I am desperate for some advice regarding my dogs reaction to yeast.
Gracie - 2 y/o mixed breed, no known allergies. Consistent vet visits for colitis & ear problems. Has just come off a week of steroids and Is now on 10 day prescription of Clavaseptin and Surolan ear drops. Current diet is 100g of Canagan small breed daily.
The vet hasn’t specifically said that she has a yeast allergy however we are months into constant ear infections and colitis and they have advised that she had a significant build up of yeast in her ear which suggests that this is the cause. Trying to find a suitable diet YEAST FREE has been torture and I’m now learning it’d pretty much impossible. The vet has advised Hills z/d and Purina HA - specifically because of the hydrolysed protein and I want to avoid these completely!!! The only alternative I’m reaching is raw. She has been fed raw previously however I’m not keen on this option due to her colitis as this was the reason we took her off the raw food. The kibble (Canagan) has really worked amazingly for her as we can get creative with the kibble and it’s been key in our training in addition to building her confidence through use of her nose/agility etc. She also loves it, I’m happy with the nutritional rate and quality and the small breed is great for her as she is only 8.5kg. She is a very nervous dog and we have had a significant amount of work to do with her since we rescued her nearly 2 years ago. If raw is the only option I will do this for the sake of her health and well-being however really in need of advice from other owners who have experienced a similar challenge and I would like to exhaust other options first. I have considered home cooked but I am overwhelmed with where to start and worried I won’t meet her nutritional needs.
I feel I’m asking for a lot but digging through article upon article and food upon food has been utterly exhausting and I can’t say just how many dog foods, ingredients and articles I have searched in recent weeks. Ideally I’m looking for kibble, small breed size with a reasonable nutritional rating which will help my girls symptoms regarding a reaction to yeast - so preferably low or no yeast/poultry.
Thanks in advance 
Hello and welcome to the forum. As your dog has a yeast problem it would be advisable to stop dry food altogether because most of them have an above average carbohydrate content. However, a few of them (usually 80/20) have an average carbohydrate content. This leaves three choices - a good quality wet food, raw or fresh cooked.
If you wish to try wet food, you can search for suitable products in the Dog Food Directory. Use the filters wet food > clearly labelled > no red/yellow ingredients but you can tweak them at will. Look for ones with an average carbohydrate content, Marleybones being one.
Due to the fact that your dog has colitis, raw may not be the best option just yet. This is because his gut and immune system is already compromised and may not be able to handle any bacteria that might be in raw food.
In this situation my preference would be for fresh cooked food. There are two ways that you can achieve this safely in the knowledge that you have all the right nutrients - home cook with the advice/support of a qualified canine nutritionist or purchase a commercial fresh cooked product from a company such as Different Dog.
One of my dogs had problems with yeast which resulted in itching/scratching/sore skin. On the advice of a dermatologist I changed her to fresh cooked food and she has been fine ever since. In my case I wasn’t able to home cook so chose Different Dog. It is expensive but this has been offset by not having to go back and forth to the vets. The company has a veterinary surgeon on hand to give advice.
It might also be helpful for you to start your dog on a canine specific probiotic. There are several on the market. YuDigest is one.
The other thing to consider is that your dog could have a heavy yeast growth on the skin. Your vet can do a skin scraping to check. If this is the case, it would be useful to regularly shampoo with Malaseb or similar because dogs sometimes reinfect themselves by scratching. In my dog’s case the dermatologist advised me to bath her daily for two weeks and I found this to be very effective. I then gradually reduced the frequency and now I don’t need to use Malaseb at all although I still shower her using a gentle shampoo once every three weeks after she has been to the swimming pool.