Once again, it’s time for Thankful Thursday! I hope this post inspires you to consider the things in your life that you are grateful for. If you have a blog, consider posting about it there and link back here. If you don’t have a blog, please feel welcome to comment here on what you are grateful for in your own life. If you don’t feel comfortable sharing, then just take a few moments to reflect on all that you have. If you’d like to tag other bloggers that participate, feel free to do that.

It’s commonly known that Grady has been suffering from allergies for most of the summer.  I did my research and my shopping and cooked up my potions until I found one that worked to prevent the awful Staph infections he has suffered from in the past.  I’ve been feeling quite pleased with myself – we’ve made it through the summer without needing a single visit to the vet, not one steroid or antibiotic.  But there’s been one nagging question:  why does he keep licking?  His skin looked fine – maybe just anxiety from our move and the resulting upheaval in pack dynamics?  Fleas?  Food allergies?  Nothing seemed to fit and nothing relieved the itching and licking – bad enough, but never quite that bad as to warrant a visit to the vet.  A couple of weeks ago, I started to notice that Grady was becoming a little greaseball.  At first, I blamed myself for slacking off on our weekly bathing ritual.  Then the wheels FINALLY started to roll in my rusty brain.  I recalled back to late last summer, during one of Grady’s numerous vet visits, when he was diagnosed with a yeast infection.  At the time, he had Staph, yeast, hot spots, sores, bald spots – you name it!  I had no idea what a yeast infection on its own looked like.  But it popped into my head and so I started hunting around online for some information on yeast infections in dogs.  It didn’t take long to confirm my suspicions.  I immediately booked Grady in for an exam, where he was prescribed anti-fungal medication to combat the infection.  So why did I choose this for my Thankful Thursday topic of the week?  Mostly because I am so glad that Grady is finally feeling better.  I got my dog back after such a long time that I forgot what I’d been missing (2 days after he started his meds, I came home to find that he’d helped to shred the bag of styrofoam that was ready to go to recycling).  I’m also thankful that I learned something new about Grady’s predisposition to skin afflictions.  Maybe next time I’ll catch it a lot sooner and spare us all the extended suffering.

I’d like to take a few minutes to talk about yeast infections in dogs and what to look for, in case you might be having a similar problem.  Last summer, Grady went to 4 different vets for treatment before yeast was diagnosed.  If you have a dog with allergies, or any type of skin condition, please consider having him checked for a yeast infection.  Yeast often piggybacks on other infections and the use of antibiotics to combat bacterial infections can allow the yeast to take hold.  Once you get the original infection cleared up, the symptoms return rapidly as the yeast proliferates.  So what should you look for?

• Excessive itching or licking, can be anywhere but often ears, lips, genitals, inner thighs, and between toes are affected
• Greasy hair and skin
• Stinky dog smell
• Discharge from ears
• Gas/bloating
• Joint pain

It is important to note that there may be no obvious skin lesions present.  Grady’s skin looked healthy and normal, even despite the scratching and licking.  If you notice excessive itchiness, take your dog in for a checkup.  Yeast can be diagnosed quickly and easily and your pooch can be on the mend before you know it.  If you’d like further reading on the topic, check out the following links:  Patterson and Frank article, Brooks article

Happy Thursday to all and please visit these other sites that frequently participate in Thankful Thursday:

Akal Ranch, Enlightened Horsemanship Through Touch, and Tired Dog Ranch.