Experiences with brewer's yeast for dogs - Need advice?

I have a 30lb mutt with terribly itchy skin. He had a very minor infestation with fleas a few months ago, and has been itching his belly area ever since. I've tried flea shampoo, medicated coal tar shampoo, %26amp; hydrocortizone spray. He gets a monthly spot on flea treatment (been using the same brand for 4 years). I've heard that brewer's yeast is supposed to help with fleas and itchy skin. I bought a bottle that I found on clearance to try. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Experiences with brewer's yeast for dogs - Need advice?
A few things.





Brewer's yeast cannot hurt. While some well done clinical studies show it really does little to combat fleas, it does add other nutrients and dogs like them, so if you don't mind the minor cost, keep on giving them.





If you had a minor bout with fleas, use a topical monthly and various shampoos, then your flea problem is gone. The problem, while originally potentially caused by fleas is no longer the cause.





Dry and itchy skin can be caused by any things. Allergies, diet, environment. Your dog may have a food or even substance allergy. Possibly a flea shampoo or new carpet or the like may be irritating the skin. It could be diet and this is the most likely. You can change diets to a brand with more EFA (fatty acids) that help with coat. Dermcaps also help supplement essential fatty acids. The last factor is environment. Agian it could be something liek new carpet, or something as simple as overbathing. A dog does not need to bathed often. While a coal tar shampoo should sooth, if done too often it can make it worse.





I would bathe only every 10 to 14 days. Supplement with EFA capsules or get a diet that has extra and look for other allergens in the environment. The Brewers yeats won;t hurt, so feel free to use it.





Good luck.
Reply:Give him the adult dose my dog loves them,they wont hurt him they are only yeast and are very good for him.
Reply:The brewer's yeast over a short period of time builds up a scent in the dog that fleas don't like. And it will help with the itchy skin. Just give him the adult dose and he should be fine.
Reply:Yes, yeast is supposed to make the pets blood un-palateable to fleas. I bake home made dog biscuits that have it in it. Look on the net for dog biscuit recipes. You should find plent of recipes on there include the yeast in your search. Good luck to you.
Reply:Something else worth trying,is increasing the amount of omega fatty acids in your dogs food.While they won't help with fleas,omegas help dry skin and coat problems immensely.canned salmon is an exec lent source,my dog gets 1/2 cup with her morning feeding.Your dog at 30 pounds would be fine with 1/4 cup.start introducing it slowly so the dog can get use to it without getting the runs.Tablespoon per day for a few days then 2 and so on.pet stores also sell supplements for dry skin that contain omegas,either in pill form,or as sprays and powders to add to your dogs food.At 1/4 cup a day one can of salmon would last you about a week,and dogs love the taste.





Added info.


If the fleas are gone,and under con troll now, it's likely the dry skin is caused by the diet.Over bathing can also cause dry skin,so don't bathe it every week,or several times a week.