists of high quality proteins (chicken, turkey, salmon, etc). There are some proteins you should not feed while treating for yeast (beef, egg, dairy). And you usually begin this protocol with a 12 week "elimination diet".
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Sites that can help you with info on yeast = (note: read ALL the articles so that you can get a basic understanding of what yeast overgrowth is, and what it entails to get rid of it. I did many of the things listed in the articles below, but some things I did NOT do...others that I did do, are not listed. If interested, I will share what worked for my particular dog, but again I have to sress that you need to be committed 100% to the protocol or you will not get results. You may want to first start by just changing to homecooked foods and adding a probiotic and a zinc supplement (consult your vet on the dose...but for my 14.5 Shih Tzu, a 10mg-15 mg of zinc gluconate 3-4x week was what we dosed), on top of her regular multi-vitamin mineral supplement.
http://www.purelypets.com/articles/yseabinfections.htm
ht tp://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/scratching-and-itching-could-it-b e-yeast/
http://www.alternativepets.com/allergies.html
http:// www.earthclinic.com/Pets/yeast_infections_dogs.html
http://www.au naturelk9s.com/treatingyeast.html
http://www.akitarescue.com/Trea ting Skin Yeast.htm
(this is info for a VERY large dog, so ignore amounts given for supplements!! you would give much less for a small dog, if you followed the info in this article).
NOTE:
Check to make sure your dog is NOT "hypothyroid". Many times dogs with hypothyroid issues have many yeast allergies, etc. But then again, my dog had a low-normal T4 when she had the yeast issue, and then once it was over, her T4 was perfect! Still, I'd have a full thyroid panel run just to make sure. If it's below low-normal, you may want to treat for hypothyroidism. And, I've heard from friends that a zinc deficiency has lowered thyroid, and once their dog was supplemented with zinc...the thyroid normalized. So...? Vets don't seem to know anything about nutrition!, so my advice is just to research as much as you can on your own and then present the info to the vet to discuss.
NOTE:
Do NOT dose more zinc than is recommended by your VET, as over supplementing minerals is dangerous! So, stick to the correct dose, and only dose a few times per week, imho. Again, consult your VET on this subject.
IF you do the protocol to fight yeast, you will see symptoms get worse, before they get better! But...it does get better, if yeast is the only issue (vs a thyroid issue, etc).
AVOID:
I stayed away from vaccines and flea meds, etc while treating my dog for her yeast issue. You want to keep the dog's system as toxin free as you can. I used a homeopathic detoxifier for my dog, daily, for 2 weeks. (Azmira Detoxifier) from www.Azmira.com . They have an EXCELLENT tech support for their products and protocols. The number is on their web site.
Good luck! I hope your pup gets better very soon!  Edited by author Thu Jan 6, '11 6:05pm PST
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