If your dog has itchy skin year-round, regardless of the pollen count or their environment, the problem is nutritional and dietary. Obsessive licking, scratching, and doggy odour are common signs of yeast imbalance.
There Are Only Two Probable Causes For Your Dog Itching, Scratching, and Licking All The Time
1. Internal Nutritional & Dietary Factors
2. External Environmental Factors
Combination of Both
1. Internal Factors
Year-round itching, scratching and licking usually come from internal factors, irrespective of environmental and seasonal changes.
Around 80% of your dog’s immune strength sits in its gastrointestinal system. Your dog’s health depends on a complex balance within its digestive system and gut microbiome.
2. External Factors
Environmental symptoms tend to come and go rather than cause constant disruption. You are often in control of external factors. An easy rule to remember is to use natural products whenever possible.
Internal and Nutritional Factors
When your dog’s microbiome is out of balance, all sorts of symptoms appear. Itchy skin and scratching are the most common signs of poor gut health.
The two most common causes of itchy skin are:
A. Yeast imbalance
B. Ingredient sensitivities
Canine Yeast Imbalance
Yeast lives on every healthy dog, on the skin and in the gut, in small numbers. It only becomes a problem when something lets it overgrow.
Common causes of dog yeast imbalance:
- Recent antibiotics, other medications and environmental toxins, which upset the natural balance of beneficial and harmful microbes in your dog’s digestive system and leave room for yeast to take over
- A lack of beneficial gut microbes
- Gastrointestinal disorders that disrupt and damage the delicate balance of gut flora
- A history of diarrhoea, vomiting and eating problems
- A compromised immune system
- Highly processed, refined diets high in carbohydrates (kibble)
- Sugar, which yeast uses as an energy source
- Low-quality protein
Dog Yeast Imbalance: Symptoms
- Eyes: discharge, discoloured tears, staining.
- Ears: inflamed, waxy discharge, odour, frequent scratching. The inside of the ears looks dirty or dark.
- Odour: healthy dogs do not have a doggy smell. If your dog smells doggy even after a bath, yeast may be the culprit.
- Skin: yeast thrives in moist, warm areas and can look like dirty skin under the legs, inside the ears and between the toes. The more a dog scratches, the more it itches. You may see bald spots with a distinctive odour, and oily skin and fur.
- Face: hair loss, blackened skin, rubbing the face with the feet.
- Feet: reddish discolouration and a distinctive musty odour. Dogs constantly lick and chew their itchy feet.
- Gut: loose or smelly stools, gas and gurgling often sit alongside the skin signs.
How to Stop Yeast Imbalance
Shampoos, wipes and ear drops calm the surface and they work. But if the flare keeps coming back, something underneath keeps re-supplying it. Getting on top of yeast takes three steps: stop feeding it, rebalance the gut, then keep it balanced.
Step 1: Stop feeding it
Every food ingredient either supports your dog’s immune system in keeping yeast under control, or gives yeast more to work with.
Eliminate sugars and starches: wheat, corn, maize, rice, tapioca, barley, whole grain oats, oatmeal, cornmeal, millet, buckwheat and cassava root.
Temporarily eliminate even the simple sugars in fruit and vegetables: carrots, blueberries, apples, cranberries, papaya, bananas, peas and honey. You get the idea.
Step 2: Rebalance the gut with a targeted course
Diet removes the fuel. It does not always shift an overgrowth that is already established, especially after antibiotics or months of recurring flares. That is the job YeastEaze™ was formulated for. More on how it works below.
Step 3: Keep it balanced
Once the gut has settled, a daily probiotic and omega-3 help keep it there. We cover both further down.
Why a Regular Probiotic May Not Fix Yeast
Most probiotics contain beneficial bacteria. They can be excellent products, but they are designed mainly for bacterial imbalance. Yeast is not a bacterium, so adding more good bacteria is not always enough to bring an overgrowth under control.
If you have tried a probiotic and the itch came back, the probiotic did not necessarily fail. It may simply have been the wrong tool for the problem.
A yeast to handle a yeast
Saccharomyces boulardii is a beneficial, non-pathogenic yeast. It competes with unwanted yeasts such as Candida albicans for attachment sites in the gut, making it harder for them to take hold, spread and form protective biofilms.
- It keeps working during antibiotics. Antibiotics target bacteria, so they can wipe out an ordinary bacterial probiotic. S. boulardii is a yeast, so it remains active. This matters because a course of antibiotics is often what set the yeast problem off in the first place.
- It does not add to the problem. S. boulardii does not cause yeast infections and does not permanently colonise the gut. It works while it is being given and clears naturally within a few days of stopping.
- It has been studied in dogs. In a placebo-controlled trial at the University of Bologna, dogs receiving S. boulardii alongside their existing treatment had better outcomes than dogs on the treatment alone.
YeastEaze™: A Four to Six Week Yeast and Gut Reset
NutriFlex YeastEaze™ is a daily powder for dogs whose skin, ear and paw problems keep coming back. It does not work on the itch. It works on the gut, where the recurring cycle is often driven from.
Instead of a single ingredient, YeastEaze™ uses seven, each chosen for a specific stage of the yeast cycle:
- Weaken: olive leaf extract, standardised to 20% oleuropein, helps discourage opportunistic yeast and its shift into more aggressive, harder-to-clear forms.
- Destabilise: caprylic acid from MCT helps disrupt yeast cell membranes and makes the gut less favourable to overgrowth.
- Starve: five digestive enzymes help break food down more completely, so less undigested material reaches the lower gut for yeast to feed on.
- Trap: MOS and beta-glucans act as a decoy that unwanted yeast binds to, so it can be cleared from the gut, while supporting the immune defences that keep yeast in check.
- Bind: as yeast recedes it releases compounds it was holding. Food-grade bentonite clay helps bind these so they leave naturally in the stool, which helps soften die-off reactions.
- Reclaim: Saccharomyces boulardii helps beneficial microbes reclaim the space unwanted yeast was occupying and supports the intestinal barrier.
- Carry: lecithin binds the oil-based and water-based actives into a blend the gut can absorb, so every other ingredient does its job.
How to use YeastEaze™
- Dose: one level scoop (2 g) per 10 kg of body weight, twice daily. Start with half doses for the first three to five days if your dog has a sensitive stomach, and build up over seven to ten days.
- How to give it: ideally away from meals, mixed into plain full-fat yoghurt or a little warm bone broth. Sprinkling it over food also works, slightly less well.
- Timing: leave two hours between YeastEaze™ and any medication or other supplement, so the clay does not bind those too.
- Water: always provide fresh water to support clearance.
- How long: a four to six week course, then stop. YeastEaze™ is a course, not a forever product.
The first week, honestly
Some dogs get a little worse before they get better, usually around day two to five. As yeast recedes it releases what it was holding and this can stir things up for a few days. It is known as a die-off, or Jarisch-Herxheimer, reaction and it is the most common reason people stop too early.
If it happens, cut back, do not stop. Drop to the last dose your dog was comfortable on, hold there for three to five days, then build up again. If your dog seems genuinely unwell, or it does not settle, stop and ring your vet.
Roughly what to expect
- Days 1 to 5: maybe a flare, maybe nothing. Both are normal.
- Days 7 to 10: many owners notice firmer stools, less gas, calmer ears or less licking first.
- Weeks 2 to 4: skin and coat, if they are going to shift.
- After 4 weeks: if nothing at all has changed, it probably was not yeast. Stop, and look at food sensitivities, environmental allergies, parasites or a skin condition with your vet.
Is YeastEaze™ right for your dog?
Worth trying if the itch keeps returning after topical treatment works, the ears and paws are involved, there is a yeasty smell, stools are often loose or smelly, or there has been a recent course of antibiotics.
Probably not the answer if it is a sudden first flare, clearly seasonal, confined to one spot, or you have not yet ruled out a food sensitivity. If the skin is raw, broken or infected, see your vet first.
Check with your vet before starting if your dog is pregnant, nursing, immunocompromised or on medication.
Daily Prebiotics and Probiotics for Dogs
Once the YeastEaze™ course has settled the gut, the job changes from resetting to maintaining. A daily bacterial probiotic helps keep digestion steady and the gut flora diverse, so the balance does not drift back.
NutriFlex FloraMax is a daily prebiotic and probiotic built on soil-based, spore-forming Bacillus coagulans. Spore-formers carry a protective coating that helps them survive heat and stomach acid and reach the intestines intact. FloraMax adds organic pumpkin fibre as a prebiotic to feed the beneficial bacteria, supporting digestion, nutrient absorption and a healthy immune system.
For dogs that also need digestive enzyme support, DigestiMax combines probiotics, prebiotics and a digestive enzyme complex similar to the one in YeastEaze™.
A bacterial probiotic and YeastEaze™ work differently, so they can be used side by side during the course. Just keep the same two-hour gap between them. Read more in our guide to the best dog probiotics.
Your pet’s health starts and ends with the gut, so give them the best chance of an active, happier and healthier life.
Canine Ingredient Sensitivity: Symptoms
Ingredient sensitivities can be extreme or minimal and do not usually require complex testing. Ingredient sensitivity may be the culprit if there are no symptoms typically associated with yeast imbalance, or your dog shows more of the following:
- Constant itching and scratching
- Itchy rear end
- Joint inflammation or limping
- Gastrointestinal problems
- Chronic diarrhoea
- Chronic bloating or gas
- Foul-smelling breath
- Chronic ear infections without other yeast imbalance symptoms
- Hot spots and rashes
Nutritional Allergies: Triggers
Sensitive dogs can have many allergy triggers.
Many allergy triggers hidden in listed ingredients are passed up the food chain to unwitting consumers. The following known allergy triggers are substances and toxins you will not find listed on product labels:
- Approved farm animal treatments
- Antibacterials
- Euthanasia compounds
- Rendered livestock feed and low-quality protein
- Modern bulk fillers
- Aflatoxins
- Hormones
- Fungicides, herbicides and GMOs
Many dogs are also sensitive to the bacteria and fungi commonly found in grain, soy, meat by-products and “meal” of no description.
Other dogs may react to synthetic, lab-created vitamins, flavour enhancers and dyes.
A dog’s reactions to processing emulsifiers, industrial preservatives, extreme heat and pressure during processing, and extrusion-related carcinogens are particularly noticeable.
Did you know? Processed dog food manufacturers can use ingredients rejected for human consumption, including “4D” meats (dying, dead, diseased or disabled).
The most common form of allergy testing is the elimination diet.
Traditional Elimination Diet
Eliminate all food your dog has been eating to date and introduce a novel protein, something the dog has never eaten before. Then, when the dog improves, many suggest gradually reintroducing the old food to see when the problem develops again.
The problem is that many people pay little attention to hidden ingredients. Substances and toxins hidden behind listed ingredients determine the quality of the food, and substandard food can cause allergic reactions in sensitive dogs.
Common causes of canine allergic reactions:
- Wheat (the most common food allergen)
- GMO corn and grain
- GMO soy and soy products
- GMO milk and dairy
- Yeast, potato, beets, peas and egg
- Beef, chicken and lamb
The NEW Elimination Diet
The recommended diet eliminates industrial-grade ingredients, permanently.
The NEW Elimination Diet is clean food without known allergens hidden behind listed ingredients.
It starts by eliminating commercially manufactured, over-processed dog foods where there is no accountability for hidden substances and toxins in the food chain.
Many owners of long-term allergy sufferers are amazed to find it was not the chicken or beef in their dog’s food. Instead, the reaction came from additives in the chicken feed passed into the chicken, synthetic flavour enhancers, or another ingredient lost in the industrial food chain. That realisation is why so many owners now look for pet allergy relief that starts with what goes in the bowl.
Canine diet: rule of thumb
If you cannot buy every single ingredient listed in your dog’s food from the supermarket or farmers’ market, it probably is not real food.
Natural Support for Your Dog’s Itchy Skin: Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Fish oil is an excellent anti-inflammatory for the skin. High in omega-3, it should be given to itchy dogs daily, if not all dogs. Studies show fish oil helps reduce atopic itch in dogs.
Omega-3 matters even more for a yeast-prone dog. While YeastEaze™ works on the gut, the skin still needs a strong barrier to stop every flare landing harder. Most kibble is heavy in omega-6 and light on omega-3, and dogs cannot make EPA and DHA themselves, so what is in the bowl is what they get.
A great way to get omega-3 into your dog is whole sardines. Ring a few fishmongers, pick up a kilo and feed them whole from frozen.
The most convenient source of omega-3s for itchy dogs is a purified fish oil from small oily fish, like NutriFlex OmegaMax™. You get a lot of EPA and DHA for your buck, meaning you need much less.
NutriFlex OmegaMax™: Omega-3 for Dogs
OmegaMax™ is made from wild sardines and anchovies and molecularly distilled for purity. It delivers high-strength EPA and DHA to support calmer skin, a stronger skin barrier and a glossier coat, with natural vitamin E added to keep the oil fresh. Choose the liquid with an easy pump straight onto food, or softgels.
OmegaMax™ key benefits:
- Supports healthy skin and a calmer inflammatory response
- High in EPA and DHA, an essential part of your dog’s daily diet
- Helps support dogs with atopic itch
- Purified fish oil from small oily fish
- A lot of EPA and DHA for your buck, so you need much less
- Easy to give, with no mess
Putting It Together: The NutriFlex Plan for Itchy Dogs
For a dog with recurring yeast signs, the order matters:
- Clean up the bowl. Cut the sugars and starches that feed yeast and move towards real food.
- Run a YeastEaze™ course. Four to six weeks, twice daily, away from food, to reset the gut.
- Add OmegaMax™ from day one. One pump on a meal daily to support the skin barrier while the gut settles.
- Maintain. When the course ends, stop YeastEaze™, keep OmegaMax™ going and add a daily probiotic such as FloraMax or DigestiMax.
YeastEaze™ and OmegaMax™ are available together as the Skin Reset Bundle, which costs less than buying them separately.
If your dog’s itch looks more like an ingredient sensitivity than yeast, start with the elimination diet above and OmegaMax™, and talk to your vet.