I have heard people say that face stains are due to "red yeast". And I can understand how they would come to that conclusion -- doggie faces on some brachycephalic breeds are warm and moist in the creases, conditions that favor yeast. But in most cases, the red-brown color in tear-stained areas is simply a pigment. Proof of this is that the stain goes away with the administration of tetracycline, which binds the pigment. Tetracycline does not treat yeast. That is not to say that a warm, moist crease never becomes infected; there can be secondary infections, either due to bacteria or yeast/fungus. In a dog with skin folds, a quick daily wipe with Witch Hazel is often sufficient for cleansing and prevention of secondary infection. Fortunately, cavaliers do not have a lot of skin folds, so secondary infection is not common.
Some dogs do get yeast/fungal infections of the skin elsewhere on the body. In general they are scaly, oily skin patches, looking kind of like the "cradle cap" seborrhea we see in human infants. Yeast, of course, lives naturally on the skin, but can proliferate in oily conditions often caused by allergies. Malessezia dermatitis is a fungal infection of the skin in dogs more common in the following breeds: the West Highland White Terrier, Basset hound, Cocker spaniel, Silky terrier, Australian terrier, Maltese, Chihuahua, Poodle, Shetland sheepdog, Lhasa apso, and the dachshund. Leanne ----- Original Message ----- > Eileen S. wrote: "Somehow my question as to whether anyone had tried > acidophillus to help with tear staining was quickly turned into a thread on > dog food...But -- I really would be interested to hear from anyone who has > tried acidophillus, since I believe it has been used for many years as a > naturopathic aid for yeast problems in humans." ========================================================= "Magic Commands": to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL to start it up gain click here: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 2002 by its original author.
