We all know that dog skin problems will become an issue over time, regardless of how well we wash them. Of course, making sure to bathe your dog at least once a week is great and keeping a close eye on where they’re playing and who they’re playing with is great too, Though, some dog breeds are more susceptible to skin problems than others.
Recommended Anti-fungal Shampoo for Dogs –
SynergyLabs Veterinary Formula Antiparasitic & Antiseborrheic Shampoo
Whether it be because of sensitive skin, minor immune issues or even just dry skin, there isn’t a whole lot you can do to stop most problems with your dog’s skin.
If you’ve owned your dog for a while, you might notice that they develop skin allergies or infections on a seasonal basis or entirely randomly. That’s why we’ve developed the guide below to help you explore the causes and treatments available for various skin conditions and provide information on the best antifungal dog shampoos.
As a dog owner, it’s best you be prepared for these situations early by stocking medicated shampoos for dogs and ensuring you have a well-rounded knowledge of the causes and treatments available. You don’t want to discover late at night that your dog has sensitive skin, hot spots or sores in their skin folds and not have any equipment or ointments to help – so stock up beforehand.
As a pet owner, keeping your dog healthy, happy and pain-free is likely your top priority.
Too often we take our dog’s health for granted. Most of us just expect our dog’s skin to be fine permanently since we take care of them so well, though, sometimes genetic issues, immune system changes and reactions to poor weather can change everything.
When it’s time to fight off these skin issues you want to know that you’re doing everything in your power to do so. That means investing in essential oils like tea tree oil, anti-fungal shampoos with natural ingredients and making use of native remedies that actually work, like aloe vera, to clear up and fight off your dog’s itchy skin.
Our overall top choice for the best antibacterial dog shampoos is:
SynergyLabs Veterinary Formula Antiparasitic & Antiseborrheic Shampoo
What Causes Yeast & Other Infections in Dogs?
There are a whole variety of reasons dogs get yeast infections and other mild and severe skin infections. But most of the time, as dog owners, you can’t really predict or stop them. You simply have to wait for an issue to arise and move forward on fixing it as prevention isn’t always an option – unless flea bites come into the equation.
One thing to watch out for is how your dog reacts to grasses when you take them on walks or let them run freely in the yard. If they come back itchy or quite red, you might want to consider keeping them away from grasses. This is down to the fact that constant irritation and the skin being agitated often could lead to diseases and other infections developing in the long term.
So what are the many causes of yeast infections and could there be more serious underlying conditions that you may need to be aware of? Well, the main causes behind yeast infections, itchy skin, and hot spots are often:
- Bacterial infections
- Sensitive skin
- Flea bites
- Non-hypoallergenic soaps
- Alien objects embedded in the skin
- Unknown allergies to dog foods, grass, soap or fabric
- Ruptured eardrums
The goods news though is that there are also so many different and effective ways to fight these infections and skin issues, as well as a few preventative steps you can try to stop your dog from contracting these diseases or letting skin rashes get too out of hand in the first place.
How To Spot Infections
You don’t need a degree from veterinary school to spot infections, rashes and other types of skin diseases your dog may have. Generally, most issues such as dermatitis and Malassezia can be diagnosed at home after a quick look at the skin and some time researching online.
We’ve outlined below a few different ways to go about spotting skin infections in dogs so you have a little more direction to follow.
Yeast Infections
These infections are generally located around the skin near your dog’s ears, though they can appear just about anywhere on the skin. You need to look for signs of a little residue, irritation, scabs and sometimes even hair loss. A dog will typically be itching at the area as well.
If the symptoms aren’t so visible, then it is essential to look out for other giveaways. These will be related to your dog’s behavior and any signs of acute irritation such as head tilting and slightly rubbing. This could be a sign of the itch affecting skin elasticity, meaning your dog will be stretching the skin or allowing it to retract so that it isn’t so painful or itchy.
One final sign to watch out for is an entire change of skin color across your dog’s entire stomach or hair-free areas. If you notice that their stomach is changing to a pinkish irritated color, it might not just be from being warm or red from playing. Keep an eye on this as it might eventually turn into a large infection or sore.
How to Treat These Infections
Up first, the good news is that yeast infections aren’t typically too hard to treat. With the right products that feature the right mix of yeast-fighting active ingredients you could be saying goodbye to that dreadful, potentially smelly yeast infection in no time.
If you’re the owner of a dog with a relatively severe yeast issue or other potential skin infection, you have access to a whole range of antifungal medicated shampoos and generic medicated dog shampoos. These are available in various categories, with each one addressing specific skin or coat issues.
The most common types of mediated shampoos include:
Anti-seborrheic shampoos – for stopping skin scaling,
Anti-bacterial shampoos, anti-pruritic shampoos – for relieving itchiness,
Anti-fungal shampoos – for preventing and stopping fungal infections.
You’ll also be glad to know that a large majority of medicated dog shampoos are now paraben-free so you can be sure you’re not exposing your dog’s open skin sores or infections to potential harm. If you head down to your local vet, you’ll also be able to purchase a veterinary formula clinical care shampoo that ensures you’re getting the most powerful and effective shampoo.
Treating Fungal Infections
Perhaps the most common of dog infections are skin itching issues and fungal infections. When these conditions worsen, these can drastically affect your pet’s behavior and energy levels, which will, of course, lower everyone’s morale. None of us like to see our pets sad and withdrawn.
You might even notice your dog becoming less active if they have fungal infections in their paws and they may even spend most of their time scratching themselves. This is a potentially worrying sign and can lead to further issues in the future if not dealt with right away.
If you notice these signs in your pets, you should be ready to bathe them with an anti-fungal dog shampoo right away. Getting between the feet is essential as well, especially if you’re noticing your dog’s paws are sore and preventing them from being active, but just make sure they’re completely dry and not wet after you wash them, as their paws will need to be kept dry to improve healing.
To give you some information on prevention or early detection of infections, just like humans, when dogs are feeling unwell or are fighting off infections their mood and habits change. This will mean that you’re able to use their behavior changes early in their infection cycle and work to prevent infections before they attack.
In order to treat or prevent these painful and annoying skin infections, it is essential you choose the right shampoo products to treat the condition. Antifungal shampoos will be your best friend in this scenario, as they have been specially formulated to treat some of the conditions we laid out above.
Moving on to choosing the best pet care solutions for pet parents, we listed below three quick reasons why you should be using antifungal shampoos to address your dogs infections.
Benefits of Antifungal Dog Shampoos
- They Target Specific Illnesses/Conditions – A good dog antifungal shampoo contains substances that will individually treat your dog’s symptoms and alleviate any discomfort and pain caused by their illness.
- They Provide Almost Immediate Relief – The best feeling as a pet owner comes when you realize that your dog is no longer suffering from constant itching or discomfort after bathing them with an antifungal shampoo. Most medicated dog shampoos provide immediate relief to your pets irritations.
- They are Safe for Pets – The manufacturing of medicated dog shampoos is carefully monitored and regulated to ensure the use of only the right types and amount of chemicals. This regulation is to ensure that your pets will not experience any side effects and that they will only benefit from these products. It’s now relatively easy to find the best dog shampoo without trialing countless products.
How to Use an Antifungal Dog Shampoo
The best part of these types of shampoos is that they can be used just like any other shampoo. Antifungal dog shampoos can simply be poured over your dog’s fur and massaged in the same way as other pet shampoo products, but with many contained medicated ingredients it is best to act with caution – meaning make sure it isn’t burning or causing a worse rash.
As always, if you’re concerned about a particular product it is best to reach out to a veterinarian who knows your dog well so that you can be sure any changes to their grooming routine will not affect them negatively. It might also pay to take a look over customer reviews as well, to make sure no one else is seeing odd results or reaction during treatment.
We advise that any bath you run should be made shallower than usual to stop your dog from ingesting any soapy water contain medicated shampoo or veterinary formula clinical care antiseptic.
When applying an antifungal shampoo, it is best to do so gently as the infection your dog is fighting may already be irritated and sore, so it is crucial you don’t make it any worse than it already is. Also make sure to pay particular attention to avoiding your dog’s eyes and mouth – if you’ve ever used liquid tick treatments, it’s similar to this, try not to go further forward than the back of the head.
You should also do your best to let the shampoo lather up and sit for around 7-10 minutes, if possible. Allowing it to soak in properly will let the ingredients take effect and fight the infection.
After you have washed your dog, dry them in the same way you would as part of your regular grooming sessions but pay particular attention to their skin and coat in the days and weeks after the treatment. Not only do you want to see signs that the antifungal shampoo is having an impact in fighting off infection, but you also want to make sure that any of the compounds or ingredients used in the product have not caused another allergic reaction or further irritation.
Best Antifungal Dog Shampoo Reviews
- SynergyLabs Medicated Shampoo
- Pet MD Antiseptic & Antifungal Shampoo
- Vet One’s Ketohex Shampoo
- Nootie Antimicrobial Dog Shampoo
- PetArmor AntibacterialAntifungal Shampoo
Below we review the top 5 antifungal dog shampoos we came across while testing this type of product.
Each shampoo performed particularly well when trialed, but the Synergy Labs Medicated Shampoo was by far the best performer.
As with any products you are purchasing to fight off an infection, it is essential you identify the underlying cause of the issue.
First and foremost that will help you find the right product for your needs, which means a dog with sensitive skin should be shampooed with less harsh washes such as oatmeal shampoo and MICONAHEX+Triz’s delicate shampoos.
However, we’re confident that the below roundup will include a product suitable to soothe your dog’s irritations.
SynergyLabs Veterinary Formula Antiparasitic & Antiseborrheic Shampoo
Yes, you read that right…The SynergyLabs shampoo is a multi-purpose medicated shampoo at a brilliant price.
This product is an anti-parasitic and anti-seborrheic product, as well as an antibacterial, antifungal dog shampoo.
All in all, this SynergyLabs product can fight off bacteria, germs, fungi, parasites and even cure skin scaling.
Its main ingredients are salicylic acid, coal tar, and micronized sulfur, but despite these heavy duty chemical components, this dog shampoo is 100% safe for your dog.
It is even paraben, dye and soap-free.
We are sure your dog will love this product since it is also hydrating and as well as testing this product ourselves we have also found verified pet owner reviews on from around the web attesting to the product’s effectiveness, something we agree with 100%.
Pet MD Antiseptic & Antifungal Shampoo
Pet MD’s Antibacterial Shampoo is also an antiseptic, anti-fungal, and anti-seborrheic product.
PET MD are a leading brand in online pet health advice, and this product delivers on that front.
It is vet recommended and can be used to relieve fungal and bacterial skin infections including ringworm, and acne.
It uses a gentle formula that you can also use on cats if you have a large pet family and another great thing about this dog shampoo is that it is manufactured in the USA.
Vet One’s Ketohex Shampoo
Vet One is one of the leading pet supply companies in the country today.
Its Ketohex Shampoo, one of its dog grooming products, is targeted towards treating fungal infections not only in dogs but also in cats and horses making it an all around great product that is extremely effective.
Most antifungal dog shampoos also come with an antibacterial component to complement its germ-fighting powers.
In Ketohex Vet One, they achieve this by using 2% Chlorhexidine and 1% Ketoconazole.
Therefore, if your pet dog is suffering from skin issues or excessive feet chewing, this is the answer.
We found this product not only kept away fungal infections; it also leaves your dog’s coat smelling fresh and clean.
Nootie Medicated Antimicrobial Dog Shampoo
Another multipurpose dog shampoo is Nootie’s Medicated Antimicrobial shampoo.
Its antifungal and antibacterial effects are good for dogs and cats making it excellent value for money.
This shampoo has a rich lather, so a little dab goes a long way. Its main medicated ingredients are Chlorhexidine Gluconate 2% and Miconazole Nitrate 2%.
It has excellent anti-microbial properties so you can be sure that your pet is disinfected thoroughly.
If you want your pet to have soft fur, fewer skin infections, and a pleasant, long lasting smell, then the Nootie’s antifungal shampoo for dogs is a great choice.
PetArmor Antibacterial Antifungal Shampoo
Pet Armor’s medicated shampoo is another product suitable for both dogs and cats and has antibacterial and antifungal functions.
Pets owners with dogs who suffer from frequent allergies or itchiness will undoubtedly find it useful.
We advise, if your dog has a severe case of skin issues, you may need to bathe your pet 2-3 times a week for the first few weeks for this product to take effect.
You can then gradually decrease your Pet Armor bath times as your pet’s symptoms lessen.
Most pet owners like this dog shampoo for its gentle formula and affordable price, and we can’t disagree either.
However, the competition within the antifungal dog shampoo market is fierce, and we found the other options listed, especially the SynergyLabs product to be truly superior.
Final Word
We hope you found this round up to be useful when it comes to finding the right product to treat your dog’s fungal infections. We know that having to move forward with tough treatments like these is neither fun for yourself or your lovely pooch, but unfortunately, it is something that commonly crops up throughout a dog’s life.
Just like us humans, your pet can become ill or pick up diseases and infections going about their everyday business, even from the foods we give them and ensuring you are on hand to help the fight and prevent such infections is a huge part of being a dog owner.
We are always looking to update our product reviews, particularly when it comes to finding the perfect antifungal solution for dogs as we know this can be quite a traumatic period for first-time dog owners. If you have come across a product that you feel other dog owners should be using, please do let us know by leaving a comment or get in touch via email. We’ve been hearing a whole lot about Jax and Daisy’s shampoos lately.
Reacting quickly and using the best products available are our two best pieces of advice when it comes to combating your dog’s fungal infections and we hope this guide helps you do exactly that by providing the right information and the best products available to make the right choices to get your dog back to full health.
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