Malassezia (yeast) Dermatitis

Before	After
Before	After

This 2-year-old West Highland White Terrier was extremely itchy.  She had developed severe inflammation with a strong odor on the entire underside of the body and the feet.  Symptoms had worsened during the past year despite various homeopathic remedies.  Two other related dogs in the household had similar symptoms.  Microscopic evaluation of the skin’s surface revealed a massive infection with yeast.  Infections are always caused by an underlying disorder that must be corrected or the infection will relapse.  Treatment with Ketoconazole and medicated baths cleared the yeast infection and improved the itchiness.  The residual itchiness was due to allergies.  The inflammation from the allergies had allowed the yeast to overgrow, causing more itching.  West Highland White Terriers have a genetic predisposition to develop allergies, which are often complicated by secondary yeast infections.