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Allergies and Systemic YeastA Mini-Course in Understanding Yeast OvergrowthHow Did This Happen? Fungus/yeast is a normal part of the digestive tract, it is one of those organisms, like bacteria and parasites, that need a host (your pet) in order to live. When the body (pet or human) is given the best nutritional support with a good diet, the body can keep these "critters" at low levels and they do not interfere with daily life. But when the body is compromised in some way, fungus/yeast and other bacteria and parasites often grow out of control in the body. What compromises your pet? Many things compromise the immune and digestive system of the body. First and foremost is nutrition. Poor quality "grocery store/utilitarian level" foods which are advertised on the television are grain based (grain is the first ingredient on the bag), and protein sources are made from byproducts instead of human grade and/or organic. Grains convert to sugar and yeast/fungus lives off of sugars. This is not to say your dog should not eat grains, it means the diet should not be grain based (first ingredient) and they should be whole grains with fiber in tact...like in the wild, like the predigested contents of the stomach of prey. The buzz word in the ads and on TV is "quality" - over and over they say "quality" but no definition of what that actually means. You never hear them say it is human grade, USDA inspected, organic, holistic or natural in any of the ads in magazines, on TV or on the bags. For future reference, normally only small independently owned companies; vet clinics, pet shops, groomers, boarding kennels, training facilities etc. sell the better quality pet foods.(This does not mean prescription diets which are not always made of the highest quality ingredients). A good example of pet foods selling themselves, without huge national advertising budgets, foods that are the human grade/natural/holistic pet foods like; Eagle Holistic/Natural line of pet foods, Flint River Ranch, Back to Basics, Nature's Prairie Natural, Northwest Naturals etc. These are smaller independently owned pet food companies and they put their money into quality ingredients and product development and not into huge advertising budgets. These foods literally sell themselves by word of mouth because they work... and they bring wellness and longevity to our companion animals. When pet foods are not human grade, it means they are full of food colorings, enhances, sugars, artificial preservatives, substandard fractionated grains and protein sources that are unfit for human consumption i.e.; road-kill, euthanized pets from shelters and the 4D meats; dead, diseased, disabled and dying-- these inferior ingredients are passed off into the pet food market. When pet foods are not human grade, they leave all kinds of toxins in the body and because most commercial pet foods regardless of quality, are stored or cooked that means they are absent of critical dietary enzymes (Nzymes). The purpose of dietary enzymes is to provide the necessary nutritional structure to the body, so it can cleanse it self of toxins. In short, in time your dogs digestive tract gets compromised due to poor quality diets. The second issue is the use of antibiotics - either "over use" of them, or using them without using a probiotic "back up" at the same time. Probiotics (beneficial yogurt like bacteria) keep the flora/fauna of the gut at good levels in the digestive track. When this flora/fauna is killed off due to antibiotics we must re-seed the gut with probiotics. If we don’t do this, guess what starts to grow out of control…the yeast/fungus which also lives in the gut and is just waiting for a chance to spring up like mushrooms after a spring rain! Probiotics keep fungus/yeast at lower levels. Antibiotics kill off both bad and good bacteria, but it does not kill off fungus. Other things compromise the system such as steroids, stress, vaccines, medicines, toxins, flea preparations, yard sprays, household cleaners, detergents, fabric softeners etc.but the two issues I have found the worst at causing yeast/fungus overgrowth are 1). diet - poor quality ingredients and lacking in nutrients, and 2). use of antibiotics with no probiotic back up given at the same time. A Slow Process Generally this deterioration of the intestinal environment that causes yeast over growth,does not happen over night, it is slow and gradual process, just like the reversing of this problem. It starts with something called Leaky Gut Syndrome. LeakyGut Syndrome is caused by the candida (yeast)changing into its fungal form, growing roots (rhizoid's) into one’s intestines, and penetrating the intestinal lining. This causes the microscopic tears, which allow undigested proteins to pass into the blood, causing joint problems, autoimmune reactions. But once you understand what this process is about, you will be more patient with the outcome in the end. Here is a typical scenario……let’s say your dog is 3 years old and been fed a grocery store level food. It was on antibiotics once for an infection. He has been healthy up until now, but one day you notice he is shaking his head, scratching his ear or perhaps chewing at his feet -- only once in a while, then a few days later it seems to be with more frequency. Soon the dog chews it’s coat, it’s skin is raw or itches himself more often than normal, and it is obvious there is a skin infection. So off we go to the vet…..there we get an antibiotic for the ears, antibiotic for the coat to make sure there is no secondary infection and a shot of steroids to temporarily stop itching. The dog improves for a while, then all of a sudden days to weeks later the dog is in full blown chewing, itching, red feet and ears -- back to the vet for a second or third or fourth round of the same thing and more steroids. Now it becomes a vicious circle from 3 weeks to 6 weeks another flare up. over and over. Then one day the vet suggests we do "allergy testing" because the dog must be sensitive to something, perhaps it is in the diet. After hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars invested in tests and vet visit- the results tell you the dog is allergic to everything from dust mites to tuna and lima beans!!!! Now what do I do? Well, that is usually when people contact me. I am the last resort person in many of these so called allergy cases, which are nothing more than misdiagnosed systemic yeast infections from yeast/fungus overgrowth. The Parts And How They Relate To The Whole. Many contemporary veterinarians, like physicians are not trained in holistic approaches, they are trained in the allopathic method which means to look at the "parts" that are wrong and fix them with drugs and surgery. To understand and diagnose Systemic Yeast Infection a veterinarian must understand that the visible symptoms you see on the outside of the dog; chewing, itching, ear infections, shedding, sores etc is only the "tip of the iceberg". You must look deeper at the core or origin of the problem and not simply treat the symptoms on a surface level. In other words..look at the whole animal, inside out and see how all the parts relate to this whole animal. Beneath the Surface To understand systemic yeast flare-up you need to know the mechanics. In a nutshell…. When the yeast/fungus starts to over grow in the gut, it destroys the mucus lining of the intestinal wall, which is a protective lining. The digestive tract is a "closed system" much like a real septic system, and it is designed to keep the waste toxins from leaking through the walls of the digestive system and into the blood stream. When this mucus lining is broken down due to fungus growing out of control, it allows body toxins and waste to leak through the walls of the digestive tract and into the bloodstream, in short it is like the body is becoming septic. What makes this problem worse is, as the fungus die off and decay, the waste from the fungus/yeast alone can make you "sicker'n a dog". When the toxins leak into the body a whole cascade of events starts to take place, one of which is the alteration of the pH of the gut, bladder and reproduction organs. These changes in the body are the "symptoms" you recognize when you have yeast overgrowth. It is referred to as 4 stages of severity of overgrowth depending on these symptoms. The list is far to many to list here, so I will name a few that seem to be the worst in animals: Rashes - Itching -Body Odor - Smelly Ears - Reoccurring Ear & Bladder infections -Red Skin - Sores - Scabs - Shedding - Arthritis - Genital Discharge - Hotspots - Blackened skin. Keep in mind the biggest filter organ in the body is the skin so when these toxins leak out of the contained system and into the bloodstream, they eventually make their way to the outer layer, the skin, and deposit the toxins on the surface of the skin causing itching, irritation, odor and then a secondary bacterial infections become a problem as well. Reoccurring ear infections are often treated with antibiotic which don't even touch yeast infections of the ears and in fact make it worse as it destroys the beneficial bacteria of the ear canal altering the pH of the ear and making it comfy for yeast to want to grow there. Can We Fix This Mess?The answer is YES - we can fix or reverse this mess, it takes time, patience and you changing some of the feeding protocol with your pet, but YES we can do it. Here goes: 1) We must have your pet's thyroid checked - this is critical in getting systemic yeast cleared up. The best way to get an accurate thyroid test is to go to www.hemopet.com and click on Services. You will note Dr. Dodds has 4 sections with instructions and forms for you to print out and take to your vet. Then send this info along with the blood sample back to Dr.Dodds for testing. She is the absolute best when it comes to thyroid testing and is known world wide. At the least have your dog's thyroid checked and if a low normal, insiste on using something for it. 2) We must change the diet - Blackwatch Feed Program for Systemic Yeast 3) We must introduce the Yeast Removal Kit - Purchase this from Nzymes.com 4) GV Canine Ear Solutions - works best for the very toughest of ear issues and, it is not cost prohibitive and in a large bottle for many days treatments in these tough ear cases. I keep it on hand all the time. It works great for water dogs that have a continuos problem with swimmer's ear. For yeast, first wipe out ears with a diluted solution of Ox-E-drops (1 teaspoon Ox-E-Drops + 1 cup distilled water). Let dry. Then take the dog outside because he will flip his head after this (make sure you are covered!), then fill the ear with GV Canine Ear Solutions and work into ear. He will flip his head so move out of the way:) . These two make a great combination for killing yeast or for dogs that spend a lot of time swimming. To Prepare Ahead - Homework OK - this is a lot of information in a short time, but I know as you read this light bulbs went off and you feel perhaps there is light at the end of the tunnel (we will deal later with your anger about how long this has gone on, and the money you have spent trying to get your pet some relief!!) To understand why poor quality dog foods are a problem in these yeast issues, read my article on how deceitful some dog food companies can be in making you think you are feeding a healthy dog food. Article: You Wonder Why?....Deceit in Advertising
Good Luck - Be Patient this is the start of a better future for your pet. A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
This is an example is of a dog with a systemic yeast infection shown BEFORE and AFTER using The Blackwatch Feed Program for Systemic Yeast and the Yeast Removal Kit. Canine Research in Yeast - Malassezia Completed Grant No. 1840: Studies of the Host (Canine) Immune Response to the Opportunistic Pathogen Malassezia pachydermatis - Daniel O. Morris, DVM, DACVD; University of Pennsylvania. Sponsors: American Spaniel Club, Basset Hound Club of America, Dalmatian Club of America Foundation, English Springer Spaniel Field Trial Association Foundation, Westie Foundation of America Abstract: This study confirmed that the immune system of allergic dogs recognizes a specific yeast as a contributor to allergies—that the dog’s body is mounting an allergic response to the yeast, not just reacting to a yeast infection. The yeast, Malassezia pachydermatis, is present in many dogs with skin allergies, causing itching, infection and sometimes licking to the point of self-mutilation. The most common symptoms of the yeast are ear canal infections and paw licking. Dogs with the yeast allergy can react to a quantity of yeast that would be considered within normal limits for healthy dogs. This discovery provides evidence and hope that it might be possible to manage that allergic reaction through the development of yeast-specific allergy shots, rather than relying on anti-fungal medications, which carry a possibility of side effects and don’t stop the allergic reaction from recurring. How Systemic Yeast Infections Affects HumansSystemic yeast infections (fungus) are extremely difficult to detect and kill. Stanford University studies report a 497% increase in systemic infections in humans in the past 10 years due to overuse of antibiotics and stress. When pH balance of the gut is out of balance, an environment is ripe for pathogenic bacteria and fungus to multiply at an alarming rate. The byproducts of bacteria and fungus produce "toxins." These can result in systemic disease, as well as bloat, stomach gas and foam. Many diseases are often misdiagnosed in humans when the actual underlying cause is Candida Albicans (a systemic yeast infection). Examples of systemic yeast overgrowth in humans which are often diagnosed as the following diseases: Cancer * The article "Allergies and Systemic Yeast" is republished with the permission of Blackwatch Nutritional Counseling and Linda Arndt of the educational website GreatDaneLady.com.
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